The Writing Room’s workshops and seminars are designed to be a place where writers can learn the craft, engage in discussion, and be inspired by others. Read the Testimonials of our students to learn more about how the Writing Room is building a community of writers. Read about our faculty here. Many of our workshops can be taken more than once. We encourage early registration, as workshops are small and tend to fill quickly. All classes fill on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration is open until the class fills or until the day before it begins, whichever happens first. Please review our refund policy. Questions? Contact Mindy Friddle, Program Director at mindyfriddle@gmail.com
WRITING ROOM:
FALL 2010 SCHEDULE
Click HERE to Register
Fall 2010 Writing Room classes are co-sponsored by the City of Greenville Parks and Recreation, and will be held at the Bobby Pearse Community Center, 904 Townes Street Greenville, SC 29609-5500 - (864) 467-4331.
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DIRECTIONS TO THE BOBBY PEARSE COMMUNITY CENTER
Writing Room Classes for the Fall include:
Monthly Writing Workshops: Out of Your Head and Onto the Pages Memoir: Work & The Story of Your Life
Creative Writing 101 Workshop --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These writing workshops, led by various members of the Writing Room faculty, are designed to stimulate creativity and generate ideas for fiction and nonfiction. We’ll use a series of short in-class writing exercises to inspire new work and deepen your writing. Come prepared to write in class, to share your exercises without fear or self-judgment, and above all, have some fun. All levels, beginner to experienced.
Location: Bobby Pearse Community Center, 904 Townes Street Greenville, SC 29609-5500 - (864) 467-4331 When: The second Sunday of the month: Sept. 12, Oct. 10, Nov. 14, Dec. 12 Time: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Cost: $5 cash only. Please pay at the door. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We've all held a variety of jobs, both paid and unpaid, and even if we didn't realize it at the time, we were collecting immersion research material for possible future essays. In this class, we'll use a focused reading of work essay excerpts as jumping-off points for our own work, and start drafting essays about our various work experiences. All levels, beginner to experienced.
Location: Bobby Pearse Community Center, 904 Townes Street, Greenville, SC 29609-5500 - (864) 467-4331 When: Sunday, October 24 Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
About Joni Tevis: A former park ranger, factory worker, and cemetery-plot-seller, Joni Tevis currently teaches literature and creative writing at Furman University. Her book of lyric essays, "The Wet Collection," was published by Milkweed Editions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This six-week workshop provides an excellent overview for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the craft and practices of creative writing. We’ll talk about fundamental elements such as point of view, character development, plot, dialogue, voice, imagery and setting. You’ll get a mixture of brief lectures that hit the high-points and weekly writing exercises that let you try your hand at what you’ve just learned. Discussion of published works—short stories, novel and memoir excerpts, and creative nonfiction— will illustrate these concepts. You’ll also have the option to share and discuss each other’s work. At the conclusion of our workshop, you’ll be a more knowledgeable and skilled writer and will have gained a sense of where to move onward with your writing. Level: Beginner to Intermediate.
Location: Bobby Pearse Community Center, 904 Townes Street, Greenville, SC 29609-5500 - (864) 467-4331 When: 6-week class Wednesdays: Nov 3, 10, 17 and Dec. 1, 8, 15 Time: 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Cost: $180; $170 Emrys members Mindy Friddleis founder and director of the Writing Room. Her novel, "The Garden Angel" (St. Martin’s Press/Picador) was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers.” "Secret Keepers," her second novel, won the 2009 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previously offered Writing Room Courses:
Monthly Writing Workshops: Out of Your Head and Onto the Pages
Instructor(s): One or more of the Writing Room Faculty
Memoir: Work & The Story of Your Life
Instructor: Joni Tevis
Cost: $25; $20 Emrys members
Creative Writing 101 Workshop
Instructor: Mindy Friddle
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Seminar: Soup to Nuts: Some Notes on Publishing in the 21st Century
Marc Fitten, novelist and editor of The Chattahoochee Review, Atanta's oldest journal, will present a three-hour seminar on writing and publishing. As both writer and editor, Marc is uniquely qualified to cover the lifecycle of publication. This seminar for writers will cover everything you need to know about the rapidly changing marketing and publishing business.
