6-Week Fiction Workshop: The Power of Story
Date & Time
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Apr. 5 - May 10
Class Size
6 Students
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Apr. 5 - May 10
6 Students
In this six-week course for writers who have taken at least one previous workshop, we will examine the inherent power, structure, and purpose of story.
Don DeLillo famously calls writing "a concentrated form of thinking," begging the question of writers: What is your thought process? What are you thinking about? We will consider the ways in which we might transform our preoccupations into story, at its best an empowering and humanizing process. We will also examine contemporary masters of the form, and workshop student stories. Each student will have the opportunity to workshop twice, and will meet once with me for an individual conference to discuss their progress and goals. Writers will leave with two polished pieces and a clearer understanding of their strengths and weakness as storytellers - as well as a sense of what to build upon in future work.
CLASS TAKEAWAYS
- intensive peer and instructor critiques on two fiction submissions
-one private conference with the instructor to discuss your writing style, goals, and areas for improvement
-access to a nurturing community of writers and readers
-practical advice about taking the next step as a professional writer - from applying to MFAS to preparing work for submission to agents and publishers
-greater familiarity with contemporary masters of literary fiction
-more confidence as a writer, on and off the page!
"I've had the pleasure of taking multiple workshops led by Scott Cheshire and am impressed with his intellect and generosity. He challenges his students to approach writing from a place of dogged determination and interrogation, and he's as curious about the magic of writing as the students he works with. Not only did he teach me to read more critically but he also helped move my writing past safe, stale drafts into dynamic works that pushed both my capabilities and my imagination."
"Scott is that rare instructor who teaches as well as he writes. From thoughtful exercises to carefully considered criticism, he is unceasingly generous in his time and attention, and I treasure all of my marked-up manuscript pages from his class. Scott's passion for literature is contagious, and I would take another course with him in a heartbeat. He really is that good."
"Scott's enthusiasm for writing and literature go unmatched. He was my first writing teacher, four years ago. I've since gone on to attain an MFA but I'd choose Scott over any of the other professors by a wide margin. Scott brings to the class an educated and unique perspective on both the pieces included in the curriculum as well as the those submitted by the students. He improved me as a writer and increased my awareness of literature."
"Highbrow… Brilliant…A time-traveling, DeLillo-esque debut."
"A powerful book, an unflinching examination of two centuries of American yearning and desire."
"Daring and brilliant…something of a miracle."
