Tag: creative writing

Astoria Workshop Workshops

A Feast of the Senses Astoria Workshop

 A FEAST OF THE SENSES – WRITE IN ASTORIA

A WINTER WEEK IN A HISTORIC SEAPORT

 February 2 – 9, 2020

This workshop is full! Stay tuned for information on next year’s Astoria workshop–or check out our weeks in England and France.

THE PLAN:

We’ll stay seven nights, six full days, in rainy romantic Astoria, a city of 10,000 on the Columbia River where it opens up to the Pacific. It’s the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies – historic, funky and full of character.

The funky mid-century modern Atomic Motel will be our home base. Sunday is arrival day, with a welcome gathering Sunday evening.  You’ll have a private room with a queen bed. We’ll have happy hours and some meals in the fabulous 50s style lobby – where Dean Martin (okay, a cardboard version of him) holds forth daily and there’s a microphone used by both Dean and Frank Sinatra!

Downtown with its shops and cafes, museums, brewpubs, bakeries and other quirky spots is nearby and walkable.  The iconic Oregon Coast restaurant Pig N’ Pancake is right next door. You can see photos of the motel and read more about it here.

Monday through Friday – writing workshop. We’ll meet from 9:30 to 12:30 each day for the “class” portion of the experience – a basic workshop format of mini-lectures from Debbie and Charlotte, in-class writing exercises, and discussion of the pieces each of you will submit. (Yes, we will give you writing assignments at the end of class each day. You came to write, right?)

In keeping with our Feast of the Senses theme, each day we’ll consider one of the five senses and its use in our writing. Here’s a start:

Monday: sight. Sea and sky, hills and houses, the colors of winter

Tuesday: sound. Foghorns hooting, sea lions barking, the mighty Columbia slapping the shore

Wednesday: taste. Salt in the air, fresh seafood on the tongue

Thursday: smell. Salt in the air, fresh seafood in the broiler

Friday: touch. Wind and water, rough and smooth, soft and scratchy

We’ll use these sensory topics to enhance and expand upon the traditional techniques of creative writing, including characterization, description, dialogue, plot, and theme. Class assignments will be applicable to a work in progress or a brand-new project. All skill levels welcome.

We’ll have some optional outings (for example, to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Astoria Column with its unparalleled views of land and water) and our last day, Saturday, you’ll be free to explore on your own.

You can read our testimonials here.

DETAILS:

The cost is $895 and includes seven nights’ lodging, complimentary continental breakfasts at the Atomic Motel, and tuition. Not included: transportation to Astoria and other meals.  A deposit of $250 will hold your place; full payment required by December 31.

For more information, contact Debbie at dguyol@aol.com, or Charlotte at chardixon@comcast.net. We hope to see you there!

Lets Go Write

Portland workshops

Portland Events: Half-Day Workshops

New Half-Day Workshops

Let’s Go Write presents TWO HALF-DAY WORKSHOPS

May 5, 2018 – MOTIVATION

Everything starts with character!

–What motivates your characters?
–How do you suss out your characters’ motivations?(May be harder than it sounds!)
–How do you show motivation on the page?
–How do motivations affect your plot and drive your story? i Bonus: what motivates you as a writer?

May 19, 2018 – ALL ABOUT THE ARC

The narrative has an arc, the character has an arc, and every scene has an arc too. Let’s explore!

–Write a beginning that foreshadows the arc of the story i Character arcs – how do your characters change?
–Create arcs in scenes and chapters
–Is anything exempt from the rule of the arc

–Make all the arcs fit together

THE DETAILS:

1:30 to 4:30 pm at TaborSpace Library, 5441 SE Belmont St., Portland, Oregon 97215 $47 per session; $80 for both
twelve-student limit
Contact: Debbie: dguyol@aol.com Charlotte: chardixon@comcast.net

 

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Jump-start your writing in the new year with some half-day workshops on various aspects of the writing craft in January and February.  Here are the details:

January 6, 2018 – CREATE YOUR CHARACTERS

It all starts with character! We can help you:

–Create a character,
–Develop a character you’ve created,
–Tame a rebellious character you’ve created.

January 20, 2018 – USE YOUR SETTING

Explore the role of setting in fiction and memoir:

–Enrich character through setting,
–Consider how place influences story,
–Examine the relationship between landscape and theme.

February 3, 2018 – LEARN THE SECRETS OF STRUCTURE

More exploration:

–Construct a scene, the basic building block of structure,
–Learn screenplay structure and how to use it in your novel or memoir, i Review other theories of structure.

February 17, 2018 – FIND YOUR VOICE

And finally we’ll look at the all-important (and often elusive) voice:

–Define what it is and how to get it,
–Explore voice through language,
–See how voice affects other fiction and memoir fundamentals.

THE DETAILS:

1:30 to 4:30 pm
$47 per session; $160 for all four twelve-student limit
Venue: TaborSpace Library
5441 SE Belmont St., Portland, Oregon 97215 http://letsgowrite.com/
Debbie: dguyol@aol.com
Charlotte: chardixon@comcast.net

Portland workshops

Portland Creative Writing Workshop!

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Our first Portland workshop was a great success!  Here’s a testimonial from a participant:

You two are a great combo. Somewhat like good cop/bad cop, but much more fun with your sense of humor showing. You both give very positive feedback and advice on how to make our writing better. The workshop was challenging, and yet relaxing. No pressure to be a literary master during each writing exercise.

Thanks again, Kathryn Hathaway
 
Stay tuned for information on future local workshops!

 

FINDING YOUR PLACE:  Using Setting in Creative Writing

In this small workshop we’ll go on adventures to familiar and exotic places. Cityscape, garden, forest; office, apartment, airplane; foreign land or down the street. Find a setting for your story, or learn how to make better use of the location you’ve already chosen! We’ll explore how setting influences character and action in fiction and nonfiction. In-class writing exercises are also aimed at conveying setting both in few words and in many. Three hours, optional lunch with the group after class.

February 4, 9:30–12:30

Workshop will be held at Tabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont, Portland, OR 97215

Upon payment, you’ll receive a confirmation email from us.  See you in February!

Just $45, limited to 12 students.

Photo by Wolfgang Staudt.