Meets: Monthly, fourth Wednesdays 5:30-8p CST
Instructor: Susanna Daniel
Location: Zoom
Cost: $2495 (in 2 payments)
Enrollment: wait list
“This workshop and your feedback has been such a support, I am pinching myself that I’ve actually written a draft of a book! Your way with setting an encouraging tone and also providing invaluable suggestions—not an easy balance to hit, and you make it look easy. I’d be happy to offer a recommendation to anyone on the fence about it.”
There’s no reason for writing to be a lonely business. In this fully virtual workshop, we focus on feedback, deadlines, and encouragement — a scaffolding for success that, together with your commitment, will help you achieve your goal of writing a complete draft of a novel or memoir. This is a challenging yet rewarding year-long experience, and many of the partnerships made in this class continue for years.
We’ll meet monthly starting in January and take a break in August. For 11 sessions, we’ll meet online to workshop excerpts, discuss challenges and goals, resolve stumbling blocks, and encourage each other.
During each workshop, we’ll discuss aspects of novel and memoir writing, including time management, overcoming obstacles, developing and introducing characters, problem solving, pacing and plot, balance of scene and exposition, and how to stay focused. Each session will include a brief break and snacks to keep up our energy.
“My manuscript went from rank amateur to a polished debut with Susanna’s deft guidance. She zeroes in on those small things that make huge improvements.”
Students will submit 25 pages per month, with the goal of completing a first draft by the end of the year.
Between sessions, you’ll write, revise workshopped material, and touch base with the other members of the class. We’ll keep in regular email contact to provide as much encouragement and support as you need, when you need it.
This workshop is meant for anyone ready to commit to writing a book, whether you have barely formed an idea or every chapter outlined. The class will be most useful for writers with some experience receiving and offering feedback in a workshop setting, but workshop experience is not necessary. Our priority is encouragement and accountability, with a secondary focus on useful and concrete feedback.
This workshop is appropriate for writers with all levels of experience with short and long forms. Limited to 8 students. Times are CST.
“Susanna was instrumental in shaping my manuscript, guiding me to tighten up my long-winded chapters while pushing me to dive deeper and add crucial details where they were needed. Thanks to her support, I was able to consistently produce 25 pages a month for a year—pages that were far stronger than anything I could have accomplished on my own.
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