Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo
If you would like to become a lifetime member of the Writing Salon (in order to receive the discounted rate on any class), simply add your $50 membership purchase to the shopping cart (via the button below), just as you would add a class, and then “Continue Shopping,” adding as many classes to the cart as you like. Just be sure to select the member rate for each class after you add it your shopping cart.
You have three options to choose from: 1) $110 for any full-day workshop (or $95.00 for members), 2) $215 for a 5-week class (or $185.00 for members), or 3) $365 for a 9-week class or 6-month class (or $335.00 for members).
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Five Sundays, Feb. 19th-March 18th, 7-9:30 pm $185 members/$215 non-members Berkeley Testimonials for Nick
In this workshop, you’ll hone your skills at writing commercial fiction—romance/chicklit, mystery/detective, science fiction/fantasy—that aren’t always given the credit they deserve. “If ghosts and witches, lost loves and conflict were good enough for Homer, Shakespeare, and Dante,” says Nick Mamatas, “they’re good enough for me. A genre is like a toolbox—good writers go beyond formula and use the tools of their trade to build and make real what nobody else could imagine.”
Saturday, Jan. 21st, 10 am to 4 pm $95 members/$110 others San Francisco
Do you feel the itch to write fiction but come from a background in journalism, memoir writing, personal essays or other types of nonfiction? How do you cross the bridge between nonfiction and fiction? For one thing, says instructor Li Miao Lovett, “You need to think carefully when your Aunt Emma shows up in your novel with new Espadrilles and all her old foibles.” In other words, although you may not need to worry about lawsuits as much as a doctor does, you still need to know how to create characters who get themselves – not you – into trouble.
Six Online Group Chats (Saturdays: Jan 21, Feb 18, March 17, April 21, May 19, June 16) 10 to 11:30 a.m., plus online interaction and guidance between chats $435 members/$465 others
“Writing a novel for kids or teens is unique in that a writer must imagine the world from a young reader’s perspective,” says Lindsey Alexander. “But like any worthwhile writing project, getting it done takes discipline, focus, and an ability to stick with it.” Read the rest of this entry »
Two Sundays, Jan. 22 and March 25, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. plus daily online writing for the 9 weeks between meetings $195 members/$225 non-members San Francisco Student Testimonials
ATTENTION: THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL
“The imagination,” said novelist Dean Koontz, ‘is like a muscle: The more you use it, the better it performs and the quicker you get ideas of higher caliber.’ The Round Robin is based on the same premise,” says instructor Jane Underwood. “The more you use your writing muscles, the more you will tone and strengthen them. The primary focus is PRACTICE. Every day you will practice your writing, in the same way that a piano student practices the piano or a swimmer swims laps.”
Saturday, Jan. 21st, 10 am to 4 pm $95 members/$110 others Berkeley
“’Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?’ was not an oath invented by or for a writer of memoir. It’s not possible,” says instructor Ruth Schwartz. “The very nature of crafting memoir requires us to focus on certain truths and exclude others, and to shade, sculpt and whittle the truths we tell. But how do we choose which aspects of truth matter most? And how can we summon both the craft and the courage required for us to be able to tell them?
Nine Sundays, Jan. 22-March 18, 7-9:30 pm $335 members/$365 others San Francisco Testimonials for Josh
NOTE: Josh also teaches a six-month (monthly meetings) “Fiction Workshop Continuation” for those who have already taken this workshop (once or more than once), and would like to keep going.
Aspiring writers usually wend their ways to this workshop because “life isn’t slowing down,” isn’t offering them the space or the time to work on their fiction. They want to write, or they tinker with two-pages and never get around to completing the piece, or they have ideas rollicking through their brains that haven’t, as of yet, made it to the page. But they all come to class with one common goal: they want to write a compelling story.
Five Sundays, Jan. 22-Feb. 19, 2-4:30 p.m. Berkeley $185 members/$215 non-members Testimonials for Junse
Special Package Deal: Take this class together with Karen Bjorneby’s 5-week “Starting Your Novel” class, and get both classes (5 weeks plus 5 weeks, back to back) for the discounted price of one 9-week class. This discount applies only if you choose the “Combo Class” option” when you register, not if you sign up for the classes separately.
“We writers too often need others to tell us that our writing is good,” says instructor Junse Kim. “And this is where it all goes horribly wrong.
10 Sundays, Jan. 22-March 25, 2-4:30 pm $335 members/$365 others Berkeley
Take both of these 5-week classes (back to back) for the same price as a 9-week class. Be sure to select this “Combo Class” option (via the “Add to Cart” button below). If you don’t select this option (ie. if you sign up separately for Intro to Fiction and Starting Your Novel) the discount does not apply.
