Master Classes

Virtual and Recorded There is magic in storytelling. A writer trusts words to paper, and a reader’s imagination makes those words come to life. The stories that make us laugh, or cry, or look under the bed before we turn off the lights—those are the stories that touch our deepest emotions. They transport us and have the ability to change our lives. They are the stories that matter. Every writer strives to write such stories... but what makes a story matter? What makes it unique? How do...

Virtual and Recorded Whether you are dealing with ADHD, depression, or just generalized angst at the state of the world, there will be days when writing is hard. In this workshop, we're going to look at workarounds for when the world and your brain are not aligned. This workshop will include some writing exercises that you can deploy when you need a tool to get out of a slump. 

Virtual and Recorded In this master class with agent Jessica Watterson, we’ll explore how to fully flesh out your characters and how they exist in the romantic realm–their meet-cutes, desires, loves--and their everyday lives on the page.

Virtual and Recorded Writers help to shape the way people envision the world, so why not try to build better possibilities? In this masterclass, we’ll look at ways to build fictional worlds that reflect our deepest-held values and wildest dreams while leaving plenty of room for engaging stories and conflicts. While the focus of this session will be on writing with environmental, social, and economic justice in mind, the techniques can be used for whatever version of a better world you...

Virtual NOT recorded Memoir as a genre borrows many of its narrative techniques from fiction, and—like fiction—many memoirs are character-driven. But when we turn ourselves into the protagonists of our life stories, our work becomes shaped by the simple character arc: who we were, what problem(s) we faced, and how we changed or overcame. This kind of narrative resolution can feel false or forced to both reader and writer. In this class, we’ll be looking at contemporary memoirists whose...

Virtual and Recorded It’s been said that stories are built on the building blocks of Goal, Motivation and Conflict. Your characters must be motivated to reach for their goals- especially with the challenges you’re going to put in their way during the course of your manuscript. This masterclass will explore: - The importance of motivation - Different types of motivation - The impact of a character’s backstory on motivation - How motivation may change over the course of the story -...

Virtual and Recorded Mining the Future is a three-hour masterclass about going deeper. All too often we rely on our character's back stories to develop them and the effect can be shallow and inconsequential. This workshop, based on an original idea by Getta Roopnarine, looks forward into those character's far furture and how they might be seen when viewed from far away in time. Does that affect how your characters act? Might it change the consequences of those actions? How do your...

In Person, Virtual and Recorded The beginner's intensive is an SiWC tradition, and once again this 30th year of SiWC new writers can expect to kick off their conference in style! Publishing is a complex world -- from finding your voice as a writer to pitching a novel -- there's a lot to take in, and it's changing all the time. Join bestselling author kc dyer as she highlights the top thirty essentials beginning writers need to know before taking those first tentative steps into the world...

In Person Only - NOT recorded A compelling protagonist – that’s what editors often say they are looking for in a novel. Readers need to care what happened to that character before the book opens and what’s going to happen to that character after the book ends. The journey should be transformational so that by the end the protagonist has changed in some fundamental way. In this intensive workshop, you’ll work on fleshing out a vivid main character and developing a character arc. You’ll...

In Person Only - NOT recorded “How is it possible to bring order out of memory? I should like to begin at the beginning, patiently, like a weaver at his loom. I should like to say, ‘This is the place to start; there can be no other.’” Beryl Markham “You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better. ~Anne Lamott “I believe that the memoir is the novel of the 21st century; it’s an amazing form...

In Person, Virtual, and Recorded Understanding all the elements of a great scene is essential, but putting it all together into an emotionally strong and satisfying story is a craft all its own. We’ll take apart five key scenes every novel needs and examine how to build depth and layers into those all-important story moments. This workshop will be hands-on.

In Person, Virtual, and Recorded For most new writers, getting started can be the hardest part. Or maybe you have some experience but don't know where to start with outlining. In this master class, you'll learn from author Pamela Samuels Young how to transition from idea to outline to manuscript. From plot points and pacing, to chapter hooks and point of view, you'll learn how to produce an outline that will make the writing process a breeze.

In Person Only - NOT recorded Join Wesley Chu for an-class critique of 5 pages of your manuscript and those of your fellow attendees in class. You'll be amazed what you can learn from hearing other people's pages critiqued as well as your own! Advance submission and reading required: pages will be submitted in early October and shared with Wes and class registrants to read before class begins.

In Person Only - NOT recorded This master class will focus on side writing as a way of getting to know your characters better. We’ve probably all done writing exercises that have us create biographical sketches--but characters can’t be reduced to physical descriptions and lists of character traits. They don’t exist in isolation from a story. Characters are developed and revealed by what they say and do—in other words, through scenes, dialogue, and conflict. So much of the work of...

In Person, Virtual, and Recorded Fiction earns its power in many ways, most importantly through a protagonist’s arc of change. However, the calculus of arc is complex. Simple growth or fixing a flaw is fine but will have limited effect. In this hands-on master class, delve into the advanced construction of character arc, it’s roots and progress, the shadow of “anti-arc”, the journey of the self, and the handling of the external forces of change which are beyond a character’s...

In Person, Virtual, and Recorded Writer's Block happens. It's nearly universal. It can appear in many forms and it often overstays its welcome. But there are proven strategies, behaviours, and processes that can help you to overcome these blocks to finish your manuscript and achieve your goals. In this engaging deep-dive into the art and science of personal creativity we'll lean on the experiences and observations of important writers such as Jeff Vandermeer, Stephen King, Anne Lamott,...

In Person Only - NOT recorded In this small group, interactive workshop format, we'll dive deep into what techniques can be used to create or heighten romantic tension throughout a story, and then workshop specific scenes as a group to see those techniques being applied. Romance is a thread that runs through many different genres, and this workshop is NOT intended only for those specifically writing romance. Please note: this is NOT a workshop on writing sex scenes, although...

In Person Only - NOT recorded From his acclaimed national novel writing seminar Bob teaches with Steven James, the novelwritingintensive.com. Creating Plots for Page Turners From your initial query letter to your published novel, the writer must convey that she understands classic story structure. Bob will teach the fundamental relationship between good stories and journeys and use in-class exercises and assignments to help students better understand story structure so they can evaluate...