The following classes are held at The Writers' Workshop, 387 Beaucatcher Road, Asheville, NC 28805. Registration is in advance only by paying via PayPal or credit card here, or by mailing check or money order to The Writers' Workshop, 387 Beaucatcher Rd., Asheville, NC 28805. Financial aid in exchange for volunteering is available. For more information, please email or call us.
Workshop registrations are refundable up to a week before the workshop date. We are unable to make refunds for special events such as retreats. All classes meet Saturdays, 10-4 pm, and cost $75 or $70 for Workshop members. Please see the Membership Page to join!
Workshop registrations are refundable up to a week before the workshop date. We are unable to make refunds for special events such as retreats. All classes meet Saturdays, 10-4 pm, and cost $75 or $70 for Workshop members. Please see the Membership Page to join!
Winter 2019 Workshops
FEB. 9: WRITE YOUR LIFE with Richard Krawiec
In this supportive writing-intensive class, participants will learn how to draw on the "material" of their lives to write and revise memoirs, stories, or plays. Elements covered include time compression and expansion, theme, recognizing your purpose, and developing your piece professionally. Richard Krawiec is the founder of Jacar Press, and the author of numerous books such as "Breakdown: A Father's Story", "Faith in What?", and "Time Sharing". His work is published in Shenandoah, Florida Review, and N.C. Literary Review, among many others.
Meets Saturday, 10-4. $75/$70 Workshop members.
FEB. 23: WRITING the YOUNG ADULT NOVEL with Constance Renfrow
Participants will learn how to shape plot, character, and voice suitable for a Young Adult audience. Other topics include how to write a compelling first chapter, common clichés to avoid, and what YA Twitter and Goodreads reviews might mean for your novel.
This class will include writing exercises and a Q&A. You may bring up to 3 pages and a synopsis to the class for review.
Constance Renfrow is the former lead editor of Three Rooms Press. Her short stories have appeared in Litro, Red Earth Review, Mud Season Review, Two Cities Review, and elsewhere. Her first book, Songs of My Selfie, an anthology of millennial fiction, was an 2016 IndieFAB finalist.
Meets Saturday, 10-4. $75/$70 Workshop members.
MARCH 9: POLISHING YOUR WORK for PUBLICATION with Julia Day
Advanced writers with a completed first draft will learn how to revise and polish their work. In this workshop, participants will learn editing techniques to add depth to characters, build relationship arcs, tighten plot, and clarify character voice through dialogue. Participants may bring the first 3 pages of their manuscript to the class for review and revision.
Julia Day is the award-winning author of Whisper Falls (Bronze Medal); I Wish; The Possibility of Somewhere; and Leaving Eden.
Meets Saturday, 10-4. $75/$70 Workshop members.
MARCH 16: FICTION & CREATIVE NON-FICTION WRITING with Karen Ackerson
Writers of both fiction and creative non-fiction will learn how to create realistic dialogue and unforgettable characters with flaws, idiosyncrasies, and unique ways of speaking. We will examine how a character's strengths and weaknesses form the backbone of any good story, and how to write a character sketch in class. The importance of describing the setting, or sense of place, will also be discussed. Participants may bring 3 pages (double-spaced) to the class for review.
Karen Ackerson teaches writing and editing courses throughout the southeast. As Senior Editor at The Renbourne Editorial Agency, she has edited over 500 novels and memoirs.
Meets Saturday, 10-4. $75/$70 Workshop members.
MARCH 30: MEMORY, MYTH, & FAMILY: A PRIMAL SOURCE for POEMS
with Jan Harrington
Our early memories and family relationships can be lifting-off points for complex, many-layered poems. Revisiting family myths and collective stories can also yield fertile material. We'll look closely at poems from well-known poets and consider voice, form, points of view, image, metaphor, irony and other tools of the craft. You may bring a family photograph that you find intriguing. Through prompts, questions and exercises, you'll generate ideas for your own poems and strategies for developing them.
Jan Harrington's book of poems, Waiting for the Hurricane, won the '17 N.C. Poetry Society award. Her poems have appeared in journals and anthologies in the US and Europe, including Kent State University Press, New Southerner Anthology, and The Homestead Review.
Meets Saturday, 10-4. $75/$70 Workshop members.
Non-member workshop registration |
Member workshop registration |
Monthly Potluck & Writer's Group
Members who are interested in monthly meetings (social, literary or critique) are invited to a potluck on the last Friday of each month, 6-8:30 pm, at The Writers' Workshop. Please RSVP at least 2 days in advance. Members' guests, as well as prospective members, are welcome. The potlucks are free, but please bring a covered dish to share. You are also welcome to bring a piece of writing you have been working on to share with the group for critique.
Please RSVP to writersw@gmail.com at least 2 days ahead!
Please RSVP to writersw@gmail.com at least 2 days ahead!