This workshop is full. To be added to the waitlist, email Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org.
A 3 Week Fiction Workshop
Thursdays: October 20th, November 3rd, and November 10th
Level: All Levels
While books on the writing craft can be immensely useful, workshops are a different kind of experience. I’ve sat through many of them myself, and I’ve found the most effective ones both (1) present new techniques on a particular aspect and (2) help me apply those techniques to my own work-in-progress in the moment. My workshops each target a single, specific topic and include real-life examples, with revisions. There is a complete slide deck for each, and they all have take-home worksheets to help you apply the techniques to your own work afterward.
The first session, “What is the Why?: Building Histories for Nuanced Characters and Authentic Conflict," presents a step-by-step method for constructing histories for the protagonist and the important secondary characters. Effective histories make characters unique and memorable, drive the plot forward, and provide opportunities for both interpersonal (character/character) and intrapersonal (character/world) conflict. Using familiar works such as the Harry Potter series and The Queen’s Gambit as sample texts and drawing on the idea of the “personal myth” developed by Dan McAdams, participants will develop “baggage” for the characters in their work-in-progress to bring to the opening pages, or (as some people call it) to “the day everything changes.” Then we examine how that “baggage” can drive the plot forward for a satisfying plot arc and character arc.
In the second session, "Developing Secondary Characters: Beyond Friends, Foils, and Foes," we focus on techniques to make secondary characters round, unique, and psychologically coherent. Well-drawn, diverse, complex secondary characters can add nuance, humor, and conflict to a novel or short story. Moving beyond the typical "friends, foils, and foes" formulation, we discuss how to build secondary characters who sing for themselves while also harmonizing with a main plot line. Building on the “personal myth” (from session 1), we examine economical ways to develop all three elements of the myth—backstory, world views, and desires—for secondary characters.
In the third session, "Finding True, Unique Voices for Your Characters," we discuss voice. Many agents and editors are looking for that “unique voice” that commands attention, that sounds fresh to the reader’s ear, and that conveys the sense of a fully developed emotional and mental life. We discuss point of view as distinct from focalization and degrees of psychological distance; and using examples from several novels, we explore ways to make the voices of your protagonist and secondary characters sound unique and true to themselves and to their backstory. For each session, there will be time for Q&A, and participants will be given a worksheet with writing exercises to do during the workshop as well as some to take home.
This three-part workshop will be offered in 2-hour increments over three weeks.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online via Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday October 13th from 5:30pm to 6:00pm, MWPA staff will offer a tech help session on Zoom. Students are encouraged to attend the tech help session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, if they have any tech concerns, use Zoom infrequently, or simply would like to test their connection, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.
+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).
If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.
Karen Odden earned her Ph.D. in English from NYU, writing her dissertation on the medical and legal literature and novels written about Victorian railway disasters. After her graduate work, she taught literature and critical theory at UW-Milwaukee. She has contributed essays to numerous books and journals, written introductions for novels by Dickens and Trollope for the Barnes & Noble Classics Series, and edited for the academic journal Victorian Literature and Culture (Cambridge UP). When she left teaching and academic writing, she parlayed the research for her dissertation into fiction, and all of her books are set in 1870s London and the English countryside. A Lady in the Smoke (2015, Random House) was a USA Today bestseller; her second and third novels, A Dangerous Duet (2018, Harper Collins) and A Trace of Deceit (2019, Harper Collins) have won awards for historical fiction and mystery. Her fourth novel, Down a Dark River, features a former thief and bare-knuckles boxer from the Irish enclave of Whitechapel who becomes an inspector at Scotland Yard in 1870s London. The sequel, Under a Veiled Moon, will be published October 11, 2022. She is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and has been teaching online writing workshops since 2019. Karen lives in Arizona with her family. She loves to hear from writers and readers, and you can reach her at www.karenodden.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.
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. Email Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org to see if the scholarship is still available. Application Due by October 1 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