5 Mondays, Jan. 23-Feb. 20, 7-9:30 p.m. $185 members/$215 non-members San Francisco
ATTENTION: THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL.
Special “Combo” Deal: Take this class together with the SF “Starting Your Novel” class, and receive both classes (5 weeks plus 5 weeks, back to back) for the discounted price of one 9-week class. Discount applies only if you choose the “Combo Class” option when registering. If you register for the two classes separately, the discount doesn’t apply.
10 Mondays, Jan. 23-March 26, 7-9:30 pm $335 members/$365 others San Francisco
Take both of these 5-week classes (back to back) for the same price as a 9-week class. Be sure to select this “Combo Class” option (via the “Add to Cart” button below). If you don’t select this option (ie. if you sign up for the Intro to Fiction class and then separately sign up for the Starting Your Novel class) the discount will not apply.
Five Mondays, Jan. 23-Feb. 20, 7-9:30 p.m. Berkeley $185 members/$215 non-members
Special “Combo” Package: Take this class along with David Rosenthal’s 5-week “Expanding Your Poet’s Tool Kit” class (10 weeks total, for the same price as one 9-week class). Just be sure to register for the “Combo” option, if you want the discount. If you sign up for the classes separately, the discount doesn’t apply.
“Many beginning students come to a poetry class hoping for quick critiques and suggestions for revision. There are times when it’s right to want this, but not until you’re nearing the final draft,” says Alison Luterman.
Ten Mondays, Jan. 23-March 26, 7-9:30 pm $335 members/$365 others Berkeley
Take both of these 5-week classes (back to back) for the same price as one 9-week class. Just be sure to select this “Combo Class” option (via the “Add to Cart” button below). If you don’t select the “Combo” option (ie. if you sign up separately for Discovering Your Poetry and Expanding Your Poet’s Tool Kit) the discount does not apply.
Nine Tuesdays, Jan. 24-March 20, 7-9:30 p.m. $335 members/$365 others San Francisco Testimonials for Jenny
ATTENTION: THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL. But we have other classes that might work for you. If you’re unsure what to choose, give Jane a call at 415.609.2468.
Think you want to write, but not sure where to start? “Good news,” says Jenny Pritchett, “it’s all about you!” In this fun, fast-paced class for beginners, you’ll use your own experiences and observations – your unique movement through the world – as jumping-off points to investigate all types of writing: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, memoir, humor, essays and more. “We’ll address the intersection of reality and imagination,” says Jenny, “with a little reading, weekly writing exercises, handouts and discussion to get your pens (and brains!) flexing.
Nine Tuesdays, Jan. 24-March 20, 7-9:30 p.m. $335 members/$365 others Berkeley Testimonials for Terrel
“Let’s spend three weeks on each of the acts of a well-structured, emotionally fulfilling screenplay,” says instructor Terrel Seltzer. “We’ll read scripts, watch movies, and write scenes to develop a practical understanding of the specific ‘chores’ and challenges of each act: Act One (Inspiration) asks a question. Act Three (Philosophy) answers it. The dreaded Act Two (Craft) is all about character development and rising conflict and tension, so that the reader urgently cares how the Act One question is answered in Act Three. It pretty much separates the good from the … not so good.”
Nine Wednesdays, Jan. 25-March 21, 7-9:30 pm $335 members/$365 others San Francisco Testimonials for Jenny
Have you always wanted to write about your crazy family? What about an accident that changed the course of your life? A discovery that changed your perception of the past? A mysterious neighbor whose comings and goings excite your imagination? If you know you want to write, but you don’t know where to start, this is your class. “By the end of class,” says Jenny Pritchett, “you’ll walk away with a rough draft of a personal essay.
Five Wednesdays, Jan. 25-Feb. 22, 7-9:30 pm $185 members/$215 others Berkeley Student Testimonials
Jorge Luis Borges once said, ‘Every time I am faced with a blank page, I feel that I have to rediscover literature for myself.’ In this class, like Borges, you will be engaged in the act of rediscovery. “I teach writing to kids,” says Aurora Brackett, “and when I watch my students string one idea to the next, absorbed in the worlds they are creating, unconcerned with whether it ‘makes sense’, I remember why I started writing in the first place.
