Attention everyone involved, formerly involved, or prospectively involved in WWLA! The future of your involvement now lies ever so desirously, ever so desirably, ever so accessibly in the “classes” section of this website. Go ahead. You know you want to. Temptation has never felt so… pedantic.
-Moze Halperin (Intern)
Be naughty, counterintuitive, and perhaps counter-everything-you’ve-learned-about-writing. Write towards a superlative– any extreme. Write the saddest/silliest/ dullest/numbest/coldest/pithiest/Lynchiest/most exuberant/whatever-your-choice-may-be piece of writing that you’ve ever written, or, even more challenging, that you’ve ever read. In so doing, notice how this approach impacts your authorial voice: in order to truly attain such a goal (obviously not objectively speaking), should voice/style/structure change at all, or are you deft enough with plot to not have to neglect your typical writing tendencies? Do you have to stifle emotional flexibility within your piece, or can something only truly be, say, crushingly sad if it encompasses all those other elements? Simply notice what you must abandon and what you must adopt in using this method, and whether, in the end, you’re written something readable or something that purely sounds like an exercise.
–Moze Halperin (Intern)
Hello, everyone. This is the new intern for WWLA, Moze Halperin, announcing our plunge into the now with the instauration of WWLA’s new Twitter account, @writingLA. Of course, plunging into the now is no easy task (140 characters– seriously?)– it is a task that necessitates the support of loyal… supporters such as yourselves. So get tweeting (twitting? twatting?) and add us, follow us, love us. You’ll be duly rewarded by daily quotes, witticisms and perhaps even a tsp. of rollicking idiotism about writing. Links, updates, and prompts may also be found lurking in the tweets (twits? twats?).
–Moze Halperin
The creative nonfiction course taught by Carolyn Kellogg in Echo Park has been postponed…we will announce its new start date very soon! Please scroll down for more information, and if you’re interested in signing up/hearing directly about the new dates, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com.
Creative Nonfiction Workshop: Personal Essay and Memoir
(Taught by Carolyn Kellogg in Echo Park)
Tuesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
DATES TBA (8 meetings)
In this mixed-level course, we will read and discuss published narrative nonfiction as a means to investigate questions of truth and storytelling, and where the two intersect. There will be in-class exercises that address specific craft issues such as scene and voice, among others, and every student will have the opportunity to workshop at least one piece of nonfiction 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 Echo Park, where beer, wine and sparkling water—and the occasional delicious snack—will be served.
Enrollment limit: 8 students
Course fee: $360 for new students; $320 for returning students (Payment plans available!)
If you’re interested in signing up, email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com
I’ve just announced two new fiction writing exercise sessions for May. Scroll down for more information, and email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com to sign up!
Keep Writing in 2010: One-Day Fiction Writing Exercise Sessions
Easier on the body than a yoga class–and better for the imagination.
$25 per student
There are 2 session sections to choose from:
FICTION WRITING: Saturday, May 15, 2010 10 am to 1 pm (with Leslie Parry in Pasadena)
In this 3-hour class, we 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. We’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 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, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com
Carolyn Kellogg!
I’m very excited to welcome writer Carolyn Kellogg to our growing roster of instructors. Carolyn will be teaching the Spring/Summer 2010 Creative Nonfiction Workshop: Personal Essay and Memoir, beginning June 1st. Go here for more details. Carolyn and I have been friends for about a year now, and she continually impresses me with her passion for books and reading, her astute critical gaze, and her endless efforts to make L.A. a wondrous place for writers and readers (which it is, thanks in part to her.)
Here’s her official bio:
Carolyn Kellogg, who writes about books for the Los Angeles Times, holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She has taught at the University of Pittsburgh and in UCLA Extension’s Writers’ Program. Her work is regularly read online and in print at the Los Angeles Times and other venues, and can be heard on NPR. She was a judge of the 2010 Story Prize, the Library of Congress’s Letters to Literature Contest, USC’s Wonderland Prize and the Morning News Tournament of Books. Work by Ms. Kellogg is upcoming in Black Clock and a Red Hen Press anthology about California.
And here’s her Instructor’s Statement:
In class, we will explore the pleasures of reality-based narratives and the sometimes-conflicting pressures of truthtelling and storytelling. We will discuss the difference between memoir and memory, the difficulties of disclosure, and explore the edges of nonfiction. We will also practice, practice, practice: form, technique, discipline, play. Workshops and exercises are designed to ignite the desire to read and to write. Each individual voice will be fostered, encouraging students to be the best writers they can be.