Topics covered will include:
*What is a saleable book? And how will you know you have one?
*How do you acquire an agent?
*What keeps a query letter from being among the 99 percent rejected daily?
*What are the deadly mistakes that kill a manuscript in the first five lines, the first paragraph, and the first page?
*How do authors promote their books?
Note: This seminar has been cancelled.
Sunday, January 24 [registration for this class closes on Wed. Jan 20]
2:00 -5:00 PM
Innovate Building Conference Room,148 River St. Greenville
$45/ $40 Emrys members
Marc Fitten's debut novel, Valeria's Last Stand, is being published in ten countries and was a German bestseller. His work has been published in The New York Times, Prairie Schooner, The Louisville Review, Esquire.com. and the International Herald Tribune. He lives in Atlanta where he is the editor of The Chattahoochee Review.He’s just concluded a tour of 100 independent bookstores to promote his book and is at work on his next novel.
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Jilllian Weise: Writing Sex Without Being Tacky
What makes a good sex scene? What is “personal” and what is “too personal”? Why write sex scenes? And how? Whether you are writing a story about a one-night stand, a poem about an elusive climax, or a novel about Casanova, this class will give you some rules to follow, some rules to break, and lots of examples of the good, the bad, and the flat-out cliché. Students are encouraged to bring works-in-progress for critique. Note: This is not a class on writing romance novels nor smut. Our aim is literary.
Thursday, Feb. 11
6:30- 8:30 pm
Innovate Building Conference Room,148 River St. Greenville
$25/ $20 Emrys members
Jillian Weise's work has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Tin House and Washington Square, among other magazines. Her novel, The Colony, will be published in March. Her books of poetry include Translating the Body (All Nations Press, 2006) and The Amputee's Guide to Sex (Soft Skull Press, 2007). A Creative Writing Fulbright Fellow in Argentina in 2007, she is currently an Assistant Professor at Clemson
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Jilllian Weise: How to Avoid the Slush Pile
What happens to your manuscript when it arrives in the office of a magazine? Who reads it? What are they looking for? What are they appalled by? How do they make decisions about the work they publish? When can you expect to hear a response? This class will focus on the business side of creative writing, and give you a few Dos and Don’ts to help you navigate the publishing world. Instructor has worked on the editorial board of The Paris Review and currently works as an editor for The South Carolina Review.
Thursday Feb. 25
6:30- 8:30 pm
Innovate Building Conference Room,148 River St. Greenville
$25/ $20 Emrys members
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Ellyn Bache: 12 Essential Tips for Fiction Writers
This two-hour seminar offers insight into a dozen essential craft techniques most novelists and short story writers learn over the course of their careers. When is it safe to introduce background about a character without chasing away the reader? What's a sure way to ruin an action scene, and how do you avoid it? What guidelines can you use to shape the modern short story? What’s the most important thing to remember when converting real life experiences into fiction? Whatever your level of experience, these fiction tips will help you sharpen and strengthen your work, particularly you're already actively engaged in a writing project.
Sunday, March 7
2:00 -4:00 pm
Innovate Building Conference Room,148 River St. Greenville
$25/ $20 Emrys members
Ellyn Bache is the author of ten books of fiction, including the novel, Safe Passage, made into a feature film starring Susan Sarandon. She received the Willa Cather Fiction Prize for her story collection, The Value of Kindness.
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Ashley Warlick: Works in Progress: Focusing on Your Book-Length Manuscript
This popular class is for experienced prose writers with a book-length manuscript of either fiction or nonfiction in progress. Each student will submit 40 to 50 pages of their work to be closely read and carefully considered by both the instructor and the group. Expect to come away from the class with specific reading assignments and concrete recommendations on how to improve your novel, memoir, or collection. Nine meetings, 10 weeks, 3 hours each class. Class size limited to 8 people.
