Announcing (Online and In-Person!) Mini-MFA Writing Workshops, March 2022
In precarious times, sometimes the best thing we can do is focus on expanding our ability to do the things that give us satisfaction and joy. (Think about the sourdough bread craze in the early Covid lockdown.)
So, here I am, calling all developing and ambitious writers! Spring will come, the energy will rise — it’s time to write your best. My first Mini-MFA prose storyweaving workshops will officially open this March. NOTE: THIS CLASS IS FULL. Contact me to find out about other classes scheduled for May, September and October of 2022….
These workshops, one in person and one online, will offer the skills that make MFAs so vital for strong writing to a select few of fiction and non-fiction prose writers. (Poets, you’ll get your turn soon.) If you want to hone your skills in a dedicated group of focused and evolving writers who want to build their strengths and reduce bad writing habits, join us! All feedback will be facilitated, supportive, focused and honest, and you will come out with a clearer sense of the writing process, adapted to your own writing practice.
Both online (zoom) and at the Storyweaving Retreat Center, we’ll explore four techniques to give new life to your prose, and then turn to vital, energizing revision strategies so you can bring these lessons home to improve your beloved first drafts. I’ll facilitate group discussion so you’ll get what you need from your peers, and each week, I’ll send every writer notes on the work you submit as an added bonus. You’ll also get handouts that show you how to use the techniques and strategies to improve your writing.
Priority will be given to former and current writing coaching clients. If Storyweaving is new to you, check out my bio and learn more about writing coaching here. All participants will receive a one-month discount on editing and writing mentoring once the class is complete, whether you’re an established client or new to my creative support services.
The cost will be $35/1.5 hour session, paid in advance. It’s important that the group stay consistent throughout the experience, as the support of the team of writers is as important as your own practice. Community is vital, especially now that the pandemic has forced us to separate and isolated writers even more.* The schedule, with themes, dates and times, is below. Please email me with any questions you have, and reserve your place! (The class is already filling up: it’s limited to 7 participants in the live sessions, 7 in the online program).
SCHEDULE:
First Section: WRITING FROM SCRATCH
Session 1: Generating Strong New Work — Lead With a Great Beginning (Sunday, March 6, 2:30 p.m., Storyweaving Retreat Center; Thursday, March 3, 7:30 p.m. EST Online)
Session 2: Show or Tell — Learn How to Earn Your Tells, Expand Your Shows (Sunday, March 13, 2:30 p.m., Storyweaving Retreat Center; Thursday, March 10, 7:30 p.m. EST Online)
Session 3: Making Genre Rules Work for You (Sunday, March 20, 2:30 p.m., Storyweaving Retreat Center; Thursday, March 17, 7:30 p.m. EST Online)
Session 4: Free Your Head: Writing Outside the Box (Sunday, March 27, 2:30 p.m., Storyweaving Retreat Center; Thursday, March 24, 7:30 p.m. EST, Online)
break
Second Section: REVISION:
Session 5: Asking Great Revision Questions — Making Your Inner Editor Work for You (Sunday, April 10, 2:30 p.m. Storyweaving Retreat Center; Thursday, April 7, 7:30 p.m. EST, Online)
Session 6: Opening Up Your Draft — See it Fresh, Make it Shine (Sunday, April 24, 2:30 p.m., Storyweaving Retreat Center; Thursday, April 14, 7:30 p.m. EST, Online)
Session 7: Build Story Strength — Weave Beautiful Patterns in Word and Narrative (Sunday, May 1, 2:30 p.m., Storyweaving Retreat Center; Thursday, April 21, 7:30 p.m. EST, Online)
*For sessions in the Storyweaving Retreat Center, all participants must offer proof of vaccination. We will meet in an airy, well-ventilated, and sanitized room. Coffee and tea will be provided.