Category: Creative Resources

Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance Workshops

• 3/2/2021- Explore the Moment (Poetry): This moment, this contemporary life is one of both restlessness and stillness. The notion of uncertainty is omnipresent. In this workshop, we will make and read poems that explore both the goings-on outside and, perhaps more importantly, our internality, now: connections, disconnections, hopes, and suspicions. This is a workshop that uses the muse of now, the muse of the present to look both forward and behind.  
• 3/4/2021- Sharpen Your Vision (Fiction): While fiction writers face many common craft and storytelling challenges, because their goals and focuses are different, there is no formula or maxim on which they can all rely. Instead, to arm themselves for the enduring challenges of revision, writers must learn to see their work both for what it is and what it could be.  
• 3/6/2021- Thoughts, Flashbacks, & Commentary (Fiction): Fiction writers, especially novelists, often focus on writing scenes, which function to move a story forward. But what about the other elements of narrative—summary, exposition, interiority, and commentary—the ones that add depth and nuance and increase reader engagement with characters and situations? Think of Mrs. Dalloway without interior monologue, or The Great Gatsby if Jay Gatsby’s backstory was simply plunked in the first chapter.  This class will focus on how to effectively deploy these narrative elements.
• 3/20/2021: Legal Essentials for Writers: Writers often have questions about navigating the legal aspects of being a creative. In this talk, attorney (and former MWPA board member) Jeff Joyce will delve into the essentials every writer should know. There will also be ample time for Q&A. 
• 3/27/2021- The Sweet Spot (YA & Middle Grade): Using examples from a variety of novels, the first two hours of the workshop will focus on four essential elements of young adult fiction:

  –       great beginnings that hook readers from page one

  –       a confident narrative voice

  –       dialogue that sounds true to readers

  –       action that creates an emotion-driven, fast-moving plot

  Participants will explore these elements and discuss what clangs and what rings true when writing fiction for young adults.

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We have a membership and can offer you reduced rates on your workshop, just give us a call and we will get you started!