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Upcoming Classes

THE NEXT FIFTY PAGES: TACKLING ACT TWO
A 10-Week Online Multi-genre Prose Workshop

Fiction & Creative Nonfiction

Wednesdays, October 7 - December 16*, 6 - 9 p.m.

In this ten-week online workshop, hosted by Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, we'll look at different approaches to structuring Act Two, with an emphasis on breaking the long, lonely middle into clear, manageable parts. 

Why? Because one of the biggest challenges prose writers face is how — once they've launched a story — to maintain momentum and clarity in Act Two. Act Two is where you deliver on the promise set forth in a story's opening: complicating character, upping the stakes, and deepening the reader's investment in the outcome. This applies to fiction and nonfiction alike — the goal is to maintain reader engagement whether you're writing a fast-paced thriller or an introspective memoir.

We'll discuss how the midpoint relates to your inciting incident and climax, how pinch points help control pacing, and how to sequence scenes so character arcs stay clear. And we'll work together so everybody leaves ready to move forward with the daunting task of finishing (or revising!) a draft.

THE FIRST FIFTY PAGES

Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

Coming soon as an self-paced online course!

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY, PART 1
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

Coming soon as an on-demand webinar series!

Refine your skills as a writer without breaking the bank.

The Small Craft Advisory Series is a comprehensive and flexible program of classes designed for adult learners with life experience and stories to tell.

Developed from Sandra Scofield’s essential primer, THE SCENE BOOK, each two-hour, online seminar includes in-depth discussion of the elements of narrative craft and exercises focused on participant writing. NO workshop!

Part 1 addresses the most critical skill for prose writers—scene writing—along with characterization, dialogue and setting.

1: SCENE BASICS
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

It’s nearly impossible to tell a compelling story without scenes! In this class, we’ll discuss the components of the most essential building block in prose narrative.

2: SCENES—EVENT & EMOTION
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

What happened? And what does it mean? We’ll do a deeper dive into the way event and emotion work in tandem to create memorable, meaningful scenes.

3: SCENES—BEATS, PART 1
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

Resonant scenes depend on clear events. But events themselves can be broken down further into beats of action. Getting a handle on beats is the simplest way to make your scenes come to life.

4: SCENES—BEAT SHEETS
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

We’ll create a sample beat sheet and discuss ways to revise and sharpen beats so character action (and motivation) are clearer for readers. Then we’ll each create one using our own scenes.

5: SCENES—TURNING POINTS & PULSE
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

Unless you’ve got a solid sense of pulse (character motivation) the turning points in your scenes will often be unclear. We’ll work on capturing motivation, conflict, and change in individual scenes.

6: SCENES—REVIEW
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

We’ll review what we know about scenes and how they work, and consider scene writing in relation to overall story conflict and structure.

7: CHARACTERIZATION, 1
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

This class will address ways to create unique, complex characters through using indirect and direct methods of characterization, including action, appearance, and thought.

8: CHARACTERIZATION, 2—DIALOGUE
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

Good dialogue shows character development and reveals emotional subtext. We’ll analyze and discuss a variety of approaches to getting at the things people do (and don’t) say.

9: SETTING & SENSE OF PLACE
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (Online)

A clear sense of place is one that accesses not only geographical features, but also elements of memory, cultural identity, and regional character. Setting is so much more than landscape!