If you’ve never spent time in Port Townsend in October, it’s one of the best times to tuck in and write. Autumnal mists, the ending of blackberry season–and literary fiction, happening October 13-16, 2011 at the Fort Worden campus!
Led by novelists Kathleen Alcalá (leading a class in English) and María Victoria (leading a separate class in Spanish), these workshops will focus on creating character-driven plots in literary fiction.
Kathleen Alcalá: Fiction Workshop: Writing Suspenseful Plots
What makes readers unable to put down a book? How do we write a story that keeps them glued to their seat? In this class students will learn to plot a story that supports the narrative arc of the characters and moves forward, keeping a tight hold of the reader’s attention. We will learn to create tension and suspense by deconstructing a couple of short stories, and then writing our own hair-raising episodes. We will plan and plot characters that are believable yet unpredictable, engaging and yet one step ahead of our readers. Come build the thrill. Fasten your seat belts.
María Victoria: Taller de ficción. Escribiendo tramas apasionantes
¿Qué provoca que un lector no suelte un libro? ¿Cómo escribir para que el lector se mantenga pegado a la página? En esta clase aprenderemos a elaborar tramas que atrapan al lector y que avanzan los sucesos sin descuidar el arco narrativo de los personajes. Usaremos como ejemplo un par de cuentos para identificar el uso de la tensión y del suspenso, elementos que a continuación incorporaremos en nuestros propios escritos arrebatadores. Prepárense a sacudir al lector. Ajusten el cinturón.
Workshop Schedule:
The workshop begins Thursday, October 13. Check-in is at the Centrum office any time after 3:30 pm, and we’ll meet and mingle until around 7 pm over wine and hors d’oeuvres. Workshop sessions take place Friday and Saturday, and Saturday night features a bi-lingual gathering and reading.
Cost for the workshop is $395 for tuition, and $195 for housing in private, spacious rooms. We provide fully equipped kitchens in the housing. For additional information, or to register over the phone, please contact Jordan at jhartt(at)centrum(dot)org or 360.385.3102, xt. 131.