A HYBRID Prose Writing Workshop
ALL LEVELS
For novelists and memoirists, keeping an eye on the big picture—the “macro” structure of a book-length manuscript—can be a real challenge. Especially when there are so many micro decisions about what to include and what to cut from page to page! Using excerpts of Sandra Scofield’s book, THE LAST DRAFT, along with selected readings, we will discuss techniques for clarifying overall story structure using different types of scenes: present action, summarized scenes, and scene fragments. Then, we’ll work on creating interim sequences that connect the main events of a story in a meaningful way.
Participants will come away with enhanced skills for evaluating key story events and connecting the dots between them for a greatly streamlined process of drafting and revising.
SUBMIT: Please submit a brief outline of three key events in your story-in-progress. Caption each event, and describe what happens in terms of both action and reaction. *Key events are the ones that—if you were to delete them—would substantially change the DNA of your story.
Outlines should be submitted as Word docs, no longer than 3 double-spaced pages, paginated, and labeled as follows: Last name, first name, Sequencing, workshop date. Example: Whiton, Tanya, Sequencing, 9-7-2023 and emailed to programs@mainewriters.org, subject line “Last name, Whiton MSS” no later than 9 AM on Wednesday, August 31.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will be a hybrid class, occurring online via Zoom and in-person at USM. For those taking it online, students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the class. If you are interested in attending in-person, the week of the workshop you will receive the email to let you know the location on USM’s Portland campus.
Writer and editor Tanya Whiton’s fiction has recently been featured in Collateral, CutBank, Fanzine, The Cincinnati Review, and Beer & Weed Magazine. A finalist for the 2019 Tennessee Williams Contest, she won second place in Zoetrope: All Story’s 2017 Short Fiction Contest. A two-time recipient of the Martin Dibner Memorial Fellowship for Maine writers Tanya has also received New England Press Association Awards for her nonfiction work. In 2022, her essay, “For the Winter” was included in Breaking Bread: Essays from New England on Food, Hunger, and Family. And in 2014, in collaboration with photographer Heidi Killion, she published a collection of travel essays, Two for the Road: Adventures in Maine. She is also the co-writer and an associate producer of the documentary feature THE ZEN SPEAKER: BREAKING THE SILENCE, and is currently adapting Maine author Elizabeth Garber’s memoir, Sailing at the Edge of Disaster, for a limited television series. Visit: https://www.tanyakwhiton.com/
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact Meghan Sterling at programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
$75 Members / $110 Nonmembers
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Contact Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org to see if the scholarship is still available. Application Due on August 21 at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION