Creative Writing
CREATIVE WRITING/JOURNEY OF THE SOUL
This workshop is designed for those who write - whether it's poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction or memoir and would like a creative jolt - a burst of outside influence that will spark to life - or bring to the surface - what's been lying dormant inside. Epic poet and popular instructor Sharon Doubiago will help you create from these internal stories - in addition to drawing on all the new, colorful sights, sounds, smells and lifestyles you'll experience just being immersed in the Mayan cuture of Guatemala.
Sharon's talent lies in helping writers identify and discover what their aesthetics really are. Her premise is that all writers are blocked to some degree - usually because of learned, preconceived ideas of how they SHOULD write. Her students praise her for her ability to teach them ' to write from their gut' - through aesthetic exercises, self-exploration, memory retrieval, independent writing, lively class discussions and sharing of work. Sharon also meets with each particpant individually for valuable one-on-one feedback. This class is appropriate for creative writers at all stages of development.
FICTION WRITING / SHAPING AND STRUCTURING YOUR STORY
This workshop is designed for serious writers who want to improve their sense of narrative technique. Using exercises to access participant's life experiences - novelist, short story writer and popular instructor Gladys Swan will concentrate on such areas as point of view, character, tone and irony, strategies of plot and movement. She will also demonstrate examples of techniques used effectively by successful wirters, discuss what makes a good story, how to revise and what to do when you get stuck.
What iss the experience you want to write about?? and how can it be given form?? These are the basic questions participants in the workshop will consider. The effort will be to get in touch with important experiences, recognize significant images related to them and transform the materials into story.
The focus of this workshop, however, will be on structure -- how to create a unity from the various elements of fiction and how to utilize effective storytelling techniques. We'll spend time discussing participant's stories as well as a step by step approach to creating new work.
FICTION WRITING/DEVELOPING THE NOVEL
THE NOVEL. So you're interesetd in (or already have) tackled the big one. Join award-winning novelist Tessa Bridal for a wonderful opportunity to spend concentrated time on your work. Tessa will begin with discussions as to 'why we write' while also looking at other writer's answers to that same question. The insights discovered do provide focus for your own writing.
Daily class discussions and in-class writing exercises will stimulate your imagaination - helping you hone and polish your descriptive and dialogue writing skills. You'll draw from the beautiful enviroment you are in - examining the cultural, social and gender differences - then compare what you see with your own experiences. It is exactly this kind of observation that translates into good descriptions of place and character.
Tessa will also cover practical skills required of every novelist, such as research techniques - what does it take to make a book historically accurate. She'll discuss the publishing process, provide tips on how to get your work published and the pros and cons of having an agent (she has a contract negotiator). This is a hands-on workshop designed for creative writers at any stage of the novel or short story writing process. Whether that is a work in progress or simply a concept ready for initial development.
NEW DIRECTIONS IN TRAVEL WRITING
Love to travel? Love to write? You can combine your passions as a freelance travel writer, visiting exotic places around the world and sharing your adventures with eager (and envious) readers. Join author, editor and publisher Richard Harris for this opportunity to uncover a wealth of information on the business and creative aspects of travel writing.
Learn how to land writing assignments, arrange free lodging and transportation, maximize the fun and value of your field research and make your travel tax deductible. On the creative side, practical writing exercises will hone your ability to capture places on paper - challenging you to observe and describe the people and places of Guatemala. Richard will spend one-on-one time with each student so he/she receives a personalized critique of their travel writing and ideas. This workshop is appropriate for writers of all skill levels. ** You will be amazed at how much practical information is packed into this workshop !!!
POETRY / SNAPSHOTS IN WORDS
Observing. recording. Describing. With paper and pencil, participants of this workshop join published and highly-acclaimed poet Roseann Lloyd in observing their surroundings with the same nonjudgmental eye as a camera. With her, you'll meander through cobblestone streets, in a town where time seems to have stopped centuries ago - and listen to the many voices - simply describing.
Then you'll expand your writing to include other senses beyond the camera. Together, we'll record the smells of the marketplace; the warmth of the sun breaking through the early morning mists of Lake Atitlan; the sounds of children laughing, speaking foreign tongues in Parque Central; the color of bougainvillea spilling over tumbling rocks of centuries-old colonial ruins; the delicious taste of fresh tortillas and pepian.
In this way we'll experience Guatemala as it is, free of our own pre-conceptions. And while we work, we'll note our own reactions - looking for insights to our own lifestyles and culture. Class time will be spent writing together, reading to each other, planning our writing trips and discussing writing strategies. We'll look to other poets, including Guatemalans, for ideas about ways to form our 'snapshot' observations into our own poems. This workshop is appropriate for all levels of writers.
PROMOTING YOUR WRITING (WITHOUT SELLING YOUR SOUL)
Understanding the art of self-promotion is essential for writers who want to be successful in both getting published and in staying published. Publishers prefer to work with authors who expect to participate in the publicity process, and who bring enthusiasm and creativity to the task. Learn now to get happily published with Jean Bryant You'll learn how to understand what makes the publishing business tick, how to choose the right methods to publicize yourself and your work and, lastly, how to effectively communicate your willingness to take an active role in the publicity process to your prospective agent or publisher. Writers have far more power over what happens to their published books than they often realize!! This course also includes time to write, writing excercises, group readings and critiques - in order to take advantage of the wonderful inspiration you'll get from being in Guatemala.
