Courses

Blurring the Lines: Fiction vs Non-Fiction

This class will discuss the consequences of choosing whether to tell a story in fictional or nonfictional form, the differences between these forms, the ethics involved in writing true stories, and the use of perspective. Students will engage in point of view and perception exercises, and each student will produce fiction and nonfiction writing.

November 9-16, 2019, HCC 0190

Creating Memorable Characters

Want to write characters that readers never forget? Join award-winning author Kat Mattingly for an in-depth look at how to make your heroes and heroines come to life on the page. We'll study the art of penning interesting, relatable protagonists and villains for your fiction novel or memoir. Learn to write active, effective dialogue, format a main character arc and show satisfying hero growth.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Creating Unforgettable Characters

Creating Unforgettable Characters will teach students how to write intriguing, relatable characters and pertinent, seamless dialogue. We will create an invaluable character arc to give breadth and depth to your character, and learn how to show satisfying growth in your hero or heroine through examining typical causes for character growth.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Creative Writing Basics

Creative writing is any form of writing which is written with the creativity of mind: fiction writing, poetry writing, creative nonfiction writing and more. The purpose is to express something, whether it be feelings, thoughts, or emotions. If you have always thought you had a book or memoir in you, or just want to write for fun and relaxation, this is the class for you. We will explore different genres of writing using select readings and writing exercises and learn the principles of workshopping creative writing and share writing with one another.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Creative Writing: Following Your Character

Ray Bradbury said: "Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations." In this workshop, we'll learn how to create characters, wind them up, and let them go-our only job is to try to keep up with them. We'll learn techniques and exercises to let our characters do all the work for us.

December 7-14, 2019, HCC 0230

Creative Writing: Narrative - Point of View & Voice

Who is actually telling the story? To whom are they telling it? And why are they telling it? These are three questions that we should ask of everything we write. In this writing workshop, we'll learn the difference between the character, the narrator, and the writer, and discover ways to have each of them be a more effective story teller (fiction or nonfiction).

Saturday, November 23, 2019, HCC 0230

Creative Writing: To Plot, or Not to Plot?

In this workshop, we'll look at using plot points to create works of fiction and nonfiction. We'll also look at the pros and cons of outlining our work vs. letting it all hang out, and participate in writing exercises that help us understand how we can manage both sides of the coin.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Eat Your Words

This four-hour food writing workshop will encompass readings, writing exercises, sharing work, and discussion of writing practices and resources. This workshop is designed to bring creativity into the world of food-writing, or more specifically, to use food as a subject for creative writing.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Generative Writing Workshop Fall Series

Generative writing workshops provide time and space to create new work inspired by writing prompts, craft discussions, and sharing work. They stretch your writing practice by introducing new frameworks and forms, spark fresh ideas or dig up buried memories, and offer a place to share fellowship with other writers. Each month, we will explore a theme through reading short pieces of writing, engaging in silent writing to suggested prompts, and sharing our raw (but often exciting!) pieces with one another. Take them individually or register for the series and save $28.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Generative Writing Workshop Winter Series

Generative writing workshops provide time and space to create new work inspired by writing prompts, craft discussions, and sharing work. They stretch your writing practice by introducing new frameworks and forms, spark fresh ideas or dig up buried memories, and offer a place to share fellowship with other writers. Each month, we will explore a theme through reading short pieces of writing, engaging in silent writing to suggested prompts, and sharing our raw (but often exciting!) pieces with one another. Whether students attend one or several of these workshops, they will assemble a portfolio of project ideas and short works-in-progress. Writers of all levels, in all genres are welcome. Workshops are not progressive, so students can choose the monthly workshops that appeal to them or can attend all as part of a regular writing practice.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Generative Writing Workshop: Beat Spirit

