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SUMMARY:August REPLAY | The Ideal Sentence: Your Voice\, Your Tone\, Your Pace
DESCRIPTION:Every beginning sets a tone\, establishes a voice\, and signals the quality of the language that is to come. Your beginning is one of your most important writing choices—learn to make it powerful.\n\n\n\nREPLAY INCLUDES: VIDEO\, CHAT\, HANDOUT\, AND TRANSCRIPT \n\n\n\nFor All Genres \n\n\n\nWill that language be complex and tangled? Plain-spoken? Vanilla? Lavender? Will it zing like jazz or sing like a lullabye? Will it feel lethargic\, or will it clop\, or will it swashbuckle? \n\n\n\nIt’s always time to think about sentences—to explore the ways they work (and sometimes don’t)\, the ways we bend them to get closer to the truth\, and the ways we work on patterns and rhythms so that the pages remain alive.  \n\n\n\nProse from Hilton Als\, Michael Ondaatje\, Jean-Dominique Bauby\, Jia Tolentino\, Annie Dillard\, Olivia Laing\, Carmen Machado\, Terry Tempest Williams\, and Mark Richard will inspire us and lead our way. \n\n\n\nExercises presented will be focused on voice\, tone\, mood\, and pace. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nREFINE your writing voices\n\n\n\nEXPERIMENT with mood\, tone\, and pace\n\n\n\nDEVELOP powerful new beginnings\n\n\n\nCREATE a better understanding of your writerly strengths\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers who:\n\n\n\n\nare intent on capturing the attention of agents\, editors\, and readers.  \n\n\n\nare keen on perfecting their work.\n\n\n\nwish to build more dimension into their writing.\n\n\n\nWant to learn more about sentence craft and explore their writing voice.\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe live event happened in May 2025.ABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOne of our favorite presenters\, BETH KEPHART\, is the award-winning writer of memoir\, children’s books\, young adult novels\, and craft books. She is also a paper artist. Her new book\, her first novel for adults\, is Tomorrow Will Bring Sunday’s News: A Philadelphia Story. Please join her Substack journey at The Hush and the Howl. More at bethkephartbooks.com \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\nBecause the replay is delivered instantly upon purchase\, all sales are final. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/the-ideal-sentence-2/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260812T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260812T163000
DTSTAMP:20260806T161037Z
CREATED:20260717T011254Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260806T161037Z
UID:10000136-1786546800-1786552200@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Writing That Breaks the Rules: 10 Craft “Laws” You Can Defy
DESCRIPTION:Every genre has its sacred rules. Learn what they actually protect — so you can break them with confidence.\n\n\n\nFor writers at all stages\, in all genresIncluded in the Season Pass \n\n\n\nEvery writer collects a list of commandments. Show\, don’t tell. Don’t start a scene with dialogue. One point-of-view per scene. Search and destroy all adverbs. Memoir must be told in the first person. These rules are repeated in workshops and webinars until we think they’re all true\, all the time\, but most of them are shorthand for a much more useful question: Am I making the best craft choices for readers to experience these words as I intend? \n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, Allison K Williams (author of Seven Drafts and editor of NYT bestselling memoirs and novels) debunks the “rules” writers hear most often in workshops\, craft classes\, and query guidance and unpacks the real craft principle underneath each one. You’ll learn which rules are structural (break them\, and the story stops working) and which are stylistic conventions (break them deliberately\, and readers barely notice—or love you for it). We’ll use examples from published books that defy every dictum on this list and succeed anyway\, plus a clear-eyed look at when breaking a rule reads as “bold choice” versus “rookie mistake.” \n\n\n\nYou’ll leave knowing exactly which rules support the writing  you want to do—and which ones were never really rules at all. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nIDENTIFY the difference between structural craft principles and stylistic conventions\n\n\n\nLEARN why POV discipline\, tense consistency\, and dialogue-opening “rules” exist—and what actually breaks when you ignore them\n\n\n\nEXAMINE notable published novels\, essays and memoirs that violate these rules on purpose\, and why they work\n\n\n\nWALK AWAY with a framework for deciding\, scene by scene\, when a “rule” is serving your story and when it’s safe to ignore—or gleefully defy\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers at any level who… \n\n\n\n\nkeep getting the same craft note in workshop and want to understand why\, not just fix it\n\n\n\nhave gotten craft feedback that doesn’t resonate or feels just plain wrong\n\n\n\nare drafting memoir\, YA\, or genre fiction and want to know which conventions their category actually enforces (and what to do if you’re not going to play along)\n\n\n\nhave a bold structural choice in mind and want to pressure-test it before committing\n\n\n\nare tired of contradictory advice and want one clear-eyed pass through the “rules” that matter\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSharp\, funny\, and genuinely useful from the first five minutes\, Allison K Williams is the author of Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from First Draft to Book Deal and Managing Editor of the Brevity Blog. She teaches memoir and novel craft through Rebirth Your Writing\, leads retreats from Maine to Morocco to the middle of the Atlantic\, and has a well-earned reputation for advice that improves your pages the same day you hear it.  \n\n\n\nAllison holds an MFA from Western Michigan University\, and her own work has appeared in The New York Times\, McSweeney’s\, and Brevity (the magazine) as well as on NPR\, The Moth\, Snap Judgement\, and CBC-Canada. She is the co-producer of CRAFT TALKS and founder of The Writers Bridge. \n\n\n\nREFUNDS (less a $10 processing fee) ARE AVAILABLE before the replay is sent out. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process.  \n\n\n\nThere are no refunds after the replay is sent.Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/writing-that-breaks-the-rules/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260819T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260819T163000
DTSTAMP:20260717T013940Z
CREATED:20260717T012659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260717T013940Z
UID:10000137-1787151600-1787157000@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Your Words\, Your Readers: Building a Substack That Lasts
DESCRIPTION:What separates a thriving newsletter from one that fizzles out after three posts? A best-selling Substack founder has answers you can use.\n\n\n\nFor publicity/platform-buildingIncluded in the Season Pass \n\n\n\nIn recent years\, many writers have turned to Substack and other newsletter platforms as a way to explore niche interests\, publish creative work\, and bypass gatekeepers to connect directly with readers. Newsletters in all formats can help writers grow an audience\, gain craft confidence\, and build a publicity platform to support publishing their books\, public speaking\, and teaching careers.  \n\n\n\nIn this session\, we will start from the beginning and look at how to create a newsletter for anyone eager to begin. We’ll address important and often-overlooked areas like the Substack name\, About section\, and style. We’ll also look at common questions: How often should you post? How long should your posts be? What should you write about (and what if you change your mind)? How do you sustain momentum beyond the first few months? Finally\, we’ll discuss how to gain readers and continue growing your audience over time. \n\n\n\nNote: While this webinar will include technical elements specific to Substack\, the underlying principles of newsletter set-up\, frequency\, audience awareness\, and platform growth will apply to any newsletter or email-sending platform. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nLEARN HOW to start a Substack and what pitfalls to avoid\n\n\n\nUNDERSTAND best strategies for maintaining a newsletter over the long haul\n\n\n\nSTRATEGIZE how to grow readership and build a platform\n\n\n\nGET INSPIRED to launch a Substack and connect directly with readers\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers who… \n\n\n\n\nhave a Substack (or other type of newsletter) but feel stagnant\n\n\n\nwant to learn whether or not to launch a newsletter (and are curious about pros and cons)\n\n\n\nare excited about their newsletter and want to keep growing it\n\n\n\nare overwhelmed by the prospect of a newsletter and want to see if it’s the right fit for their own platform\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA down-to-earth\, practical\, and encouraging teacher\, Becky Tuch is the founder ofLit Mag News\, a bestselling Substack dedicated to demystifying the world of literary magazines.Lit Mag News has over 17\,000 subscribers and has been listed in Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers. The leading expert in understanding\, assessing\, and submitting to literary magazines\, Becky is noted for her generous sharing of knowledge and accessible\, honest information for writers at all stages of their publication process.  \n\n\n\nBecky’s short fiction has been honored with a MacDowell fellowship and first place in Moment Magazine’s Karma Foundation Fiction Prize and has appeared or is forthcoming in STORY Magazine\, Chicago Quarterly Review\, Gulf Coast\, Best of the Net\, and elsewhere. She has taught newsletter writing and fiction writing to kids\, teens\, and adults throughout the country. She lives with her family in Philadelphia\, PA. \n\n\n\nREFUNDS (less a $10 processing fee) ARE AVAILABLE before the replay is sent out. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process.  \n\n\n\nThere are no refunds after the replay is sent.Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/your-words-your-readers/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260823T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260906T183000
