New Resource: UPPAA Online Fall Fiction Workshop with Bethany Leonard

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Just my usual sharing of great and frugal resources for writers here! If you don’t know UPPAA, scroll down for a little more about it!  And check out the anthology opportunity, too! ~ CHJ

Join UPPAA online for the Fall Fiction Writing Workshop on October 9-10, 2020.  You will review key concepts, engage in writing exercises, and receive peer feedback along with a professional critique of your writing. This new workshop comprises two, four-hour days of online learning actively engaging you with other writers for an enjoyable experience that will strengthen your fiction.  Attendees who bring a short story to workshop will be encouraged to submit their work to the upcoming 5th annual U.P. Reader anthology, which features the best writing from dozens of writers from Detour to Ironwood and from St. Ignace to the Soo.  The deadline to register for the workshop is September 15th, 2020.

Venue

The workshop will be an online Zoom videoconference. You need to be comfortable with typing and using a computer to access the Internet.  You will also need a high speed Internet connection and a computer with a video camera and a mic.  We will send an email with a link for you to join the Zoom conference online.

Schedule

• Attend both days of the workshop as the skills build from the first day through the second.
• 10:00am to 3:00pm Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10, 2020
• Each day includes a one-hour lunch break.

Enrollment is limited to 12 current attendees who will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll need to join or new your UPPAA membership and then register for the workshop for an additional fee of $45. Special low-cost student memberships and family discounts are available to join UPPAA.  Register now at www.uppaa.org/fall-fiction-writing-workshop/

IMPORTANT: Receiving Professional Review and Peer Feedback

Submit two separate documents of your writing by 11:00 pm on September 19, 2020, to receive peer feedback and a professional edit with comments.

1. Submit one document of up to three-pages for editing and comments by the instructors.  Name this document “For Professional Review (your name).” For example, For Professional Review Jose Garza.doc.
2. Submit a second document of up to three pages for use during the workshop. These pages should be different than those in the first document. Label this document “For Peer Feedback (your name).”

Submission Requirements: double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman, one-inch margins.

Selecting Pages to Submit

Each document you submit may be a complete story or an excerpt from a longer piece of fiction. The pages in the first document (For Professional Review) and in the second document (For Peer Feedback) should be different. They can be, but do not need to be from the same piece of writing.  The pages within each document should be contiguous.

Facilitators:

Bethany and Doug Leonard of Red Ore Writers, Crystal Falls, MI, are authors and educators.

Between them they are published in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and have many years of experience teaching, including college writing, corporate workshops, and editorial coaching. They have presented at state, national, and international conferences.

Fiction Workshop Modules

Modules with an * include writing exercises.

Showing vs. Telling *

Practice identifying sentences that show and the words and phrases that make them showing sentences. Review the appropriate uses of telling and practice writing with showing and telling sentence.

Building Characters *

Practice building a character and then write your developed character into a fictional scene.

Less is More *

Identify opportunities to tighten and sharpen text. Practice techniques to reduce wordiness.

Dialogue *

Explore uses of dialogue. Practice using dialogue with action and dialogue tags to develop effects, such as cadence and character development.

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Learn a process for purposeful reading to strengthen your writing and your ability to give supportive, useful feedback to others.

Feedback Session 

Receive feedback from a small group of fellow writers on your “For Peer Feedback” submitted pages. Feedback will be provided using the techniques presented in the workshop.

Professional Review

After attending the workshop, receive edits and comments from Bethany and Doug on the “For Professional Review” document you submit by September 19.

For questions please write to [email protected]

MORE ABOUT UPPAA

#WritersWorkShops #OnlineWorkshops #ZoomforWriters 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for authors and retailers. She was named Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by members of the California Legislature and was an instructor for UCLA Extension’s renowned Writers’ Program for nearly a decade.