Wednesdays, Jan. 25-March 28, 7-9:30 pm (10 weeks total, for the same price as a 9-week class) $335 members/$365 others Berkeley
ATTENTION: THIS COMBO CLASS IS NOW FULL
Take both of these 5-week classes (back to back) for the same price as one 9-week class. Just be sure to select the “Combo Class” option (via the “Add to Cart” button below). If you don’t select the “Combo” option (ie. if you register separately for Raw Writing and Intro to Creative Writing) the discount does not apply.
9 Thursdays, Jan. 26-March 29 (skip 3/1) 7-9:30 p.m. $335 members/$365 non-members San Francisco Testimonials for Julie
NOTE: Julie also teaches our 9-week Fearless Poetry Workshop, and our six-month “Fearless Poetry Continuation Class: Persistent Poets” class.
A good workshop sends its members home with ideas and strategies for revision, but new (and not-so-new) poets often find revising difficult on their own: they keep accumulating fresh work without finishing what they’ve begun.
Nine Thursdays, Jan. 26-March 22, 7-9:30 p.m. $335 members/$365 others Berkeley Testimonials for Alison
This class will help you plunge into the personal themes that make your real life stories uniquely yours. For the first four weeks, instructor Alison Luterman will lead carefully crafted writing exercises designed to elicit the undertones and overtones that give events resonance and elevate anecdotes into the realm of art. The latter weeks will be dedicated to refining and then workshopping the pieces you have begun, bringing them to the next level of craft.
Six Fridays, Jan. 20-June 15 (Meetings on: Jan. 20, Feb. 24, March 23, April 20, May 18, June 15) 7-9:30 p.m. $335 members/$365 non-members San Francisco
Read testimonials from Josh’s students HERE
Everyone has an idea for a novel, a memoir, or a story collection. But where do we find the time to actually get the words on the page? Between our jobs and families and fatigue, where is this elusive patch of time to write books? “Life pulls us in so many directions that our creative projects can be the first to suffer,” says instructor Joshua Mohr. “This continuation class will help you finally get those narratives written.”
Saturday, Jan. 28th, 10 am to 4 pm San Francisco $95 members/$110 others
Do you have random bits and pieces of writing that cannot find a home? Or do you ever feel pressured to put down on paper only writing that is perfectly worded and perfectly relevant to your project? This is a day for fragments and free-writing!
“I believe in the power of the unconscious, the surprising things that happen when we as writers choose to trust our intuition,” says Jennifer S. Cheng. “Often times our unconscious has made the connections that we cannot yet recognize, so seemingly unrelated pieces of writing spill out of us in one sitting, and we do not see the links. Another problem is that we too often filter ourselves, perhaps preventing something that needs to surface.”
Saturday, Jan. 28th, 10 am-4 pm Berkeley $95 members/$110 non-members Testimonials for Elaine
HEADS UP: ONLY TWO SPACES LEFT…PROCRASTINATORS TAKE HEED!
Many ingredients go into writing a successful novel, and perhaps the most important is plot. “Yet plot is often the most difficult thing for writers to come to grips with,” says instructor Elaine Beale. “Creating beautiful sentences and convincing characters can feel easy compared to developing an overall structure for our stories.
Six Sundays, Jan. 29-June 17 (monthly meetings: Jan. 29, Feb. 26, March 25, April 22, May 13, June 17 ) 2:30-5 pm San Francisco $335 members/$365 non-members
Read student testimonials for Julie HERE
“Inspiration” wrote Madeleine L’Engle, “usually comes during work, rather than before it,” but dedicated time for writing is often the first thing sacrificed to the demands of a busy life. “Students at the Writing Salon often say that that a firm deadline or a community of other writers in which to share writing feels vital to their work,” says instructor Julie Bruck, “but that can be difficult to maintain with a packed schedule, especially after your 5 or 9 week class has ended.”
Fridays, Feb. 3-June 22 (Six meetings: Feb. 3, March 2, March 30, April 27, May 25, June 22) 7-9:30 p.m. (plus online activity between meetings) $335 members/$365 others; San Francisco
ATTENTION: THIS CLASS IS NOW CLOSED
(Are you a beginner? Check out Karen’s other class, Starting Your Novel)
Congratulations! You’ve started your novel. You have a sense of your main character and some ideas of the plot, maybe even a full plot outline. You’ve written a few pages, gotten some feedback, and know what your strengths are. Now the challenge is: TO KEEP GOING AND NOT GIVE UP.
“Most of us need help with that,” says instructor Karen Bjorneby. “We need someone in our corner, gently enforcing some discipline while at the same time encouraging us. We need someone to kick ideas around with. We need help with craft, someone to help us make sure our story is coming together. And we need to be around others who are in the same boat.”