Generative writing workshops provide time and space to create new work inspired by writing prompts, craft discussions, and sharing work. They stretch your writing practice by introducing new frameworks and forms, spark fresh ideas or dig up buried memories, and offer a place to share fellowship with other writers. Each month, we will explore a theme through reading short pieces of writing, engaging in silent writing to suggested prompts, and sharing our raw (but often exciting!) pieces with one another. December 8: "Beat Spirit": We will use some of the techniques of the Beat writers (many of them "borrowed" from the Surrealist writers!) to get in touch with our inner cool cats. Expect to play with word collage, collaborative writing exercises, and automatic writing.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Generative Writing Workshop: Ghosting

Generative writing workshops provide time and space to create new work inspired by writing prompts, craft discussions, and sharing work. They stretch your writing practice by introducing new frameworks and forms, spark fresh ideas or dig up buried memories, and offer a place to share fellowship with other writers. November 17 topic: "Ghosting." We will explore pieces and prompts that play with the idea of the unseen or the missing. (Not necessarily the paranormal!)

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Generative Writing Workshop: Love Letters

Generative writing workshops provide time and space to create new work inspired by writing prompts, craft discussions, and sharing work. They stretch your writing practice by introducing new frameworks and forms, spark fresh ideas or dig up buried memories, and offer a place to share fellowship with other writers. Each month, we will explore a theme through reading short pieces of writing, engaging in silent writing to suggested prompts, and sharing our raw (but often exciting!) pieces with one another.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Generative Writing Workshop: Making it New

Generative writing workshops provide time and space to create new work inspired by writing prompts, craft discussions, and sharing work. They stretch your writing practice by introducing new frameworks and forms, spark fresh ideas or dig up buried memories, and offer a place to share fellowship with other writers. Each month, we will explore a theme through reading short pieces of writing, engaging in silent writing to suggested prompts, and sharing our raw (but often exciting!) pieces with one another.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Generative Writing Workshop: Unexpected Forms

Generative writing workshops provide time and space to create new work inspired by writing prompts, craft discussions, and sharing work. They stretch your writing practice by introducing new frameworks and forms, spark fresh ideas or dig up buried memories, and offer a place to share fellowship with other writers. October 20 topic: "Writing What You See." We will use a variety of images to create characters, settings, and inspire scenes

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Generative Writing Workshop: Write What You See

Generative writing workshops provide time and space to create new work inspired by writing prompts, craft discussions, and sharing work. They stretch your writing practice by introducing new frameworks and forms, spark fresh ideas or dig up buried memories, and offer a place to share fellowship with other writers. October 20 topic: "Writing What You See." We will use a variety of images to create characters, settings, and inspire scenes.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Get Paid to Write From Home

Looking for a way to earn money from home? This one-of-a-kind workshop shows you how to turn your talent for writing into money in the bank. We'll zoom in on exactly how to create content that sells and where to find publishers who will pay well for your work. Get coached by a seasoned pro writer who reveals the best path to take and the dead ends to avoid.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Get Traditionally Published

Join traditionally published and award-winning author Kat Mattingly for invaluable information on how to get an agent and publisher. Kat will show you how to identify what agents are looking for in your novel, how to write a compelling synopsis and query letter, and how to give an accurate, intriguing novel pitch. Come learn the dos and don'ts of querying agents!

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Introduction to Poetry

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Marketing for Writers

You've done the hard work of writing that article, short story, or book, but how do you go about getting paid for your labor? Where can you sell your creation and what's a fair price to ask? This unique two-part workshop will answer those questions and more. You don't need a finished project to take this class, or even a solid idea, just bring a a desire to learn about the business of writing.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Novel Writing: Fiction or Memoir

Award-winning author and college educator  Kathryn Mattingly will introduce you to the art of novel writing. Explore the essential building blocks for the fiction book or memoir you might wish to pen one day. Plot, setting, theme, characterization, point of view and dialogue will all be covered.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Outlining Your Way to Writing that Works

Whether you're writing a book, writing an article, or developing a website - failing to establish your idea by creating a rock- solid outline is one of the biggest causes of time overruns and unsuitable results. The three sessions of this workshop will help you mold your ideas into a framework that leads directly to an effective, on-time completion. Bring a desire. Leave with a solid plan to accomplish it.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Poetry Works: Poetry Techniques for Prose

Good writing of any kind benefits from clarity, precision, and fresh language. Poetry can help! Perfect the well-crafted line, sharpen your imagery, and get the emotional impact you're after with prompts, exercises, and techniques borrowed from poetry to up your prose writing game.

