Are you prepared to...
... talk about writing?
... learn about structure and conflict, plot and pace?
... discuss writing issues?
... ask questions?
... write a scene, create a character, bring a setting to life?
That, and more, is what goes on during a weekend at The Writers Studio. You will be an active participant, not passive listener, and you will leave on Sunday filled with new ideas, new strategies, and new inspiration. Your experience at the Writers Studio will empower you and help you take control of your writing and your career.
Weekend workshops...
Our workshops run from late Friday afternoon to after lunch on Sunday.
Friday: Check in to your lodging, then come over to Chickadee Farm. We’ll have some wine and cheese, get acquainted, and share our goals. Bill and Vicki will provide an overview of the program and answer questions. Participants will receive an inscribed copy of Bill’s The Elements of Mystery Fiction, a resource notebook, lists of agents and contests, and other goodies.
Saturday: After breakfast return to the Writers Studio for a full and intensive day studying and practicing the art and craft of fiction writing. Sample topics include: Identifying the elements of publishable fiction, setting the hero on her quest, inventing a worthy villain, developing a plot from a premise, writing dialogue that zings, sketching settings that live and breathe, resolving the critical point-of-view question, and setting the narrative hook.
Pause for lunch and recess, then welcome the weekend’s guest speaker, a professional writer who will tell war stories, offer encouragement and inspiration, share writing tips and strategies, and answer questions.
The Saturday workshop continues until dinnertime. Participants will get a brief homework assignment (oh, yes), then adjourn.
It’s a long, intense day, but fun, too. The group takes breaks, stretches legs, goes for walks. Coffee, drinks, and nosh are always available. Laughter takes places, too. Writing isn’t all serious.
Sunday: Reconvene after breakfast, have coffee, get reacquainted, then break into small discussion groups where scenes written for homework are read and critiqued.
Around noontime share a farewell lunch. Bill and Vicki discuss the roles of agents and editors, submitting queries, finding an agent, formatting submissions, and more nuts-and-bolts. Then one last round of questions, wrap up and say good-bye.
After the weekend...
Although our participants have left the Writers Studio, their workshop hasn’t truly ended. Bill or Vicki will read and critique 25 pages of fiction written by each participant. Students can submit pages any time within a year of their workshop. In other words, workshop participants have 360 days to submit pages for critiquing. This service is included in your workshop fee.
Our WSCF Coffee House...
In addition, participants can join the WSCF Coffee House, where they can post notes, ask questions, and begin discussion threads with other participants.