Saturday, July 10th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Berkeley
$95 members/$110 non-members

Had a difficult time making time to write even though you know you want to? Perhaps you feel uninspired or don’t quite know what it is you want to write about. Or maybe you need a boost to your creativity that will help your words flow.

“We live such busy lives,” says instructor Elaine Beale. “Demands come at us from all directions. It can be very challenging to make the time to write. Besides, writing creatively requires a level of inner stillness and disconnection from the busyness that surrounds us. Sometimes we simply need to take a day to reconnect with our creative selves. Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday, July 24th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Berkeley
$95 members/$110 non-members

Characters are the flesh and bones of fiction. A writer might have a vivid setting, an intriguing plot, and beautifully crafted sentences. But without fully developed characters a story never comes alive.

The best fiction is inhabited by distinctive and complex characters. “Think of Holden Caufield in Catcher in the Rye, Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Sethe in Beloved, or Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” says Elaine Beale. “These characters captivate us. We see them, hear them speak, and feel compelled to keep reading. Good fiction also requires characters that develop and change over the course of a short story or a novel. But their changes must be convincing, otherwise the story just doesn’t work.”

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Jane,

Just a little note to tell you how much Carrie and I enjoyed Elaine’s “Busting through Writer’s Block” class on Saturday. She is excellent and the group was fantastic.

Greg Sandoval

***

I thought Elaine was great and I was definitely inspired and had a lovely day. I liked how it was an open, safe and creative space to talk and write. I did not have expectations, and while I was expected some more concrete tips (which of course is easier said than done in the world of writing), I ended up liking the format, and it was followed by an email with some exercises to do at home. I thought Elaine was really encouraging and great to be around, and I would certainly work with her again, and would also try some of the other courses.

It was a great day, thanks!

Best,
Flynn

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