Summer Writing Retreat 2024: “Fundamentals of Fiction: Techniques for Plot, Structure, Character Development, and Scenes” with Amy Gentry
July 8, 2024 - July 29, 2024
$269.00 – $409.00
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This Event is for Members only.
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Level 1 (Class Only): $269 for Members, $329 for Non-Members
Level 2 (Class + Private Consultation): $349 for Members, $409 for Non-Members*
*To access the member price, please be sure to log in to your account.
This July, join us for our virtual 2024 Summer Writing Retreat featuring three classes on memoir, fiction, and revision plus lots of special events throughout the month, including registration for a Saturday Craft Seminar with author Steve Almond (July 13; includes a copy of the book), weekly presentations and meet-ups, and dedicated writing time.
Each class will meet weekly for four weeks, starting the week of July 8, ending the week of July 29. Our fiction class with Amy Gentry will meet every Monday (July 8, 15, 22, 29) from 6:30 PM CDT to 9:30 PM CDT via Zoom. A recording of each class session will be shared with all class registrants the day after – so you won’t miss anything even if you need to skip a session. Class details are below.
Registration for this class will close at 5:00 PM CDT on Monday, July 8.
Crafting a work of fiction can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be all guesswork. Learning basic techniques for approaching plot, structure, character development, and scenes can help both new and experienced writers get unstuck and craft more satisfying stories. As this class will show, there are lots of tools a writer can utilize as they move from the spark of an idea to the first line of an opening page; from the beginning to the middle to the end and all of the beats along the way.
In this 4-week class, the first half of each session will be a deep dive into one element of craft with opportunities for questions and discussion. For the second half of each session, students will work through in-class exercises with time for small group breakout rooms for sharing and further discussion.
About each session:
Week 1 (July 8): Three-Act Structure and the Beat Sheet: In this first session, students will learn how to map the basic story beats of 3-act structure to draft and revise your novel.
Week 2 (July 15): Know Your Characters, Find Your Plot: For week two, we’ll focus on ways writers can build structure organically (and get unstuck) by strengthening the relationship between character and plot. This session will also cover plot twists and B-stories.
Week 3 (July 22): From Beat to Scene: Putting It on the Page: In this session we’ll look at how to transform story beats transform into satisfying, beautifully written novel scenes. What is a scene anyway, and how do you write one? We’ll cover that, too. Plus dialogue, description, backstory, and exposition.
Week 4 (July 29): Bring Out Your Theme with Better Pacing: Pacing and theme are more closely connected than you might think! In this final session, we’ll look at how to revise for pacing so that you highlight the theme and stakes of your project, and make sure what matters to you also matters to the reader.
Take this class if…:
…You need help getting started; you’re stuck in the middle and don’t know what happens next; you’re close to the end but thinking of jumping ship; or you’re not sure how to fix an unwieldy draft! A note to short fiction writers: While many of the tools and techniques in this class will be examined with novel writing in mind, they can also be beneficial for crafting short fiction.
Preparation for the first day of class:
This class does not require any prep work or homework ahead of the start date.
Registration details:
Choose your registration level:
Level 1 (Class Only): $269 for Members, $329 for Non-Members
OR
Level 2 (Class + Private Consultation): $349 for Members, $409 for Non-Members
The difference: Level 2 (Class + Private Consultation) registrations include one 20-minute meeting with Amy Gentry sometime during the month (via Zoom). If you’d like, you can share up to and no more than 10 pages of your work ahead of the meeting for feedback, but that is optional and not required for the meeting.
You may register online, or download the mail-in registration form here.
Instructor
Amy Gentry is the bestselling author of the thrillers Good as Gone, Last Woman Standing, and Bad Habits, as well as a book of music criticism, Tori Amos's Boys for Pele, for Bloomsbury Press's 33 1/3 series. Her reviews and essays have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Paris Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon.com, Texas Monthly, Austin Chronicle, The Best Food Writing of 2014, and many other outlets. She holds a PhD in English and is a teacher and book coach in Austin, Texas.
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