Beginning/Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop (taught by Leslie Parry in Hollywood)
Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
April 15, 2010 to June 10, 2010 (8 meetings; no class on May 27, 2010)
This 8-week class is designed both for short story writers and those just embarking on a novel.
For the first four weeks, we will do in-class writing exercises and discuss published short fiction and novel excerpts from a craft perspective. We 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. For the final four weeks of the course, we will workshop student work in a serious environment meant to challenge and inspire every member of the class. Each student will have the opportunity to workshop either one short story manuscript or one novel excerpt (maximum 25 pages).
This course will take place in the instructor’s home in Beachwood Canyon (Hollywood), where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional gourmet cheese—will be served.
Enrollment limit: 8 students
$360 for new students; $320 for returning students. Payment plans available.
If you’re interested, email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com
***
Advanced Short Story Workshop (taught by Edan Lepucki in the Fairfax District)
Thursdays, April 22, 2010 to June 24, 2010 (10 meetings)
This 10-week course is designed for advanced students who are interested in deepening their understanding of short story craft and technique.
For the first few weeks we will discuss published short fiction and do in-class writing exercises. There will be optional out-of-class writing assignments, and we will hold short critiques of students’ work-in-progress and revisions. Each student will get to workshop at least one short story manuscript, if not two; the class will encourage everyone to turn in two short stories for feedback from the instructor.
Enrollment limit: 6 students
$385 for returning students; $400 for new students. Payment plans available.
This course is by application only. All students who sign up must have the minimum page requirement of a first draft to be eligible for the course. Please email writingworkshopsla@gmail to inquire about submission guidelines.
If you’re interested, email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com
***
Intermediate Novel Writing Workshop (taught by Edan Lepucki in the Fairfax District)
Wednesdays, 7:30 to 9:30 pm
May 5, 2010 to July 21, 2010 (10 meetings; no class on 6/16 and 6/23)
This 10-week course is open to more advanced writers who have written between 50-100 pages of a novel. For the first few weeks of this class we will do in-class writing exercises, discuss craft and technique from a novelist’s perspective, and conduct critiques of 1- and 2-page excerpts of students’ works-in-progress. There will be a weekly page-count requirement to keep you on task, and we will even set aside time for “lab” sessions, where students work seriously in-class, writing their manuscripts. There will be two weeks off before we begin workshops so that students may commit their time to preparing their manuscripts for workshop. The final weeks of the course will be devoted to critiquing student novel excerpts in an intense yet compassionate environment designed to challenge and inspire all members of the class.
Course will take place in instructor’s home in the Fairfax District where wine and sparkling water—and the occasional gourmet cheese—will be served.
This course is by application only. All students who sign up must have the minimum page requirement of a first draft to be eligible for the course. Please email writingworkshopsla@gmail to inquire about submission guidelines.
Enrollment limit: 7 students
$410 for new students; $385 for returning students. Payment plans available
If you’re interested, email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com
***
There are a few spots left in Leslie’s 3-hour writing session on 3/20. It’s only $25!
Email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com to sign up!
Until we announce our spring classes, why not sign up for one of our 3-hour writing sessions? Here’s the scoop:
Keep Writing in 2010: One-Day Fiction Writing Exercise Sessions
$25 per student
There are 4 session sections to choose from:
Saturday, March 13, 2010 (taught by Edan Lepucki in the Fairfax District) **FULL**
1:00 to 4:00 pm
or
Saturday, March 20, 2010 (taught by Edan Lepucki in the Fairfax District) **FULL**
1:00 to 4:00 pm
or
Saturday, March 20, 2010 (taught by Leslie Parry in Pasadena) **Only 3 spots left!**
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
or
Saturday, March 27. 2010 (taught by Leslie Parry in Pasadena) **FULL**
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
In this 3-hour class, we 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. We’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 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, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com
Writing Workshops Los Angeles headquarters have moved from Los Feliz Village to the Fairfax District! The remainder of the novel class workshops will be held on this side of town, and my two sections of the 3-hour writing sessions will also be here. Check out the classes page for more info on those. Leslie Parry will be teaching two 3-day sessions in Pasadena, and she’ll continue her short fiction workshop at her place in Hollywood. We hope, by offering courses in two different neighborhoods, that we will be able to better serve your needs.
In a week or two I will be announcing our spring courses, so please check back for more details. And, as always, you can email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com to get added to the mailing list.
Our classes for winter 2010 have already begun, but if you’re interested in hearing about new courses as they’re announced, please email writingworkshopsla@gmail.com to get on the mailing list!