Classes

Click on the course title to register (except for my October Online Workshop—for that one, you’ll need to email me directly to enroll)

October 7 (Tuesday evening)

The Ethics of Memoir: A Two-Hour Craft Talk

Every memoirist knows that honesty is the great force that powers memoir. But what if that honesty causes distress to family and friends? What does the writer owe to others who appear in their story? And what does the writer owe to the story itself?

Though at first glance the ethics of memoir can feel fraught, even intimidating, the truth is that thinking about the people in your story is always a positive step, a way of adding richness and complexity to your understanding of your memoir. Ultimately, this seminar will help you write the story you need to write with greater confidence and freedom.

October 8-29 (Wednesday evenings)

Online Multigenre Workshop

Enrollment is capped at eight members to allow in-depth discussion. Each writer will workshop one piece of writing—fiction or memoir—of up to 30 pages in length.

Discussion will be focused on the issues that matter most to writers who are working on early drafts: character, conflict, plot, scene, and voice. The class will read and offer feedback, with an eye toward what is working, what is missing, and what the writer can build on. If there is extra time, we will use it to explore craft issues through lecture, discussion, and short creative exercises.

Cost is $500, payable in advance.

I organize the workshop myself, so if you’re interested in joining, or want to learn more, please email me back at ranthonysiegel@gmail.com. I'm happy to answer questions.

October 25 (Saturday afternoon)

Writing Flash Nonfiction: A One-Day Zoom Intensive

This one-day online intensive course is designed for writers who want to start exploring the creative possibilities of flash nonfiction. We will talk about how the genre works, read a variety of published examples displaying different approaches to form, and generate work of our own through in-class exercises, sharing our writing with the group as time permits. We will also discuss further reading and publishing opportunities.

November 4 (Tuesday evening)

Making Your Characters Physically Present on the Page: A Two-Hour Multigenre Craft Talk

Through a mixture of lecture, discussion and creative exercises, this multigenre craft talk will show you how to capture a character’s physical presence on the page, using all aspects of appearance to convey the thought and emotion underneath. We will start by reading outstanding examples from published work and discussing the many ways people in real life reveal themselves through their looks. Afterwards, we will do a series of descriptive exercises that can be utilized in an ongoing project or can become the basis of a new one.

November 8 (Saturday)

Writing Flash Fiction: A One-Day Zoom Intensive

This one-day online intensive is designed for writers who want to explore the creative possibilities of flash fiction. We will talk about how it works, read a variety of published examples, and generate work of our own through in-class exercises, sharing our writing with the group as time permits.

November 11 (Tuesday evening)

Mastering Sense of Place: a Multigenre Craft Seminar on Setting

Through a mixture of lecture, discussion and creative exercises, this multigenre craft talk will show you how to create effective setting. We will start by reading outstanding examples of place description from a variety of great writers, analyzing the way they use setting to deepen character and story, regardless of whether the genre is fiction or nonfiction. Afterwards, we will do a series of exercises designed to help you explore and develop your own use of setting.