Five Saturdays, June 1-29 10:30 am-1 pm
$215 members/$245 others Berkeley
Testimonials for Elaine
There’s a lot of fun to be had in creating writing, but developing your writing skills also requires learning about craft. This class is ideal for those who’ve taken an introductory class in creative writing and want to learn more. It’s also a great place for folks who’ve so far focused only on one genre.
“We’ll use the various genres to focus on specific skills,” says instructor Elaine Beale. “We’ll look at language and imagery through the lens of poetry. We’ll focus on voice via memoir. We’ll discuss character development by looking at short fiction. And we’ll examine dialogue and story structure through the lens of the novel and screenplay.
“The beauty is that all these skills are critical to a writer no matter what his or her genre. It will help everyone to further develop their craft.”
There’ll be a few assigned readings of the work of published writers, plenty of in-class exercises and conversation, and chances to share your work. Elaine will also give at-home assignments to help you practice what you learn and keep up your writing.
“I’ll also be encouraging students to go deeper, push themselves, and up their game when it comes to their writing practice,” says Elaine. “We’ll create a community of folks who really want to commit to their writing and make it shine. And, along the way, we’ll doubtless have a lot of fun.”
Elaine Beale’s second novel, Another Life Altogether, was published by Random House in 2010. It was received praise from the Boston Globe, Lambda Literary, Curve Magazine, the Bay Area Reporter, and Publishers Weekly among others, and was featured in Oprah Magazine. Elaine was the winner of the 2007 Poets and Writers California Writers Exchange Award and has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. She has taught creative writing for more than a decade.