Saturday, Feb. 4th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $95 members/$110 non-members San Francisco Testimonials for Jane
“You want to write but you can’t. You don’t. You won’t. Because?
“Don’t bother answering that question,” says Jane Underwood. “I’ve already heard your answer(s) a million times, from other writers and/or aspiring writers. I’ve heard the answer(s) from myself, as well. I know you can be wildly creative with your ‘why I can’t’ answers (excuses). So why not take that creativity and apply it to some actual writing? What a concept! Woohoo!
Saturday, Feb. 4th, 10 am to 4 pm Berkeley $95 members/$110 others Testimonial for Jess
Whether you’re a beginning writer or a veteran, there’s a way to carve out time for your writing and get it done. In this class, instructor Jess Wells will lead you through a series of worksheets that will help you scrutinize the activities that are most likely to kidnap your creative life. You’ll look closely at where and how you waste time, and also at how you misallocate your writing time.
“We’ll find the little hidden pockets of time and reclaim them for your art,” says Jess. “We’ll be honest about the fear that holds us back, we’ll laugh over the tricks that the procrastinating mind invents, and we’ll look at how famous writers such as William Carlos Williams, EE Cummings and Anthony Trollope accomplished a great deal with very little time.”
Saturday, Feb. 11th, 10 am-4 p.m. San Francisco $95 members/$110 non-members
Does writing about sex make you blush? Or are you unabashedly hot to trot but don’t know quite where to start or when to stop? Whatever the reasons, if you’re having a hard time writing believable sex scenes, then this is the class for you.
We’ll show you how to seduce your readers by undressing your characters, exposing their vulnerabilities, and telling all about the wild nights that they’ll never forget.
“For any kind of story to be compelling, you need to get naked in your writing,” says instructor Marilyn Friedman. “Don’t hold back! It’s the steamy details that will create intrigue and make your story irresistible. Readers want to know all about your characters’ fantasies, secrets, and sexual conquests. Full disclosure is a turn on.”
Saturday, Feb. 11th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $95 members/$110 non-members Berkeley Student Testimonials
“One of the best ways to try out new ideas and build an audience for your writing is to start a blog,” says instructor Britt Bravo. “The first thing a publisher is going to ask you is, ‘Do you have a platform?’ A blog, combined with tools like Twitter and Facebook, is a great way to build it.”
During the class you’ll learn how to:
Saturday, Feb. 18th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $95 members/$110 others San Francisco ATTENTION: THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL – send an email to jane@writingsalons.com if you’d like to be put on a waiting list (& include your phone number).
“When you truly believe a story or poem is finished—the best it can be–it’s time to introduce it to the world,” says writer and editor Jenny Pritchett. In this info-packed class, Jenny will tell you what you need to know about submitting your work to literary journals and contests, and applying for residency programs.
Saturday, Feb. 18th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Berkeley $95 members/$110 non-members Testimonials for Dianne
Are you a food enthusiast who loves to write, cook and eat? Do you devour food magazines and cookbooks in bed, or secretly dream of whipping up your own cookbook or blog? Do you read restaurant reviews and think, “That’s my dream job!”? This overview class will give you a taste of food writing in all its variations: personal essay, blogging, recipe writing, freelancing for magazines and newspapers, and how to get a cookbook published. Writing exercises and an interactive classroom style will make the time fly by.
Five Saturdays, Feb. 25-March 24, 10:30 am to 1 pm $185 members/$215 non-members San Francisco Testimonials for Jess
Whether you’re intrigued by Norse settlements, your own grandmother’s journey to America, or an imaginary character from a far-away time, historical fiction can be an enchanting new outlet for your writing, transporting you and your writing into worlds that are incredibly fun to create.
5 Saturdays, Feb. 25-March 31 (5 weeks, skip March 10) 2-4:30 pm $185 members/$215 others San Francisco Testimonials for Kathleen
Note: This is a beginner’s class. If you have already started a memoir and want guidance at an intermediate level, Kathleen also offers a Memoir Writing “Continuation” class.
Memoir is not reserved only for the rich and famous. In fact, beautiful and haunting memoirs—books and essays—grow out of our ordinary lives, carefully observed. Both the distant past and the not-so-long ago can be mined, remembered and re-created skillfully in writing. This class is a guide to the mining and refining process. “The gold of memoir,” says instructor Kathleen McClung, “combines the gifts of a novelist—vivid characters and settings, lively and suspenseful narration—with a poet’s introspection and close attention to language.
