Scrivener Introduction Class

When: Thursday, January 21, 2016, 7-9 p.m.

Where: Tulinda Yoga Studio, 618 McGraw Street, Queen Anne

Description:

Have you tried Scrivener, the software for writers, but felt daunted by its features? Or have you just been hearing about it and would like to learn more? This two-hour class will cover all the basics, including author Jason Hough's personal tricks and tips. 

In class he'll cover the philosophy behind how Scrivener works (it is quite different from Word), outlining, creating a new project, compiling for different formats, and some tips to help you achieve success with large projects.

About Scrivener:

Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft.

Jason is not affiliated with Literature & Latte (the makers of Scrivener) in any way. Please note this class does not include the Scrivener software. At the link below you can find a trial version, but if you want to use the trial for the class, make sure you don't install it until the week before. Find out more or download Scrivener software here. 

Teacher:

Jason M. Hough (pronounced 'Huff') is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dire Earth Cycle and the near-future spy thriller Zero World. In a former life he was a 3D artist, animator, and game designer (Metal Fatigue, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction, and many others). He has also worked in the fields of high-performance cluster computing and machine learning.

He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, two young sons, and a dog named Missbuster.

What to bring:
Bring your laptop (with Scrivener installed if you'd like to follow along. Not required but helpful.)

Class price: $45

Register here.

"Writing Our Personal Stories" with Nicole Hardy

1-day, bring your own lunch

When: Saturday, Jan. 23, 10:30am - 4:30 pm

Where: Tulinda Yoga Studio, 618 McGraw Street, Queen Anne

Who: Suitable for beginning and emerging writers

Description:
In this one day class, we'll divide our time among lecture, discussion, and writing exercises as we delve into the art of creating memoir from memory. I'll pass on some lessons I learned the hard way, show samples from other authors, and explain how novelists' techniques can be useful in writing creative nonfiction.

10:30 – 2:30
Introduction to Creative Non-fiction, including personal essay & memoir
                       Why read it?
                       Why write it?
                       How is it similar to/different from writing fiction?

Checklist, culled from best advice from Dan Jones, editor of Modern Love

Read & discuss one sample essay, one memoir chapter with an eye to essential elements of craft
· Narrative structure
· Scene vs. Summary
· Dialogue
· Characterization
· Cultivating vulnerability

Series of 3 writing prompts


12:30 – 1:00 Lunch


1:00 – 3:00
Topics Central To Writing Personal Stories

Writers of creative non-fiction are advised to be hardest on themselves not “let themselves off the hook” 
· What does this mean?
· How does a writer achieve it?
· How does a writer share without oversharing?

Read and discuss one sample essay, one short memoir chapter, as models

Series of 3 writing prompts

3:00 – 4:00
Guided writing exercises, continuing with one or more of the 6 previous prompts

4:00 – 4:30
General Q&A, my best advice on writing & publishing creative non-fiction

Teacher:
Nicole Hardy's memoir, Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin, was a finalist for the 2014 Washington State Book Award. Her other books include the poetry collections This Blonde and Mud Flap Girl's XX Guide to Facial Profiling, a chapbook of pop-culture inspired sonnets. Her work has appeared in literary journals and newspapers including The New York Times, and has been adapted for radio and stage. Her essay, "Single, Female, Mormon, Alone," was noted in 2012's Best American Essays. She earned her MFA at the Bennington College Writing Seminars. Learn more at nicolehardy.org.

What to bring:
Bring something on which to write, be it paper and pencil or laptop. (Please charge up before coming and bring your power cord, and we’ll do our best to accommodate your charging needs.) Please also bring your mobile coffee mug or water bottle. We’ll provide coffee, tea, and water. And an extra layer always helps keep everyone in the room comfortable.

How much: $125

Lunch: BYO

To register: Send name, phone, and email to queenannewritersstudio@gmail.com. Payment arrangements will be made upon receipt. Your payment in full confirms your registration.

Structure Intensive with Jennie Shortridge

Fall Class: Story Structure for Novels and Memoirs1-day, bring your own lunch

When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 10am - 4pm

Where: Queen Anne, tbd based on class size

Who: Any level of writer working on a novel or book-length memoir or narrative nonfiction. (Not appropriate for how-to books, cook books, books with many separate stories, academic writing, short stories, essays, articles, blogs, poetry, recipes, break-up emails or the like.)

Teacher: Jennie Shortridge, five-time bestselling novelist, teacher, and co-founder of Seattle7Writers.org.

Description:
The hardest thing to figure out when writing your first (or second or third) book-length story is how to build the beast. And if you’ve been trying to figure it out, you know the word “beast” is perfect for those thousands of words and dozens of pages you’ve amassed with no clear trajectory, thematic pull, emotional arc, or end in sight. If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the monumental task of writing a 200-300 page book that agents, publishers, and ultimately readers will love, then you might want to sign up for this class. I promise it will help.

This is a nuts-and-bolts workshop: how to build the frame on which to hang your beautiful story. You will end the day with a clearer understanding of several structural forms and narrative frames (plus, you will know what that means). You will have guidelines to help you understand what goes where in the story, how to begin, where to end, how to build an arc, and many ideas to put into immediate practice in your work. Be prepared for lecture, discussion, worksheets, brainstorming, and lunch discussion with like-minded writers!

What to bring:
It’s good to have a synopsis (as you know it, so far). This can be on paper or in your head. Bring something on which to write, be it paper and pencil or laptop. (Please charge up before coming and bring your power cord, and we’ll do our best to accommodate your charging needs.) Please also bring your mobile coffee mug or water bottle. We’ll provide coffee, tea and water. And an extra layer always helps keep everyone in the room comfortable.

How much: $125

Lunch: BYO

To register: Send name, phone, and email to jennieshortridge@comcast.net. Payment arrangements will be made upon receipt. Your payment in full confirms your place at the writing table on Oct. 24!