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Writing Workshops

Crossing the Lines: Applying Writing Strategies Across Genres with Dawn Raffel

$395

6 Sessions

Out of stock

Once a week Mondays, 7:00 pm EDT - 9:00 pm EDT April 10 to May 15, 2023

Online via Zoom

This workshop is for anyone writing literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, or hybrid work, and for those who genre-hop. The class will explore writing strategies that apply across the board, including tapping into the roots of creativity, crafting memorable openings, investigating structure and chronology, and developing sustainable writing practices. It will also explore the way genres intersect, inform, and energize one another. The workshop will include interactive exercises and a group critique of one manuscript of up to 4,000 words from each participant, along with written commentary from the instructor. Nontraditional narratives welcome!

Course Outline

This will vary slightly depending on enrollment, but in general:

  • Session I: In-class writing exercise on the roots of perception; personal introductions and goals; interactive discussion of powerful beginnings.
  • Session II-V: Manuscript workshopping/critique, plus some conversations around time and the clock of the story, alternative structures, making and breaking writing habits, tapping into deeper wells of creativity.
  • Session VI: How personal is personal? Strategies on writing impactful work with a potential guest essayist.

Capacity: 12

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Led by

  • Dawn Raffel

    Dawn Raffel

    Dawn Raffel

    Dawn Raffel is the author of six books, most recently Boundless as the Sky, a hybrid collection of stories. Previous books include The Strange Case of Dr. Couney (narrative nonfiction), memoir (The Secret Life of Objects), and fiction. Her writing has been published in O, The Oprah Magazine, BOMB, New Philosopher, The San Francisco Chronicle, Conjunctions, Black Book, Open City, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories and more. She has taught for many years at the Center for Fiction, as well as through Summer Literary Seminars (now International Literary Seminars) in Russia, Lithuania, Georgia. and Kenya. She serves as a writer-to-writer mentor at AWP.