DTSTAMP:20260730T144058Z
CREATED:20260707T150655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260730T144058Z
UID:10000134-1787504400-1788719400@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:3-WEEK WORKSHOP | Close to Home: Drawing Inspiration From Everyday Landscapes
DESCRIPTION:Turn the overlooked corners of your everyday world into vivid and compelling writing.\n\n\n\nOpen to 20 writers only\, working in poetry\, fiction\, and nonfiction. \n\n\n\nLive On Zoom | Sundays\, August 23 – September 6\, 2026 | 5-6:30 pm Eastern \n\n\n\nYou don’t have to travel far to find inspiration. This workshop explores how paying close attention to the natural world around us—whether in a backyard\, neighborhood park\, or along a familiar walking route—can lead to engaging\, thoughtful writing. Through readings\, lectures\, and guided assignments\, we’ll discover how ordinary places can reveal extraordinary stories. \n\n\n\nThe course includes three live sessions featuring discussions\, short lectures\, readings\, and workshops. Between meetings\, you’ll complete weekly writing assignments that encourage you to write where you are\, spend time outdoors\, and practice observing the living world with fresh eyes.  \n\n\n\nYou’ll also receive written instructor feedback on one piece you write during the course. \n\n\n\nWhether you’re new to nature writing or looking to deepen your practice\, you’ll leave with new ways of seeing the places you know best and the confidence to turn those observations into compelling pieces of prose or poetry. All you need is curiosity and a willingness to step outside.Students should set aside at least 4 hours a week for the course. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOver these three weeks\, you will …\n\n\n\n\nSOW a nature writing practice through close observation\, weekly writing prompts\, and time spent outdoors in the landscapes you know best\n\n\n\nTEND your craft through readings\, discussions\, mini-lectures\, and workshops during three live class sessions\n\n\n\nROOT your writing in place through sensory detail\, observation\, and personal experience\n\n\n\nGATHER insights through personalized written instructor feedback and workshop notes\n\n\n\n\nSchedule\n\n\n\n\nWeek 1 – Intros\, lecture\, readings\, homework overview\n\n\n\nWeek 2 – Check-in\, workshop\, homework overview\n\n\n\nWeek 3 – Check-in\, workshop\, homework overview\n\n\n\nFeedback Submission Due – September 6th by 9pm EDT\n\n\n\nInstructor Feedback Returned – September 13th\n\n\n\n\nThis course is for writers who …\n\n\n\n\nwant to generate new material in a supportive environment\n\n\n\nwould like to train their observational skills\n\n\n\nwant to strengthen their use of setting and description\n\n\n\ndesire to get outside and soak up the season\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔Think you might miss a class? No worries\, replays will be available. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA high-energy teacher noted for deep historical dives and technical side quests that always bring more understanding\, Megan Baxter has won numerous national awards\, including a Pushcart Prize. Her essay collection\, Twenty Square Feet of Skin\, was longlisted for the 2024 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay.  \n\n\n\nMegan has published three books of creative nonfiction and is currently writing short stories and novels. Her short story collection ‘The Off-Season’ debuts in Spring 2027 from Jada Ibis Press. She lives in New Hampshire\, where she runs her own small farm and teaches creative writing through online courses and lessons. \n\n\n\nTestimonials from past students\n\n\n\n“Megan’s belief in my viability as a writer never waned! Our discussions on craft and the works of other writers fueled my faith and love for language and the publishing process.” – Yossi R. \n\n\n\n“I enjoyed the class because of Megan’s energy and the well-organized\, immense amount of information shared.” – Daniel L. \n\n\n\n“I am a perpetual student\, taking multiple classes and workshops\, and Megan ranks among the top instructors I have met. She meets writers where they are and helps them discover\, develop\, and hone their writing voice as they move toward their goals.” – Lisa C. \n\n\n\n“Megan is that rare blend of insightful critique and genuine encouragement. I always leave our meetings feeling energized\, with a clear path forward and a stronger piece of work thanks to her guidance.” – Anne B. \n\n\n\nTHE FINE PRINT \n\n\n\nWe understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course\, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers. \n\n\n\nBefore the first class\, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).After class begins\, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee). No credits or refunds will be available after the 1st class. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/close-to-home/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshops and Masterclasses
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260826T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260826T161500
DTSTAMP:20260721T170118Z
