Write Like An Actor: Acting Tools for Writers

This class will show you—the writer—that acting and writing are not so different after all. By studying the craft of acting, writers can learn to write better dialogue, get in touch with their characters’ emotions and motivations, develop strong points of view, and choose character details that are specific and important. Acting can help any writer live more fully inside the messy truth of human relationships and make imaginary people come to life. Participants will leave this class with a new, unique box of tools that will help them take their writing to the next level.

Join live on October 5 at Noon Central Time. Recording also available.

The Value of Blogging and How to Love Your Own Blog Forever

Learn how to use a blog or newsletter to share your journey–literal and metaphorical–with your readers, even when you aren’t feeling the magic.

Join live on September 21 at 9 a.m. Central Time. Recording also available.

The Sustainable Writing Practice:
To Be a Better Writer, Understand Yourself

Three writing instructors and coaches share their thoughts on how you can get serious about living a writing life. You will receive the recordings of all three sessions. You can also attend the online workshops live. Sessions include:

• Find Your Why: consider the two core reasons why people write and the issues inherent in each.
• Space, Time, and Magic: The Writer’s Process: discover what you need to create a sustainable, productive writing practice.
• Procrastination is Not the Problem: move beyond procrastination and start writing.

Image Is Everything: Constructing Extraordinary Images in Prose

Improve your writing by using imagery to enrich the visual detail in your stories. The best writers employ vivid (concrete), moving (dynamic), and convincing (persuasive) images in order to ground their readers in the fabric of their written world. In this workshop, we will examine a range of successful images and then use exercises to practice their construction so that we can then create them in our own work.

Join live on June 15 at 10 a.m. Central Time. Recording also available.

Writing for Kids & YA Readers

Want to write for kids or YA but don’t know where to start? Agent Kevin O’Connor takes you through various kids’ book formats from boardbooks to YA, the formal parameters for each format, and how they address kids’ developmental needs. Get insight into how a bookstore is organized to know exactly how & where your book will be and how it will stack up against the competition.

Join live on May 17 at 10 a.m. Central Time. Recording also available.

Revision: The Art, the Craft, the Magic

Come learn the reviser’s alchemy by which narrative lead turns to gold. In this workshop, we’ll cover the purely chemical processes of proofreading and editing, but we’ll also explore the higher magic—and frankly, there are some conjuror’s tricks involved—that imbues a gnarly rough draft with focus, coherence, and internal resonance.

Join live on February 23 at 9 a.m. Central Time. Recording also available.

Stepping Stones to Memoir

Whether you long to be the next Cheryl Strayed or just write your memories for your children in a way that’s readable and entertaining, Rebecca Mahoney will address memoir’s common challenges:

• How to structure your memoir
• How to create a story arc
• How to develop and write about the people in your story
• How to incorporate dialogue

She’ll discuss the issue of recreating material, i.e., where do you draw the line between fact and fiction? When is it okay to fill in the blanks and when is it not?

This workshop will get you started on the right foot or help you self-correct midway. A perfect follow-up to our popular Online Memoir Success Summit.

Join live on January 26 at 9 a.m. Central Time.

Recording also available.

Memoir Success Proposal

Rachael Herron will lead you through the steps to create a killer proposal. She will be following the process outlined by literary agent Renee Fountain of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management.

Make sure your proposal shines!!

This workshop will be led by Rachael Herron, beloved speaker of our Memoir Success Summit. Rachael will give you deeper direction into proposal requirements and take your questions about your own proposal.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to get your all-important proposal right!

Recording also available.

Be the Gateway: Build Your Book Launch Marketing Plan

In this four week primer, Dan Blank will take you through his Be the Gateway methodology to prepare you for the key areas of creating a marketing plan for launching your book. Dan’s focus will be on the foundational aspects of how to identify your audience, your message, and forging true connections between the two.

Full details and registration here.

Everything You Need to Write a Beautiful Story Workshop Series

In this online workshop series, Alison Taylor-Brown, Director of the Village Writing School, teaches everything (and more) that she learned getting an MFA in Fiction. This series is appropriate for those new to writing and for experienced writers who want to review the many complex aspects of their chosen craft.

This online series is presented in eight session across four months.

More than just a bunch of random workshops, this series will show you everything you need to write a beautiful story, whatever your chosen genre (yes, zombie stories, too). A beautiful story is a well-crafted story, a readable story, a publishable story.

Make your story a beautiful story.

To register for the entire workshop series or individual sessions, click here.

Forging Your Own Path: A Self-Publishing Primer

Do you love the idea of self-publishing but don’t have a clue where to begin? In this workshop you’ll get a guided tour of the self-publishing process, from start to finish. You’ll learn how to prepare your manuscript for publishing, where to look for cover designers, how to get an ISBN (if you even need one), and what resources to use for publishing your print and e- books. By the end of the workshop you’ll understand how CreateSpace is different from Kindle Direct Publishing, and that you may need both. You’ll walk away with a roadmap for your self-publishing journey and a list of resources to help bring your story to life. Join Diane Krause who will be leading this workshop.

This is an online event
This event happens online, meaning that you will login to view it from wherever you are. Simple instructions on how to access the live workshop will be emailed to you after you register. You will be able to ask questions to the instructor during the event. A recording of the presentation will be available for one week after the workshop date.

