Professional writing instruction in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.

Monday, August 31, 2015

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!