CREATED:20260721T144532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260721T170118Z
UID:10000142-1787756400-1787760900@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Mastering Braided Memoirs: How to Structure Multiple Dramatic Threads
DESCRIPTION:Learn the craft techniques that transform separate threads into a rich\, seamless narrative that surprises\, moves\, and resonates with readers. \n\n\n\nFor memoir and nonfictionIncluded in the Season Pass \n\n\n\nThe braided memoir has become one of the most exciting and sought-after forms in contemporary nonfiction—but weaving multiple narrative threads into a compelling whole requires far more than alternating between story lines. How can you transform fragments\, obsessions\, research\, memory\, and reflection into a unified work that delivers both emotional impact and a high level of reader engagement? \n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, we explore the hidden architecture that makes braided memoirs resonate. Learn how to choose strands that deepen one another\, create momentum across timelines\, withhold and reveal information strategically\, and build a deeply satisfying narrative arc from seemingly disparate materials.  \n\n\n\nWhether you’re simply curious about the form\, beginning a braided essay or book-length project\, or struggling to master the form\, you’ll leave with new tools for creating a memoir with confidence and purpose\, whose threads are stronger together than apart. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nIDENTIFY the three powerful reasons to use this exciting—but tricky—form\n\n\n\nSELECT themes that connect multiple narrative strands\n\n\n\nLEARN to MAP the movement between each narrative beat\n\n\n\nEXPLORE the braider’s triple threat: repetition\, juxtaposition\, and variation\n\n\n\nAVOID common pitfalls\n\n\n\nDISCOVER revision techniques that strengthen connections between strands\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers who… \n\n\n\n\nare new memoirists needing a flexible\, accessible way to begin\n\n\n\nwant to deepen their structural and thematic control of memoir \n\n\n\nfeel ready to break out of linear storytelling and try something more dynamic \n\n\n\nare struggling to connect disparate memories\, themes\, or materials into a cohesive narrative\n\n\n\nwant to strengthen structure\, control\, and impact in their memoir\n\n\n\nseek to weave personal experience with research\, reflection\, or cultural context\n\n\n\nwant to turn vivid fragments into a finished essay or book\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr. Heather Sellers has been teaching for over thirty years\, and she doesn’t teach like anyone else. Her classes are innovative and groundbreaking\, and students describe them as fun\, lively\, and warm—the kind of workshop where you laugh out loud and walk away having learned an enormous amount.  \n\n\n\nShe is the author of You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know\, a popular memoir about family and face blindness. An Oprah Book-of-the-Month Club selection and Editor’s Choice at the New York Times Book Review\, the award-winning book was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered\, Dick Gordon’s The Story\, Dateline\, The Today Show\, and Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos. Her essays appear in The New York Times\, The Sun\, Reader’s Digest\, Good Housekeeping\, The Best American Essays\, and numerous journals and anthologies. She is the author of four books on the craft of writing\, including The Practice of Creative Writing. \n\n\n\nHer fifth collection of poetry\, Women in Tampa Talking About Alligators\, is just out from Lynx House Press. Currently\, she is a member of the MFA faculty at the University of South Florida\, where she won the university’s highest teaching award. She also offers in-person workshops and private lessons for writers at all levels. \n\n\n\nREFUNDS (less a $10 processing fee) ARE AVAILABLE before the replay is sent out. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process.  \n\n\n\nThere are no refunds after the replay is sent.Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/mastering-braided-memoirs/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260829T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260829T160000
DTSTAMP:20260720T132507Z
CREATED:20260720T131515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260720T132507Z
UID:10000138-1788008400-1788019200@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:SEMINAR | Beyond the Frame: How Surrealist Imagery Can Unblock Your Writing