Five Saturdays, Feb. 25-March 24, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. $185 members/$215 others Berkeley
Writing is often described as a solitary practice, but it does not have to be. As André Breton once said, “with the end of my breath…is the beginning of yours.” Working creatively with others – through group games, exercises and improvisations – can help you move beyond your comfort zone, discovering aspects of yourself and your work that you may not have thought to even imagine.
Whether by creating long sentences together, responding creatively to a theme in someone else’s writing, or using a riddle game to expand the metaphors in your work, you’ll find yourself thinking more quickly than you would have alone. As a result, surprising thoughts and emotions will be excavated.
5 Sundays, Feb. 26-March 25, 2-4:30 pm $185 members/$215 non-members Berkeley Testimonials for Karen
Special “Combo” Deal: Take this class together with the “Intro to Fiction” class (5 weeks plus 5 weeks, back to back) for the discounted price of one 9-week class. This discount applies only if you choose the“Combo Class” option when you register, not if you sign up for the classes separately.
You want to write a novel, or you are writing a novel, but maybe you shy away from talking about it with your co-workers, neighbors or brother-in-law (you know the way he rolls his eyes and calls you a dreamer). So come to this workshop instead, where you’ll meet other people who are doing what you’re doing, or want to do. “We’ll talk about your idea, how to make sure it has enough weight to carry a novel,” say Karen Bjorneby. “We’ll talk about your character and make sure she’s so compelling we all can’t wait to find out what she’ll do next. . . Read the rest of this entry »
5 Mondays, Feb. 27-March 26, 7-9:30 p.m. $185 members/$215 non-members San Francisco
Special “Combo” Deal:Take this class together with the SF “Intro to Fiction” class, and get both classes (10 weeks total, for the discounted price of one 9-week class). Discount applies only if you choose the“Combo“ option when you register.
You want to write a novel, or you are writing a novel, so come to this workshop where you’ll meet other people who are doing what you’re doing, or want to do. “We’ll talk about your idea – how to make sure it has enough weight to carry a novel,” say Karen Bjorneby. “We’ll talk about your character and make sure she’s so compelling we all can’t wait to find out what she’ll do next. Read the rest of this entry »
Five Mondays, Feb. 27-March 26, 7-9:30 pm $185 members/$215 others Berkeley
Special “Combo” Package: Take this class along with Alison Luterman’s 5-week “Discovering Your Poetry” class (10 weeks total, for the same price as one 9-week class). Just be sure to register for the “Combo” option, if you want the discount. If you sign up for the classes separately, the discount doesn’t apply.
When focusing on the expression of a poem’s essential ideas or sense, we don’t always avail ourselves of all the tools available to us. Sometimes poets resist employing elements of form, technique, and craft because they feel doing so might make a poem seem too “worked” or artificial. Other times, they are simply unsure how to use certain elements effectively. But expanding your poet’s “tool kit” can give you more options for heightening a poem’s impact and supporting its content, without necessarily letting artifice take over.
5 Wednesdays, Feb. 29-March 28, 7-9:30 p.m. $185 members/$215 non-members Berkeley Student Testimonials
Special Package Deal: Take this class together with Aurora’s 5-week “Raw Writing“ class, and get both classes (10 weeks total) for the price of one 9-week class. This discount applies only if you choose the “Combo Class“ option when you register.
“I believe that anyone can learn to write well and really enjoy the process,” says Aurora Brackett. “Writing isn’t a gift bestowed by magic. It’s a practice. And in the busy lives we lead it is hard to make time to practice. This class will give you that time.”
Six Sundays, April 15-Aug. 26 (6 meetings: April 15th, May 6th, June 3, July 1, July 29, Aug. 26) 2:30-5 pm $335 members/$365 others San Francisco Testimonials for Kathleen
Attention: This class spans two sessions. The next class begins in Spring Session 2012, starting April 15th. You can register for it now.
Prerequisite: Kathleen’s 5-week Memoir Writing class or Alison Luterman’s 9-week Write from Real Life class (or an equivalent class, taken elsewhere)
Have you embarked on the writing of memoir and find you need some guidance and encouragement? Are you wondering about ways to craft a memoir that is indeed shapely, intense, fascinating…and publishable? “The artful memoir isn’t easy to knock off,” says Kathleen McClung. “We need skill and nuance in narrating and musing on past events and feelings to make a cohesive whole. Memoirs that matter, that truly move readers, call for soul-searching and for mastery of essential literary elements—an engaging voice, vivid scenes and characters, a careful blend of action and reflection, a unifying thread/theme.”
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