Saturday, December 7, 2019, CAS 118

Poetry Workshop

In this workshop, students will gain inspiration from contemporary poets who embrace a variety of forms. Learn to follow prompts to see where they will lead you and feed your fertile imagination sufficiently to fill a new notebook or MacBook with fresh and nourishing poems.

Saturday, November 23, 2019, HCC 0260

Poetry Workshop: Poetic Tools for Writing in Every Genre

Good writing of any kind benefits from clarity, precision, and fresh language, and poetry can help! Perfect the well-crafted line, sharpen your imagery, and get the emotional impact you're after with prompts, exercises, and techniques borrowed from poetry to up your writing game, whatever your genre.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Road to Traditional Publishing

Join traditionally published and award-winning author Kat Mattingly for invaluable information on how to get an agent and publisher. Kat will show you how to identify what agents are looking for in your novel, how to write a compelling synopsis and query letter, and how to give an accurate, intriguing novel pitch. Come learn the dos and don'ts of querying agents!

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Screenwriting Essentials

This class will explore the key elements of screenwriting along with some of the challenges of this craft. Topics will include story structure, character development, plot structure, dialogue and much more. This course is aimed at providing the basics to a new writer, but experienced writers who want to practice their craft are welcome.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Self-Publishing Basics: Ebooks & Print-On-Demand

Self-publish your novel, memoir, book of poetry or artwork. In this workshop series, you'll learn how to format your manuscript for a professional-looking interior, design covers that catch readers' eyes in print and online, and use print-on-demand (POD) services to distribute the finished product.

October 5-26, 2019, BEC 0156

Songwriters Workshop

Whether you're a singer, musician, writer, poet, or a combination of all those gifts, this could be the class for you. Each week, we'll cover a topic on the mechanics of songwriting. After that, there will be time for hands-on practice of the techniques covered.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

The Creative Writing Process

In this six-week class, learn to employ the techniques of writing effective fiction and creative nonfiction, including story and plot, character development, narrative voice, scene and setting, beginnings and endings, and the use of symbols and metaphor. You will generate work through a series of exercises, prompt writing, and freewriting, and create the first draft of a story (fiction or nonfiction). Class will end with the use revision and workshopping techniques in an interactive group setting to help each create the best work possible.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

The Emotional Craft of Writing

Comedy, tragedy, comic-tragedy, or tragic-comedy -- it is the emotional aspect of writing that binds us to the story. In this two-part class, explore some classic literary examples, and develop your own writing skills through discussion and exercises as you learn to infuse your work with emotion. Class will examine the roles of mood, tone, character, motivation, desire, and passion.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Travel Writing

Travel Writing with Josh Savage focuses on what it takes to become an established travel writer. In the class, we will share and discuss our writing, develop effective query letters, network and explore other steps involved in the process of becoming a published travel writer.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Writing Compelling Plots

Join award-winning author and college educator Kat Mattingly for an in-depth class on the art of storytelling. Choosing the correct voice for your novel or memoir will be covered, along with exploring your themes, enriching your settings, and writing a correct timeline for your book. Each one of these elements can help elevate and strengthen your story, allowing it to resonate better with readers.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Writing Powerful Prose

Would you like to take your short stories to the next level? Let's analyze how to make that happen! This class will teach you all the skills you need to create short stories with greater impact. Award-winning author and college educator Kat Mattingly will focus on 'raising the stakes' regarding your plot, along with how to create powerful characters and compelling dialogue.

This course contains no sessions at this time.

Writing Powerful Short Fiction

This class will inform students about what is on trend right now for short fiction, and the dos/don'ts for each type. We will cover how to write a suspenseful plot with relatable characters and active dialogue. We'll also discuss the 'heroes journey' and use what we learn to write, edit, and polish a story.

This course contains no sessions at this time.