Narrative writing is perhaps the greatest of the literary arts, allowing writers to tell compelling stories, reach a wide audience and satisfy some of their deepest yearnings for pattern, mystery, and coherence in their lives.
While narrative writing allows for great scope and ambition, it also demands mastery of form and structure to succeed. An ability to manipulate form and structure allows a writer to create stories that entrance readers and bring them along for the ride. The mastery of these techniques does not come easily, alas. It requires commitment to the habit of art to write excellent fiction or creative nonfiction.
My Seattle writing classes will help you develop your own habit of art, mastering the craft of narrative writing essential to creating fiction and nonfiction stories. Each quarter I offer a Seattle-based writing class in narrative writing for creative nonfiction and fiction. The emphasis varies from writing class to writing class, but all of the courses provide detailed, constructive criticism of your stories and book chapters.
The four writing classes form a sequence, introducing you to all the essential elements of creative nonfiction and fiction writing: dramatic scenes, scene by scene construction, character sketches, research and interviewing, first and third person point of view, story ideas, dramatic outlines and publishing strategies. They may be taken independently, but altogether they give you a comprehensive introduction to the art and craft of narrative writing. You’ll learn more about the craft of writing than you would in most MFA programs, at a fraction of the cost.
Every class requires that participants write a story or book chapter, revise it, and prepare it for publication. This focus on honing and perfecting the prose and finding a suitable outlet for it has resulted in students making real breakthroughs in their work. Many have gone on to publish their stories in magazines like Newsweek and the New York Times Magazine and sell their books to prominent publishing houses worldwide. www.thewritersworkshop.net/reviews.htm
The Seattle writing classes take place Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. in the historic Good Shepherd Center in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood (4649 Sunnyside Avenue North). Enrollment is limited to 15. The classes usually fill several weeks prior to the starting date. Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions and would like to sign up.
Sincerely,
Nicholas O’Connell
206.284.7121
nick@thewritersworkshop.net
2011 SEATTLE WRITING CLASSES
Winter – Follow the Story – Genres of Creative Nonfiction – Wednesday evenings Jan. 12 to Feb. 23 and two Monday evenings Jan. 24 and Jan. 31. $550.
Spring – Scene and Structure – Building Blocks of Narrative Writing – Wednesday evenings 7 to 9 p.m. from Mar. 30 to May 11th, and one Monday evening April 11. $550.
Summer – Stalking the Nonfiction Short Story – Dramatic Structure of Fiction and Nonfiction – Wednesday evenings 7 to 9 p.m. from June 15 to August 3rd. $550.
Fall – Revising Your Life – Research and Writing of Fiction and Nonfiction – Wednesday evenings 7 to 9 p.m. from Oct. 12 – Nov. 30, $550.
The Nature of Narrative: Spring Creative Writing Class
The Nature of Narrative (Scene and Structure) will introduce you to the essential building blocks of dramatic writing, whether in fiction, nonfiction or film. The alternating pattern of scene and sequel forms the basis of all dramatic writing, pulling readers into your story and not letting them go until the end. This pattern is as essential as breathing, but is often misunderstood by writers. This eight-week course will show you how to incorporate these techniques in your own work to provide drama, pacing, tension and resolution in your creative nonfiction, short stories, novels and memoirs.
The Seattle writing course will run March 30 to May 11th on Wednesday evenings (and one Monday evening, April 11) from 7 to 9 p.m. in Room 221 of the Good Shepherd Center in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood (4649 Sunnyside Avenue North).
In addition to the classroom work, I’ll schedule individual conferences with each of you. This will give me a chance to go over your story or book chapter with you one-on-one and suggest ways to improve it. There will be six assignments: a 150-word story idea or book concept statement, a 250-word scene, a 150-word character sketch, a 1500- to 2500-word story or book chapter and its revision, a cover letter for your story or book. The cost will be $550 per person. Texts: Jack Bickham’s Scene and Structure and Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It. Both titles are available at the Elliott Bay Book Company.
To enroll, please send a check for $550 to Nick O’Connell, 201 Newell St., Seattle, WA 98109. The course is limited to 15 participants and usually fills several weeks prior to the start of class. For more information, contact me at nick@thewritersworkshop.net or call 206-284-7121.
