Workshop is for writers who want to think seriously about book-length memoir or collections in the context of narrative voice, structure and improving their craft. We’ll work with prompts, exercises, and consider strategies for revision to help you see your memoir in a new light. Each week we'll look at exemplary readings and tackle issues such as characterization, description, scene vs. narrative summary, time and pacing, arc, and real-world consequences and ethical considerations when writing and publishing true-to-life stories. You…

The Fiction Workshop continues where Fiction 1 left off. Returning students and writers new to The Muse (who have fiction writing experience) will be encouraged to produce and submit original work for discussion by the group. Using the students own work and stories published by established writers, the participants will take a deeper look at the essential craft elements of fiction writing. We will refine the understanding of POV and the limitations & benefits of those choices, learn revision on…

The Fiction Workshop continues with returning members and new members with fiction writing workshop experience. Members of the group will actively write and workshop original work while taking a deeper look at the essential craft elements of fiction writing. We will refine the understanding of POV and the limitations & benefits of those choices, learn revision on the sentence level, continue to learn how to give and take constructive critique, and master writing active prose. All members of the group will have…

This workshop is based on Theodore Roethke's notion that "Imitation, conscious imitation, is one of the great methods, perhaps THE method of learning to write.” In the workshop we’ll look at various poems that powerfully display specific elements of craft, such as form (ghazal, anyone, or poem with an extended metaphor?), style, theme, and more. The poems you write will be new wineskins from old, so to speak--fresh work to be shared and critiqued that remakes poems from contemporary and…

Once you've written a draft, it can be difficult to figure out where to go next. A range of people will provide feedback, but who is right? How do you go about discerning what to edit and what to keep the same? To effectively edit, it’s critical to identify a novel’s underlying argument—it’s heart. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the “thesis statement” approach to editing, looking at examples of novels’ “thesis statements,” as well as providing exercises to help you…

Science tells us that "...mycorrhizal networks, also known as common mycorrhizal networks or CMN, are underground hyphal networks created by myrcorrhizal fungi that connect individual plants together and transfer water, carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients and minerals." (Wikipedia) Our nearly four-year-old grandson Oliver, who already loves nature, art, and books/reading (and snacks) in a big way, recently drew a picture of mycorrhizal networks which looked kind of like mushrooms holding hands beneath the soil. In this workshop we'll generate new…

In this workshop, creative nonfiction and memoir writers will explore the genre of flash creative nonfiction (between 500 and 1,000 words). We will discuss and discover the many craft elements that make flash nonfiction an engaging, experimental and exciting genre! Every session we will generate and critique our small memoir and nonfiction stories and essays and focus on the unique opportunities that flash gives every creative nonfiction writer. Working in a shorter form allows you to take a fresh look…

The Fiction Workshop continues with returning members and new members with fiction writing workshop experience. Members of the group will actively write and workshop original work while taking a deeper look at the essential craft elements of fiction writing. Each class will include a short craft lecture covering topics such as POV, writing scenes, dialogue, plotting, POV, and more. Students will continue to learn how to give and take constructive critique and master writing active prose. All members of the…

This workshop will focus on the all-important revision process in screenwriting, with members sharing the successes and difficulties encountered in the scripting process for feature-length, short, or TV scripts. You will have at least three opportunities to turn in pages of a screenplay for group review, workshop, and discussion—all in an atmosphere of mutual exploration and understanding. This class is open to continuing members as well as students who have either taken the Introduction to Screenwriting class, completed an early…