This summer I'm teaching two Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing classes. One for adults (as in grown ups) and one for teens (as in, you may not have the right to vote yet).
AND...I have 3 awesome writing workshops. So here are all the details and descriptions below.
Classes:
Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing (a workshop for adults)
Fantasy and science fiction writing have long held our interests and are often the most important stories in
shaping who we are as people. We can use elements of these fantastic stories to better understand our lives and our hearts. Many of us have a fantastic story inside, one that is just waiting to be written. With the right tools, we can tell those stories and write about the worlds we wish to visit in our minds. This is a great foundation course for anyone interested in or currently writing science fiction or fantasy. Premise,
plotting, characterization, world building and using archetypes are just some of the topics we’ll cover. We’ll also study a modern fantasy by Maggie Stiefvater.
Summer Session:
Day: Monday, June 3, 10, 17, 24; July 1, 8, 2013
Time: 7pm—8:30pm
Early Bird Registration Fee: $120
Registration Fee: $140
Late Registration Fee: $150
Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing (a workshop for teens)
Falling into a world of fantasy or futuristic technology can be one of the most
entertaining and thrilling ways to read a book. But nothing beats actually creating these worlds. This course will cover the basic elements needed to create, plan and write a science fiction or fantasy story. We’ll study a modern work of fantasy by Laini Taylor, exploring ways to create either your own world or write about a hidden world that fits into ours. Students will have all the tools they need to finish writing a novel of their own, one that they will begin writing in class, incorporating all of their favorite aspects of fantasy and science fiction.
Summer Session:
Day: Tuesday, June 4, 11, 18, 25; July 2, 9, 2013
Time: 2pm—3:30pm
Early Bird Registration Fee: $120
Registration Fee: $140
Late Registration Fee: $150
Workshops:
You've written a novel and now you're ready for an agent. But navigating through the querying process to get one can feel like a daunting and impossible task. Fear not. The process is actually far more straight forward than many believe--if they have the right tools. Having a fantastic query letter is the key to having your work seen and this course will teach you exactly how to write the query letter that will have agents requesting your work. The instructor will share her own querying process and query letter which had a 50% request rate and landed her offers of representation with several agents within 30 days. Attendees are encouraged to come with a draft of their own query letters.
Friday, May 3, 2013 7PM-9PM
Writing the Young Adult Novel (First and Second Fridays with Frankie Series)
Are you writing a young adult novel? Or considering writing one? This workshop is for you. We'll look at not only what makes a book a young adult novel, but what makes it successful. Savvy writers who want to break into the young adult industry need to know how to navigate through this ever-changing field. So we'll also be looking at current trends in the market and how to understand the trends, but still write the story of your heart. The process of querying, signing with an agent and networking in the young adult industry will also be covered, along with personal tidbits from the instructor’s journey to publication. Get ready for a crash course in the young adult novel and how to bring your own YA book out into the world.
Are you writing a young adult novel? Or considering writing one? This workshop is for you. We'll look at not only what makes a book a young adult novel, but what makes it successful. Savvy writers who want to break into the young adult industry need to know how to navigate through this ever-changing field. So we'll also be looking at current trends in the market and how to understand the trends, but still write the story of your heart. The process of querying, signing with an agent and networking in the young adult industry will also be covered, along with personal tidbits from the instructor’s journey to publication. Get ready for a crash course in the young adult novel and how to bring your own YA book out into the world.
Friday, June 7, 2013 7PM-9PM
Many novels are well plotted and full of action but can still bore readers. Usually it's because the stakes aren't high enough and there are pages lacking tension. Whether you are writing a thriller, or a fantasy, a young adult contemporary or a quiet family novel, you can always raise the stakes. We'll look at ways to bring your novel to the next level and add tension that will grip readers to every single page.
Friday, June 14, 2013 7PM-9PM
Characters can make or break a novel: breaking it when they appear flat, and making it sing when the characters are fully developed. But breathing life into literary creations isn't always simple. In this workshop we'll be looking at what makes a character feel memorable, alive and developed. Character development goes far beyond knowing their birthday and favorite food. We're going to dig deep, examine what makes a person tick, and what makes a character come alive. All of the techniques learned in this course can be applied to a working novel, or stored away for future reference.
Friday, July 12, 2013 7PM-9PM
The fee for every workshop is $40 and you can register by visiting Musehouse