March 16-May 18. No class March 30.
Tuesdays, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Furman University, Modern Languages Department
Fee: $360; $340/Emrys members
Ashley Warlick is the author of three novels: The Distance from the Heart of Things (1996), The Summer After June (2000), and Seek the Living (2005), all published by Houghton Mifflin Company. She is a recipient of a 2006 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She teaches in the MFA program at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Heather Magruder: Write Your Life
This three-session workshop will help you plunge into the personal themes that make your real life stories uniquely yours and create a memoir that resonates. Write during the first two sessions and critique on the last, so you’ll come away with a process for getting from the key events of your life to a well-crafted memoir on the page.
Three Weeks, Sundays
April 11, 18, 25
2:00 -4:00 pm
$90/ $85 Emrys members
Metropolitan Arts Council, 16 Augusta Street, Greenville
Heather Magruder is a freelance writer, teaching artist and workshop facilitator. Her fiction has twice won the Piccolo Spoleto Fiction Open. Heather is on the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Artist Roster, is listed on Southern Artistry and is currently enrolled in the MFA program at Queens University. She has presented writing and arts integration workshops across the country.
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Melinda Long: Writing for Children and Young Adults: Creating Memorable Characters
In any kind of story, plot is important, but creating memorable characters will make your work unforgettable. Learn from the example of some of today’s best children’s authors how to make your characters come to life. Participants will write and share work.
Sunday, May 16
2:00-4:00 pm
Wyche Law Firm, 44 East Camperdown Way Greenville, SC 29601
$25/ $20 Emrys members
Melinda Long is the award-winning author of The New York Times bestselling children's books HOW I BECAME A PIRATE and PIRATES DON’T CHANGE DIAPERS.
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Mindy Friddle: Monthly Workshops: Out of Your Head and Onto the Pages
These monthly writing workshops are designed to stimulate creativity and generate ideas for fiction and nonfiction. Short in-class writing exercises will inspire new work and deepen your writing. Come prepared to write in class, to share your exercises without fear or self-judgment, and above all, have some fun. All levels, beginner to experienced.
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Dates: Sundays, Feb 21, March 21, April 18, May 2
Location: Earth Fare Community Room, 3620 Pelham Road, Greenville
Cost: $5 cash. Please pay at the door. Space is limited, so please register by emailing mailto:mindyfriddle@gmail.com?subject=Earthfare%20WR or sign up at Earth Fare.
Mindy Friddle is founder and director of the Writing Room. Her novel, The Garden Angel (St.Martin’s Press/Picador), was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection. Her second novel, Secret Keepers, was published by St. Martin's Press in 2009, and will be out in paperback from Picador in May, 2010.
Monthly Workshops: Out of Your Head and Onto the Pages
These writing workshops are designed to stimulate creativity and generate ideas for fiction and nonfiction. We’ll use a series of short in-class writing exercises to inspire new work and deepen your writing. Come prepared to write in class, to share your exercises without fear or self-judgment, and above all, have some fun. Open to writers of all levels, the workshops are led by Mindy Friddle, Heather Magruder and other Writing Room faculty.
Location: Earth Fare Community Room, 3620 Pelham Road, Greenville
Cost: $5. Please pay at the door, cash or check. Space is limited, so please register by emailing mindy@mindyfriddle.com or sign up at Earth Fare.
When: Tuesdays: August 25, September 22, October 27, November 10, December 8.
Time: 6:30- 8:30 PM
Levels: all levels, beginner to experienced.