DESCRIPTION:When words fail\, images can unlock secrets. Surprise the stuck places in your manuscript by looking at them anew. \n\n\n\nFor All Writers \n\n\n\nSometimes the most effective way through a writing challenge is without words.  \n\n\n\nIn both writing and visual art\, what’s beyond the page or the frame often holds the key. Finding that hidden context can help a lifeless scene find its heartbeat. Images\, photographs\, illustrations\, even collages\, can help us see our stories differently. Surrealist imagery is particularly effective because it’s already characterized by the juxtaposition of unexpected elements. \n\n\n\nWe’ll begin with quick-start generative prompts to help you identify an area in your writing to focus on during our time together. Then\, we’ll look at traditional images and use them to help unlock a challenging place in your manuscript. Finally\, we’ll progress to surrealist photographs\, paintings\, and collages to see your own work and themes through fresh lenses.  \n\n\n\nWe’ll also discuss ways the qualities of surrealism can inform our writing\, regardless of genre\, and practice using “prepositional questions” to explore what’s beyond\, above\, below\, underneath\, inside\, before\, and after your scene to view your stuck place with curiosity and allow for unexpected connections. \n\n\n\nIf you’re currently struggling with an aspect of a work-in-progress\, feel free to bring that\, but it’s not required to benefit from the tools and techniques of the seminar. After the class\, you’ll receive the seminar recording and the slide deck with all the images and prompts used during our time together. \n\n\n\nAll levels and all genres are welcome. Please be prepared to write. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this interactive three-hour live seminar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nEXPLORE how visual imagery can deepen your writing\n\n\n\nLEARN key tenets of surrealism and apply them to a writing challenge\n\n\n\nGENERATE new portals into an existing piece of writing\n\n\n\nLEARN HOW unexpected visual arrangements open a door to the unconscious\n\n\n\nUSE key prepositional questions to view your writing differently\n\n\n\nSURPRISE yourself by finding hidden connections in your work\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis course is ideal for writers who…\n\n\n\n\ncurious about new ways to deepen their writing\n\n\n\ninterested in the connection between visual and literary arts\n\n\n\nstruggling with a difficult part of their manuscript\n\n\n\nwho are open to unconventional portals to the imagination\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔Think you might miss class? No worries\, replays will be available 3 business days after the event. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR Instructor\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFunny\, kind\, and direct\, Laraine Herring is a popular CRAFT TALKS presenter and one of our strongest voices on deeply personal writing that powerfully connects with readers. \n\n\n\nLaraine’s memoir\, A Constellation of Ghosts: A Speculative Memoir with Ravens\, was released in 2021 from Regal House. She’s the editor of the anthology Becoming Real: Women Reclaim the Power of the Imagined through Speculative Nonfiction (Pact Press\, 2024) and a trilogy of writing books from Shambhala\, including Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice. A retired professor of creative writing and psychology\, Lariane has worked with writers for thirty years.  \n\n\n\nShe’s also an illustrator and a grief counselor and the creator of The Grief Forest: a book about what we don’t talk about. She founded the online ‘zine Hags on Fire\, a place for women to share stories about menopause\, and co-designed The Imaginal Memoir Cave immersion program with Gayle Brandeis. Laraine’s work has appeared in The New York Times\, Tiferet\, The Rumpus\, The Manifest-Station\, and many more. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Counseling Psychology and lives in the mountains of northern Arizona with many cats.  \n\n\n\nStudent Testimonials \n\n\n\n“Laraine helped my book tell me what it wants to be and challenged me to do the work to get it there. I am grateful for her intuitive\, empathic\, supportive approach\, and for her enthusiasm when I arrived at the realizations she was hoping I’d get to as I did that work. Laraine’s skills are many\, and she is fantastic to work with. She is dedicated\, direct\, detailed\, dependable\, and delightful.” \n\n\n\n— Meg Weber\, author of A Year of Mr. Lucky (Sincyr Publishing) \n\n\n\n“Through Laraine’s authentic nature and ability to listen\, I learned that writing is as much an act of bravery and strength as it is about being gentle and flexible. I can’t wait to be one of her students again!” \n\n\n\n— Naomi Kaplan \n\n\n\n“Without a doubt\, Laraine is the most generous\, inspirational and challenging writing instructor I have ever met. Using provocative writing exercises\, she guided me through creative discovery\, helping reveal ideas and truths I had previously locked away. She challenged me to delve deeper into my story\, even if it meant going into the dark hidden corners.” \n\n\n\n— Janine Weyers \n\n\n\n“Laraine opened doors inside my mind and created space for me to come into relationship with my writing in a refreshing way that was all my own. I had more than one breakthrough working with her. With ease and honesty\, she created an authentic\, interesting and inviting space to grow.” \n\n\n\n— Grace Welker \n\n\n\n“Laraine encourages students to dig deep. She provides original\, interesting exercises designed to pull past the first obvious idea and find the more compelling material underneath. She is as invested in students’ work as the students themselves.” \n\n\n\n— Janet Burruel \n\n\n\nTHE FINE PRINT \n\n\n\nWe understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course\, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers. \n\n\n\nBefore the class\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. \n\n\n\nPlease keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/beyond-the-frame/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Seminars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260904T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260904T161500
