If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this seminar will help writers tap into a different type of creativity. We will take a quick break from structured writing and combine words with visual elements, also looking at other artists’ journals. This semester, we will try simple art techniques to explore our stream of consciousness and talk about how this can be incorporated in our writing practice. 

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” This six-word story, supposedly written by Ernest Hemingway, is often used to demonstrate how a whole story can be embedded in a small moment—in this case, a classified ad. In our one-time workshop, we’ll look at a number of pieces of flash fiction in order to uncover the deeper stories embedded within. Then, after considering a number of possible opening lines for our own works of flash fiction, we’ll dive in. Time will be…

Building a platform and becoming familiar with social media is an important part of an author’s career. This workshop will cover: (1) what is an author platform and do you need one anyway? (2) online components of a platform: website, newsletter, blogs, and social media presence; (3) main social media sites useful to authors, with a special focus on Twitter and Instagram, and (4) ten signs of a successful platform. You will also learn the key thing to know about…

Each hour in this fun, day-long Friday “camp” for adult creative writers, we’ll explore different aspects of writing and the writing life. During parts of the day, all attendees will write together as well as enjoy camp-wide addresses and workshops by former Virginia Poet Laureate Tim Seibles and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Desiree Cooper. Plus 12 breakout sessions will allow you to explore craft, professional development, and/or fun. Topics will include the writers life, point of view, prompt writing, detective stories,…

Hooking your readers (or agents and editors) at the start is one of the most important parts of writing a novel. This workshop will cover what you need to accomplish in the first pages of your book, including the three most important elements your beginning lines, scenes, and chapter must include. The instructor will use examples from well-known published books to illustrate these principles and may invite participants to share their first pages for critique and discussion.

So you've written your book, now what? Join us for a class on how to craft a grabbing elevator pitch, where to find an agent, what to do and say on an agent call, what you can expect from your representative, and everything that follows writing a book with literary agent Jessica Errera.

In this workshop led by National Book Award Nominee and former Virginia Poet Laureate, Tim Seibles, we will develop narrative poems that carry specific details and insights of remembered moments--particularly those from our teenage years. There will be both in-class and beyond-class writing/reading assignments. Come ready to write with a fever and feel your brain sizzle. Fiction writers also welcome.

You’ve crafted your writing; now it’s time to get it published! This two-session seminar will guide you through the world of submitting to literary journals and magazines from start to finish. First, we'll discuss our individual publishing challenges, review our work in an optional short workshop, and then start pulling together a submission while we learn about file organization, proper formatting, crafting a cover letter, finding markets that fit our work, and how to utilize social media. Then after we've…

You’ve written a great book, but the query letter/literary agent/publisher game isn’t your cup of tea. Have you considered self-publishing? With print-on-demand, it's easier than ever to get your book into print—and e-books are even easier! From platform choice to formatting and cover design, this workshop will answer your questions and walk you through the process of getting your manuscript ready to market in both print and e-book formats.