- Write Your Life: Memoir and Personal Essay
This two-hour workshop will help you plunge into the personal themes that make your real life stories uniquely yours. We’ll discover how to determine which events from your life can combine to create a memoir that resonates. We’ll discuss how to use some of these events to begin the process of getting your life on the page. We’ll cover craft elements, including voice and structure, and look at some of the ways in which elements of fiction and poetry can enliven your writing.
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 29
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Instructor: Heather Magruder
Cost: $25; Emrys members $20
Location: Metropolitan Arts Council, 16 Augusta Street, Greenville
- Master Class with Lauren Groff: After the First Draft
The Writing Room is thrilled to have New York Times best selling novelist and prize-winning short story writer Lauren Groff lead this three-hour seminar on writing and publishing. Registration for this Oct. 25 seminar closes on October 19. Lauren will be reading from her work at the Emrys Reading Room on Monday, Oct. 26.
Most people breathe a great sigh of relief when they've finished a manuscript--as well they should. In a few days or weeks, however, they may feel at a bit of a loss, and wonder what to do now. This class will be a hybrid craft seminar and business talk, and will cover revision, query letters, agents, and a brief overview of the publishing process. Please bring pens, paper, and your questions.
Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
Time: 2:00 -5:00 pm
Instructor: Lauren Groff
Location: Innovate Building Conference Room,148 River St. Greenville
Cost: $50; $45 Emrys members
Levels: All levels, beginning to advanced
Lauren Groff 's first novel, The Monsters of Templeton, published in February 2008, was a New York Times and Booksense bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for New Writers. Her second book, Delicate Edible Birds, is a collection of stories. Both books are published by Hyperion/Voice. Lauren’s short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in a number of journals, including The Atlantic Monthly, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, One Story, Five Points and Five Chapters, and in the anthologies Best American Short Stories 2007, Pushcart Prize XXXII, and Best New American Voices 2008. She was awarded the Axton Fellowship in Fiction at the University of Louisville, and has had residencies and fellowships at Yaddo and the Vermont Studio Center. Lauren graduated from Amherst College and has an MFA in fiction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Novel Writing Course: Write Your Novel in 12 Weeks
Note: This course is FULL.
You have an idea for a novel, but you don’t know how to begin. Or perhaps you’ve started writing a draft, but found yourself discouraged. Join a group of people this fall who share a common goal: they want to write a compelling novel. The goal for this 12-week course: You'll be well on your way of completing a first draft of your novel. We’ll set deadlines, talk about structure, and explore strategies for constructing a novel. You’ll learn to plan a writing schedule, and find ways to navigate the immensity of such a long work. Weekly craft classes on such topics as first drafts, characterization, point of view, dialogue, plot, and silencing your inner critic will keep you focused. You’ll be encouraged to discuss the progress of your novel on a weekly basis, and will have the option of sharing a portion of your work with the class at the end of the course. You’ll meet with the instructor to discuss your draft in an individual conference. You’ll greet the new year with that novel in your head on the page-- a draft ready for revision.
This Novel Writing course includes:
- 12 weekly craft classes [scroll down to see “The Craft: Writing Classes” for complete descriptions] on Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 pm, Sept. 17 through Dec. 17. Topics include: So You Want to Write a Novel; First Drafts: Write Today, Edit Tomorrow; Point-of-View; Creating Compelling Characters; Plot & Tension; Tone: Emotion, Conflict and Humor in Your Writing; Dialogue; Vivid Imagery: How to Make Your Writing Pop; Make a Scene, Transform Your Writing; Revision: Sifting for Gold; The Business of Writing: How to Build Your Own Community of Readers.
- Weekly “commiseration/inspiration” meetings to discuss the progress of your draft with the instructor and fellow novel writers. Following the Thursday craft classes, 8:30 to 9 pm. and/or via email.
- Individual one-hour consultation about your first draft with writing instructor and novelist Mindy Friddle.
- Workshop finale for Novel Writing class members at the conclusion of the course, where you may choose to share a portion of your novel. Tentatively scheduled for Dec 17.
