I’m teaching a 3-day writing workshop in November as part of the Miami Book Fair. The title of the workshop is: The Novelette, Science Fiction’s Little Jewel. Here’s a link to the official page. Each day is a 3-hour session for 9 total hours. After the break, I have a rundown of how I plan on running the workshop to try and entice you. I want that puppy full up! And I think the price is spectacular.
The goal of the workshop will be to help writers form the bones of a novelette in three days. We will briefly discuss the history of the short form and its importance to science fiction, how practicing with shorter works makes for a better written novel, and how new markets are opening up for shorter works. I’ll use WOOL and THE WALK UP NAMELESS RIDGE as examples, both for their writing, marketing, and how they were published. I plan on taking a stack of newspapers and magazine articles for writing prompts and will discuss how what we read informs our ideas for what we write. For the final two hours of the first day, I’ll have attendees brainstorm, outline, and begin writing, and make myself available to them for assistance and guidance.
The next day will be all about writing. I’ll begin with some tips that I’ve learned over the years, what I feel makes for decent prose (subjective, I know), and how not to get stuck. Each half hour, I’ll stop and impart some other prepared lesson or bit of advice. If anyone asks a question that I feel is germane to the group, I’ll write that on the board with a short answer. I’ll also be writing choice bits of prose or ideas that I see from others on the board.
Homework each night will be to read part of one of my stories to tie into a lesson the next day and to work on their own piece. I’ll explain the need to balance writing with all else life throws at us, stressing time management. Now will be the time for them to learn if they can handle the pace. Writing hard and swift makes for a tighter story, I’ll argue, and the prose can be cleaned up later. I’ll mention NaNoWriMo, even though this will be in the middle of November. Camp NaNo is always going on, I’ll explain. On the last day, I’ll give advice for a top-down approach to publishing their piece once they get done with it.
Sounds awesome, eh? If you can get the time off and live in the area, join up. Oh, and the description might say 9 am to noon every day, but I’m pretty sure it’s from 2 pm to 5 pm. I’m hoping the workshop fills up, so spread the news and sign up fast!
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