DTSTAMP:20260803T154722Z
CREATED:20260803T145116Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T154722Z
UID:10000143-1788534000-1788538500@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:WEBINAR | Power Your Memoir with Mystery: How Curiosity Fuels Craft
DESCRIPTION:The fuel that runs the engine of all good writing is our uncertainty…and the true curiosity of the writer.\n\n\n\nFor memoir and nonfictionIncluded in the Season Pass \n\n\n\nToo often\, writers of true stories lock in early on what they know—times\, places\, apparent facts—and what results is a flat retelling of the past. But memoir is essentially an act of discovery. As writers\, we must enter our work filled with questions and true uncertainty\, or we risk pushing the story where we think it should go rather than where it needs to be. As acclaimed memoirist Abigail Thomas warns\, “If your memoir ends where you thought it was going to end\, you aren’t doing it right.”The engine of good writing is fueled by the curiosity of the writer\, the process of thinking aloud on the page\, and uncovering what we didn’t know the morning we sat down to begin our memoir or story.  \n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, we will look at how other writers have used their uncertainty as fuel for the story\, how to locate your own questions\, and how reconnecting with what you don’t know can revive a stalled project. There will also be prompts and time for questions. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this webinar\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nSEE how questions within your process allow for discovery and surprise\n\n\n\nLEARN strategies for incorporating “what you don’t know” into nonfiction\n\n\n\nUNDERSTAND how questions and curiosity drive memoir\, nonfiction\, and even fiction\n\n\n\nENGAGE with a series of short prompts to find the questions in your own work \n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is ideal for writers who… \n\n\n\n\nat the beginning stages of a memoir or nonfiction project\n\n\n\nwho feel stalled on their current essay\, story or book\n\n\n\nwith a story they want to tell\, who feel unsure why readers will be interested enough to read it\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔All registrants receive the recording. ✔ \n\n\n\nPreviously offered August 2023 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR PRESENTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOne of our most popular and beloved presenters\, DINTY W. MOORE is author of the memoirs Between Panic & Desire and To Hell With It\, and the writing guides Crafting the Personal Essay and The Mindful Writer\, among other books. He has published essays and stories in Harper’s\, The New York Times Magazine\, Georgia Review\, Kenyon Review\, Southern Review\, Short Reads\, and elsewhere. He is the founding editor of Brevity\, the preeminent journal of flash nonfiction\, and an editor at The Brevity Blog. \n\n\n\nREFUNDS (less a $10 processing fee) ARE AVAILABLE before the replay is sent out. For a refund\, EMAIL us at info@WritingCraft.com. Canceling your Zoom invite will not initiate this process.  \n\n\n\nThere are no refunds after the replay is sent.Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/curiosity-fuels-craft/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writingcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Moore.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260905T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T160000
DTSTAMP:20260721T181513Z
CREATED:20260720T134114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260721T181513Z
UID:10000139-1788616800-1789228800@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:SEMINAR | Writing Big Feelings: The Peculiar Art of Evoking Emotions
DESCRIPTION:Grief on the page doesn’t guarantee grief in the reader. Learn to show how your character feels and make the reader feel it\, too.\n\n\n\nLive On Zoom | Saturdays\, September 5 & 12\, 2026 | 2-4 pm EasternFor Creative Nonfiction and Fiction Writers \n\n\n\nAs fiction and non-fiction writers\, we often want to evoke agony on the page—grief\, misery\, blinding fury. Yet we get feedback: “What is the narrator feeling?” \n\n\n\nOver two sessions\, we’ll examine how we\, as writers\, can do two separate things: \n\n\n\n\nEvoke emotions within the READER: sorrow\, compassion\, and empathy \n\n\n\nEffectively show how the point-of-view character/narrator is feeling\n\n\n\n\nThese two jobs are often conflated; people assume if they describe how a character is feeling\, readers will also feel those feelings. Alas\, it’s not that simple. \n\n\n\nWe’ll focus on why it’s not just important to render the feelings themselves and how we can’t intentionally manipulate the reader with forced or pushed emotions. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this insightful two-day course\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nDISTINGUISH between evoking emotion in the reader and describing what a character feels—and learn why conflating the two weakens your work\n\n\n\nDIAGNOSE the “what is the narrator feeling?” note and understand what’s actually missing from the page\n\n\n\nPRACTICE techniques for rendering emotion through action\, image\, and subtext \n\n\n\nRECOGNIZE where emotional writing turns maudlin or overwrought—and how to pull back before you lose the reader\n\n\n\nAPPLY these techniques to a piece of your own work across two sessions\, with feedback for a selection of students on the second day\n\n\n\n\nSchedule…\n\n\n\nDay One—We start with the core distinction the whole workshop builds on: showing emotion versus evoking it. You’ll get a set of practical tips for writing feelings without naming them\, look at examples from published work\, and break into small groups to hunt for more on your own. Then a short in-class prompt—write an intense moment with the feelings stripped out—followed by open Q&A. \n\n\n\nHomework: Find two pages of your own work centered on a character or narrator feeling a big emotion. Revise so the emotion rises naturally from the material rather than being pushed onto the reader. (Extra credit for big feelings that never tip into maudlin!) \n\n\n\nSubmit 300–400 words of revised work as a Word document to the shared Google Drive by the morning of September 3rd. \n\n\n\nDay Two—This session is yours. We’ll screen-share as many submissions as time allows\, read them aloud\, and workshop each one with about 10 minutes of group discussion. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis seminar is ideal for intermediate writers wrestling with intense material that can feel overwhelming.\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔Think you might miss class? No worries\, replays will be available 3 business days after the event. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR Instructor\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDirect\, funny\, and unsentimental\, Peter Mountford is a warm and encouraging teacher. He’s the author of the novels A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism (Washington State Book Award)\, The Dismal Science (NYT editor’s choice)\, and his latest\, a collection of short stories\, Detonator (now out from Four Way Books). His work has appeared in the New York Times (Modern Love)\, Paris Review\, Southern Review\, The Atlantic\, The Sun\, Ploughshares\, and Guernica. He teaches at the University of Nevada\, Reno at Lake Tahoe’s MFA\, and through Mountford Writing. \n\n\n\nStudent Testimonials \n\n\n\n“I’m so grateful to Peter—he’s that perfect combination of sweet and sour\, candid but never cruel\, encouraging but never ever full of shit.” – Sharon Schindel (NYT\, Washington Post) \n\n\n\n“Peter has an unerring sense of a story’s center of gravity and the structure that best suits the material. Peter’s expertise & generosity have been instrumental in my writing journey. I can’t recommend him highly enough.” –  Hannah C. \n\n\n\n“Peter knows how to make a story work & how to make it publishable. ”- Jeremy S.  \n\n\n\n“In a star rating\, he’d get a full 5 from me.”- Robin R.“I left class seeing how much more I need to write & read and how much more there is to learn\, which is humbling and exciting. ”- Michael B. \n\n\n\nTHE FINE PRINT \n\n\n\nWe understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course\, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers. \n\n\n\nBefore the class\, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee. \n\n\n\nPlease keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins. \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/writing-big-feelings/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Seminars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://writingcraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/MASTER-Event-Templates-1-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260920T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261004T170000
DTSTAMP:20260805T161138Z
CREATED:20260805T160402Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260805T161138Z
UID:10000144-1789916400-1791133200@writingcraft.com
SUMMARY:3-WEEK WORKSHOP | The Artful Factchecker: How to Incorporate Research into Lyric Essays
DESCRIPTION:Lyric essays are often associated with poetic techniques and personal topics\, but they can do so much! Learn how to extend the reach of your lyric essays with accurate\, effective research.\n\n\n\nOpen to 15 writers in creative nonfiction\, nonfiction and lyric essay \n\n\n\nLive On Zoom | Sundays\, September 20 – October 4\, 2026 | 3-5 pm Eastern \n\n\n\nFrom hermit crab to braided\, collage to fragmented\, lyric essays are having a big moment. And why not? They offer innovative and unexpected routes into the familiar territory of personal and reported essays. In this workshop we will look at several common lyric essay forms and explore ways that research—including interviews and fieldwork—can enrich and invigorate them.In the three weeks of this course we will talk\, read\, and write\, with multiple opportunities to share your progress and drafts for feedback. I will share some of my own experiences working with editors and fact-checkers and offer tips and tricks on documenting sources.This course will offer writers with a bit of experience in either nonfiction or journalism a fun and engaging chance to experiment and add new tools to their practice\, all while drafting a flash lyric essay.  \n\n\n\nThere will be an opportunity to get written comments from the instructor\, and all participants will get a list of resources from the class. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOver these three weeks\, you will …\n\n\n\n\nSOW a nature writing practice through close observation\, weekly writing prompts\, and time spent outdoors in the landscapes you know best\n\n\n\nTEND your craft through readings\, discussions\, mini-lectures\, and workshops during three live class sessions\n\n\n\nROOT your writing in place through sensory detail\, observation\, and personal experience\n\n\n\nGATHER insights through personalized written instructor feedback and workshop notes\n\n\n\n\nSchedule\n\n\n\n\nWeek 1 – Intros\, notable examples\, idea-generating prompt\, sourcing discussion\, homework overview\n\n\n\nWeek 2 – Check-in\, feedback-generating prompt\, workshop\, assignment review\, Q&A \n\n\n\nOptional office hours: Tues 3–4pm\, Thurs 8–9pm EDT\n\n\n\nWeek 3 – Check-in\, workshop\, fact-checking discussion\, open Q&A\, next steps\n\n\n\n\nThis course is for writers who …\n\n\n\n\nwith some experience in one or more: reporting\, researching or essay writing\n\n\n\nwho want to add compelling facts & reported elements to their flash\, lyric\, or experimental essays\n\n\n\nwho want to add lyric\, poetic\, or experimental elements to their reported essays\n\n\n\nwho enjoy experimenting with prompts and shorter essays\n\n\n\nlooking for brainstorming\, researching\, and fact-checking tools to add to their essay or reporting practice\n\n\n\n\nClosed captioning is available. ✔Think you might miss a class? No worries\, replays will be available. ✔ \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKnown for packing her courses with deep knowledge\, actionable information\, and fun facts\, Chelsea Biondolillo is a collage artist and the author of The Skinned Bird: Essays and two prose chapbooks\, Ologies and #Lovesong. \n\n\n\nHer essays have been collected in Best American Science and Nature Writing 2016\, The Lyric Essay as Resistance\, and How We Talk to One Another: An Essay Daily Reader and is forthcoming in The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing the Lyric Essay. \n\n\n\nChelsea’s paper and mixed media collages have been shown in Oregon\, Washington\, and New York. Her image and text essay\, “Weeds” was the winner of CRAFT Literary’s inaugural hybrid writing contest. She has a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and an MFA from the University of Wyoming. She currently lives in Eugene\, Oregon. \n\n\n\nTestimonials from past students\n\n\n\n“I took an online workshop with Chelsea two years ago. As a fiction writer venturing into nonfiction\, I needed a lot of guidance\, and I got it. Chelsea’s lessons and feedback were immensely helpful to me. An essay I began in that class was later accepted by a well-known online magazine. I still go back to the material Chelsea provided as support when starting new projects. I can wholeheartedly recommend Chelsea as a mentor and teacher.” ~ L Doyle \n\n\n\n“I took Chelsea’s intensive flash nonfiction class and was deeply impressed by her commitment\, feedback\, and warm teaching style. The class was online\, but Chelsea managed to create a respectful and intellectually stimulating sense of community.” ~ J Zarankin  \n\n\n\n“Chelsea Biondolillo is an incredibly talented teacher. I learned more from a 1-month intensive workshop with her than I did in semester-long courses with many of my MFA professors. From her close attention to my verbs to her insights on pacing to her overall reflections on the themes of my essays\, Chelsea really got what I was trying to do\, and then made it better. Chelsea is also a cheerleader\, and will go to the mat for you and your work. I can’t recommend her enough.” ~ B Johnston \n\n\n\nTHE FINE PRINT \n\n\n\nWe understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course\, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers. \n\n\n\nBefore the first class\, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).After class begins\, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee). No credits or refunds will be available after the 1st class. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nQuestions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Info\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Organizer\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLocation
URL:https://writingcraft.com/event/artful-factchecker/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Workshops and Masterclasses
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