About this Class
Whether you’re developing fiction or non-fiction, a cohesive and engaging story is essential.
While plot is important, it's only one of the elements needed to hold your reader. Too often, writers focus so much on “what happens” that the “who, where, and how” of the narrative - the important elements that allow the piece to be full, complete and “lived-in” - are neglected.
Character, setting and dialog will be the focus of separate workshops designed to allow you to give your piece more depth, shape, and clarity as you move forward.
Session 1: Let’s Get Writing! Engage with your creative mind through a series of prompts, activities, and games designed to increase fluency and come away with a toolkit of ideas and inspiration for the meatier stuff later.
Session 2: Do You Know Who I Am? (Character) Mining well-rounded and believable characters is probably the most important element in fiction. By combining brainstorming and craft exercises, you can add dimension to existing characters, develop new characters, and better view the world through the character’s point of view.
Session 3: Where Am I and How Did I Get Here? (Setting/Place) The well-defined “place” can establish mood, influence character choices/emotions, drive dialog, impact events, and so much more. See how settings can be explored and woven into your work, whether in long form or subtle, carefully placed details.
Session 4: Am I Coming Through? (Dialog) Explore effective dialog in fiction and film, and find opportunities in your own pieces that can be further developed through character-to-character conversation. Look at internal and external, direct and indirect, verbal and nonverbal communication.
Details
Bring a draft in process (rough is OK!) to sessions 2-4
Class Policies
Instructor
Warren Read is the author of the novels, "One Simple Thing" (2021, Ig Publishing), and "Ash Falls" (2017, Ig Publishing). His memoir, "The Lyncher in Me," was released by Borealis Books in 2009. He received his MFA in 2015 from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University. His fiction has appeared in Hot Metal Bridge, Mud Season Review, Sliver of Stone, Inklette, Switchback Magazine, and the Christmas issue of East Bay Review. He is an assistant principal on Bainbridge Island. Learn more about him at www.warren-read.com.