When: Thursdays: September 17, 24; October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; November 5, 12, 19; December 3, 10, 17
Time: 6:30- 9:00 pm
Cost: $220; $215 Emrys members. Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible.
Instructor: Mindy Friddle
Location: Innovate Building Conference Room,148 River St. Greenville
All Levels: For adults 18 and over who are writing a novel, or aspire to write one.
The Craft: Writing Classes
A variety of two-hour writing classes, detailed below, on topics such as first drafts, dialogue, point of view, character, plot, and the business of writing. You’ll get a mixture of brief talks that hit the high-points and writing exercises that let you try your hand at what you’ve just learned. Discussion of published works—short stories, novel and memoir excerpts, and creative nonfiction— will illustrate these concepts. You’ll also have the option to share your in-class work. These are stand-alone craft classes. Take one, or all, as many as you like, in no particular order.For beginners and experienced writers alike, these classes will sharpen your writing, and help you develop your strengths. Registration required. The instructor for the following Fall 2009 writing classes: Mindy Friddle.
Note: If you have registered for the 12-week NOVEL WRITING COURSE described above, all 12 of the following writing classes are included in your package and there is no need to register for these classes separately.
- So You Want to Write a Novel
How do you go about constructing a novel? Where do you start? How can you manage your time and work when you feel defeated and uninspired? How do you avoid getting bogged down in the middle? Some novelists balk at the idea of adhering to a framework, and don’t discover what happens in their novels until they’ve completed a draft. Others find following guidelines and rough outlines frees them up to focus on the flow of ideas. It’s helpful to discover which kind of writer you are. In this class, we’ll discuss ways to navigate the daunting task of writing a novel. We’ll cover structure, first drafts, storyboarding, and the power of synopsis. Note:Students are encouraged to bring along one favorite novel to the seminar. The novel can be of any kind—literary, contemporary, classic, mainstream, thriller, horror, young adult, romance—the only stipulation: a published novel you have read and count among your favorites.
Date: Thursday, Sept. 17
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Location: Innovate Building Conference Room, 148 River St. GreenvilleCost: $25; $20 Emrys members
Levels: All levels, beginner to experienced.
- First Drafts: Write Today, Edit Later
Silence the inner critic, and you’ll get a great deal of writing done. After all, first drafts are all about discovery, and capturing the “vivid dream” of your ideas. Editing, and an objective eye, will serve you later in revision. In this class we’ll talk about strategies to keep first drafts flowing, including schedules, and how writing under the clock quiets the inner critic. Using in-class writing exercises, samples from master writers, and discussion, you will be inspired to start—or continue— your first draft.
Thursday, Sept. 24
6:30-8:30 pm
Location: Innovate Building Conference Room
Cost: $25 each class, $20 Emrys members
Levels: All levels, beginner to experienced
- Point-of-View: Who’s Telling the Story?
Who is telling your story? Whose thoughts and feelings does the reader have access to? You’ll find a new range of possibilities for your work by learning to write from different narrative points of view. After all, choosing the perspective of the character(s) and narrator is one of the most important decisions a fiction writer makes. In this class, we’ll explore the basic element of “point of view” in fiction with examples from published works, and through in-class writing exercises. From unreliable narrators, to first-person, to omniscient third-person, you’ll discover what a powerful, flexible tool point-of-view can be for fiction writers.
Thursday, Oct. 1
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Location: Innovate Building Conference Room
Cost: $25; $20 Emrys members
Levels: All levels, beginner to experienced.
- Creating Compelling Characters
Characters are the driving force behind nearly all of the action and plot development in your writing. How do you create a character the reader cares about? How do you make a character sympathetic? We’ll talk about memorable characters, and how to write about conflicted, complex characters; we’ll cover flat characters, minor characters, and touch on how to avoid stereotypes. There will be in-class writing exercises designed to help you create compelling characters. You’ll learn to breath life into your characters, so they’ll come alive on the page.