Nine Sundays, Jan. 22-March 18, 7-9:30 pm $335 members/$365 others San Francisco Testimonials for Josh
ATTENTION: THIS CLASS IS NOW FULL
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.
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Saturday, 10 a.m. to -4 p.m. San Francisco $95 members/$110 others
Great literature is always about the main players. Charismatic protagonists stay with readers long after finishing a text. Yet most aspiring writers wonder: how do our imagined people morph into “real” ones? Why is it that my characters feel so flat, passive, and obvious on the page?
“Holden Caulfield is someone I know,” says instructor Josh Mohr. “His story has life in it because of our bond, our relationship.”
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, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. San Francisco $95 members/$110 others
How many times have we heard the aged expression, “We’ll see what she says about that!” There’s anticipation in hearing someone express themselves, and the same is true of fiction and creative nonfiction (personal essays, memoirs): our characters need to speak, voice their opinions, woes, aspirations, biases, phobias, regrets. “We can write lovely exposition,” says instructor Joshua Mohr, “but readers need to hear what our characters sound like, what their preoccupations are. That way they can sculpt their own conclusions about them.”
This class is not being offered next session.
Five Saturdays, NO DATE AT THIS TIME, San Francisco $185 members/$215 others
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How many times have we heard the aged expression, “We’ll see what she says about that!” There’s anticipation in hearing someone express themselves, and the same is true of fiction and creative nonfiction writing: our characters need to speak, voice their opinions, woes, aspirations, biases, phobias, regrets. “We can write lovely exposition,” says instructor Joshua Mohr, “but readers need to hear what our characters sound like, what their preoccupations are. That way they can sculpt their own conclusions about them.” Read the rest of this entry »
One Saturday, 10 a.m-4 p.m. San Francisco $95 members/$110 others
“No iron can pierce the heart with such force as a period put just at the right place.” —Isaac Babel
Flash fiction is an exciting and nuanced genre full of opportunities and surprises. The stories, though diminutive in length, must still contain all the elements of narrative construction. How does a writer compress plot and characterization into a few hundred words? Is it possible to elicit an emotional response in a reader in merely two or three pages?
“Every writer should be concerned about economy, should deliberate over word choice,” says instructor Josh Mohr. “Whether a short story writer or novelist, we should be scrutinizing every clause, making sure each syllable earns its space. In a sense, flash is the perfect genre to hone revision techniques.
Dear Jane,
Josh Mohr manages to give super-supportive enthusiastic encouragement and precise, practical, advice. The double word score! I learned so much, read all kinds of instructive stuff that I would never have otherwise encountered, and got constructive suggestions for more things to do. I’ve also gotten renewed motivation to write.
Josh is a fabulous teacher. Have him teach more classes!
Anna Williams
***
I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed Joshua Mohr’s class. Thank you for offering such a lovely space and a great teacher.
Kristin
I just finished a class with Josh Mohr. This is my first ever writing class and he was a fantastic instructor. He worked within the level of each of his students, he was encouraging and at the same time challenged us. As I was nervous about the class it meant a lot to me that he never made anyone feel that anything they said or wrote was poor. I think Josh is an excellent instructor and has a great way about him in getting ideas and concepts across.
Marsha Evans
Five Tuesdays, April 14-May 12, 7-9:30 p.m. $185 members/$215 non-members Berkeley
Note: This class, as well as the “Exploring Creative Nonfiction” class, are both good general “exploration” classes. Neither focuses on just one genre; instead, they introduce you to a sampling of different genres and/or sub-genres.
Chekhov said that writing should “hit the reader on the snout.” A metaphor, sure, but fantastic advice for apprentice writers: a reminder that art needs a unique, compelling personality. In this class, students will nibble on appetizers from all the major genres—fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, poetry, and others.
