Writers' Workshop

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

SPECIAL PRESENTATION & CRAFT LECTURE DESCRIPTIONS

A generative writing seminar on combining prose and poetry

I want to look at some fundamental questions: Who or what gives us the right to a voice? What does that mean? What causes us to question that right? How do we claim it? How do we deal with doubt?

AFTERNOON SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

After the First Draft: Taking Your Manuscript to the Next Level (Winchester)

Finishing a rough draft is in itself a huge accomplishment. But how do you take a rough draft and turn into a polished manuscript? Revision is such a key part to writing any full-length project. A good revision can be transformative, taking just an “okay” manuscript and turning it into a great one. But looking at hundreds of pages of a rough draft that need revising can feel overwhelming. Where do you even start?

In this class, we will cover different aspects of revision, examining things like structure, character arcs, themes, narrative flow, and more. The class periods and supplemental worksheets will give writers the tools to view their manuscripts through a big picture lens and help them feel confident as they approach the revision process.

Dream-Casting (Oberhausen)

Explore the connections between the dream space and the imagination, between dreaming and writing. What happens when we dream—creating people, places, things, and events, seemingly out of nothing—and how can we cultivate what John Gardner calls “a vivid and continuous . . . dream” as writers?

For a few mornings before we meet, see if you can remember and record your dreams. It helps if you can lie in bed and recall them before you jump up and start your day. Bring an example or two to explore.

Music as Muse (Van Gundy)

The strong associative power of instrumental music can provide writers with a jump-start when they are stuck. The elements shared between writing and music — tone, mood, rhythm, pacing — are natural, if overlooked, sources of inspiration and energy for writers, even when not writing about music directly. We’ll start the session by exploring ways music can help us access mood, character, and even historical setting.We’ll finish with a few hand-on exercises, writing in response to both live and recorded music.

Revision for the Win! (Browne)

Novelist Wes Browne discusses why the revision step is just as important as the writing step. He’ll share the story of undertaking a radical rewrite of his debut novel Hillbilly Hustle just 30 days before the final draft was due to WVU Press, and how the revision process differed when working with a literary agent and a New York publishing house editor on his second book, They All Fall the Same. He will divulge his best tips and tricks, then open the discussion up to audience members to share as well.

Social Media for Authors (Winchester)

In the fast-changing world of social media, establishing an online presence as an author can feel overwhelming. This class gives authors an overview of how they can use social media to further their career goals by establishing a consistent personal brand across the major platforms while remaining safe online.

Welcome to Picture Books (Lyon)

We’ll look at the essential elements of picture books, follow the creation of one book from journal entry to bookshelf, & do an exercise to help you explore your material.

Words in Focus: Writing Inspired by Photography (Sheffel)

An engaging and creative session that explores the powerful relationship between photography and writing. Participants will delve into the world of visual storytelling and discover how photographs can serve as a wellspring of inspiration for their written work.

Writing about Music (Van Gundy)

In this workshop, we’ll explore how writers have tried to capture music’s lightning in a bottle of language. We’ll look at examples of how writers have written about music in novels, poems, essays, and stories (both directly and indirectly), and explore strategies for translating the magic of music into the magic of the written word.