Fall Class Schedule

Posted: August 15th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Uncategorized |

FICTION CLASSES

Fiction Writing I (taught by Mary Guterson in North Hollywood)
Wednesdays, September 21, 2021 to November 9, 2021
7:30 to 9:30 pm

This 8-week course will introduce beginning writers to the basic techniques of fiction writing such as characterization, dramatization, dialogue, point of view, and so on.  In class you will discuss published fiction from a craft perspective and do writing exercises designed to tackle particular techniques.  Each week you will have short writing assignments to do on your own, which you will turn in for feedback from the instructor.  As this course is designed for beginning writers, there won’t be any formal workshopping.  The class is also open to more experienced writers who simply want to brush up on the basics.

This course will take place in the instructor’s home in North Hollywood, where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional gourmet cheese—will be served.

Enrollment limit: 8 students
$380 for new students; $340 for returning students.  (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

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Mixed Levels Fiction Writing Workshop (taught by Mary Guterson in North Hollywood)

Tuesdays, September 20, 2021 to November 8, 2021
7:30 to 9:30 pm

This 8-week mixed-levels class is designed for both short story writers and novelists. For the first four weeks, you will do in-class writing exercises and discuss published short fiction and novel excerpts from a craft perspective. You will cover such topics as characterization, pacing, point of view, structure, voice, and scene, and there will be short take-home writing assignments designed to help you progress with your manuscript.  In the final four weeks of the course, you will be expected to turn in either a short story manuscript or a novel excerpt (maximum 25 pages), to be critiqued by the instructor.  Students will also share excerpts and works-in-progress with the group in a workshop environment designed to inspire and challenge every member of the class.

This course will take place in the instructor’s home in North Hollywood, where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional gourmet cheese—will be served.

Enrollment limit: 8 students
$380 for new students; $340 for returning students.  (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

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Introduction to Novel Writing (taught by Edan Lepucki in the Pico-Fairfax area) ** CLASS FULL **
Saturdays, September 24, 2021 to December 10, 2021 (no class 10/29 and 11/26)
10 am to noon

In this 10-week course, you will develop your idea for a novel–and write the first 30 to 40 pages.  We will spend the first few weeks doing writing exercises and discussing craft and technique from a novelist’s perspective.  All assignments, both in- and out-of-class, will ask you to think deeply about your project and your aesthetic goals.   There will be a weekly page-count requirement to keep you on task, and we will even set aside time in class to write.  The final weeks of the course will be devoted to workshopping student novel excerpts in an intense yet compassionate environment designed to challenge and inspire all members of the class. This course is open to experienced writers only.  To apply for entry, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com with a description of your writing background; you may be asked to submit a short writing sample.

This class will take place in the instructor’s home in the Pico-Fairfax area, where coffee and sparkling water-and the occasional basket of bagels-will be served.

Enrollment limit: 8 students
Course fee: $410 for new students; $370 for returning students (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

NONFICTION CLASSES:

Mixed Levels Creative Nonfiction: Personal Essay and Memoir (taught by Chris Daley in Los Feliz)
**CLASS FULL**
Tuesdays, September 27, 2021 to November 15, 2021
7:30 to 9:30 PM

In this 8-week mixed levels course, students will read, discuss, and write essays (or chapters) that will explore the genre(s) of personal narrative and memoir. The readings will be selected to stimulate thinking, exemplify different techniques and styles, and suggest techniques for engaging personal and creative expression. There will be in-class and homework exercises that address topics such as persona, audience, story, description, memory and truth, and ethical considerations specific to the genre. Students will have the chance to
workshop their writing in a serious environment meant to challenge and inspire each member of the class.

This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Los Feliz, where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional gourmet cheese—will be served.

Enrollment limit: 8 students
Course fee: $380 for new students; $340 for returning students (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

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Intermediate Creative Nonfiction: Personal Essay and Memoir (taught by Chris Daley in Los Feliz)
**CLASS FULL**
Thursdays, October 6, 2021 to December 1, 2021 (no class 11/24)
7:30 to 9:30 pm

This 8-week intermediate course is designed for writers who have started to explore the memoir or personal essay genre, but in most cases, they have yet to commit to a concrete book-sized project.  The students will already be familiar with the particular generic concerns of personal narrative (persona, reader relationship, situation vs. story, introspective homework, authenticity, retrospective vs. immediate point of view, hybridity of form). Students will read several book-length models and develop their own essays or chapters through a
process of drafting, feedback, and revision in a challenging but supportive environment. Weekly in-class and homework exercises will help establish and refine structure, style, voice, and texture. Writers will have the opportunity to submit work for review every other week. Previous enrollment in the Mixed Level course strongly suggested.

This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Los Feliz, where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional gourmet cheese—will be served.

Enrollment limit: 8 students
Course fee: $380 for new students; $340 for returning students (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

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3-HOUR CREATIVE WRITING SESSIONS
$25 per student

There are 2 sessions to choose from, in fiction and poetry:

Saturday, September 3, 2021
3 to 6 pm
Poetry writing with Elline Lipkin in Studio City

Saturday, September 17, 2021 **CLASS FULL**
10 am to 1 pm
Fiction Writing with Edan Lepucki in the Pico-Fairfax area

In this 3-hour class, you will do a series of short in-class writing exercises that will give you new ideas and/or help you further develop projects you’ve already begun.  Some of the exercises will be favorites from previous courses, and some will be new.  You’ll go from one exercise to the next fairly quickly, and by the end of the session you’ll have pages upon pages of new material.  Those of you who are interested may stay for 15-20 minutes after the session to share one exercise with your fellow writers.

Enrollment is limited to 8 students per session.  Coffee, juice and sparkling water will be served!
If you’re interested in signing up, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com

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