Magazine Writing

Learn to turn your experiences and ideas into published essays and articles for magazines. From identifying story ideas to successfully pitching to editors, this course will help you get started in magazine writing.

We’ll cover all the basics: identifying magazine-worthy pieces (travel, personal essay, journalism), finding an angle, choosing target magazines, writing for a magazine audience, online vs. print opportunities, reporting vs. personal experience, finding a balance, and pitching your story to a magazine. Join Rebecca Mahoney who will be leading this workshop.

This is an online event
This event happens online, meaning that you will login to view it from wherever you are. Simple instructions on how to access the live workshop will be emailed to you after you register. You will be able to ask questions to the instructor during the event. A recording of the presentation will be available for one week after the workshop date.

Writing From Your Soul

Morning Session:
For any worldview. Learn what inspirational writing is, what it isn’t, how to find your story, and how to write it in a way that connects with your readers. Learn to find and share the unique inspiration from your own life. This session will be aimed at sharing life truths that fit everyone, no matter how their beliefs lean.

Afternoon Session
Writing for the Christian devotional market. In this session we will learn how to write our faith experiences in a way that will inspire and encourage as well as identifying the common flaws that weaken your message.

Rogers/Bentonville Writers’ Night Out

Bring a sack supper. Writers’ Night Out is open to anyone who has an interest in writing. We’d love to meet you and discuss your writing goals and dreams.

This I Believe: Writing the Personal Essay

Based on NPR’s This I Believe series, this workshop will teach you to identify, focus, and express your core beliefs in a short, powerful form appropriate for essays, blog posts, letters to the editor, or as a basis for a longer piece.
A variety of writing exercises will show you how to write a Personal Belief Essay. Learn to articulate what matters to you. Join Kathy Manus who will be leading this workshop.

Online Workshop: Make 2018 the Year of Your Story

Every year, even in the midst of the holiday scramble, there’s a little voice in our heads that says, “This new year, I’ll really work on my book. This will be the year that the story in my head finally makes it to paper!” But sadly, years goes by, and though we may make a valiant effort right after the Christmas tree comes down, by the end of January we are no closer to our goal.

Make 2018 the Year of Your Story is an online webinar that looks at the three things you must have to achieve your writing dream THIS YEAR. Yes, commitment is one. But commitment without the other two will not get you there, as you may already have learned. Join Alison Taylor-Brown, Director of the Village Writing School, as she helps you put all three elements into place in your own life so that, truly, 2018 is the Year of Your Story.

This is a virtual workshop. You simply call in at the right time and join our workshop from the comfort of your home. You can just listen in or ask questions as well.

Character as Setting

In this workshop, Sanderia Faye will delve into the world of “seeing” as a sensory experience and place as character. Participants will look at passages from writers like Toni Morrison, Harper Lee and Maya Angelou to explore how these writers draw readers into their world, how that world is an organic being shaping and being shaped, and how the story could only have taken place there. Join Sanderia Faye who will be leading this workshop.

Writing the Short Story: Five Essential Steps

Writing a short story is different from writing a novel. Length is a factor, but what other elements distinguish short fiction? Workshop participants will examine five criteria required of a short piece. Concrete tips for improvement, short writing categories, and techniques for successful submission will conclude the workshop. Participants will complete in-class original exercises as well as deconstructing well-known examples of short work. Join Nancy Hartney who will be leading this workshop.

An Evening With Editor Denise Roy

Join editor Denise Roy for a discussion on editing and crafting books that engage readers. Denise has decades of experiences as an acquisitions editor for Simon and Schuster, Random House, and Penguin. We will meet in our library and bring Denise in on our big screen. She will be able to see and interact with the entire room, directly answering your questions.

Improving Your Author Website and Media Kit

In this workshop, we will cover the basics of what components make an effective author website then work in pairs to perform a hands-on website review. Reviewers will be provided a punch list that will guide them through the review process. Each participant will use the review to develop a website improvement plan. Bringing a laptop or mobile device is necessary. Join Jamie Smith who will be leading this workshop.

How To Turn What You Know Into A How-To Book That Sells

Do you have a hobby or a talent that others have admired? Whether it’s a skill you’ve developed on your own or something your learned and then took to a new level, writers can use their communication tools to create interesting and inspiring nonfiction. Join Lin Wellford who will be leading this workshop.

An Evening With Editor Denise Roy

Join editor Denise Roy for a discussion on editing and crafting books that engage readers. Denise has decades of experiences as an acquisitions editor for Simon and Schuster, Random House, and Penguin. We will meet in our library and bring Denise in on our big screen. She will be able to see and interact with the entire room, directly answering your questions.

Writing for Resiliency: Using Expressive Writing to Heal

Learn how to restore and heal the self from the ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’ with the curative powers of expressive writing. The healing principles informing radical acceptance, self-compassion and mindfulness converge in the use of emotion focused writing when applied correctly.

Becoming a Bestseller: Marketing and Promotions for Writers

Discover how to promote your work from a 15-year media veteran Stephanie Storey who turned her debut novel into a bestseller. Learn insider media tips, keys to the dreaded—but necessary—author platform, and how to execute a successful “book tour.” No matter where you are in your career, working on self-promotion now will help you become a bestselling writer… for life.

An Evening With Editor Denise Roy

Join editor Denise Roy for a discussion on editing and crafting books that engage readers. Denise has decades of experiences as an acquisitions editor for Simon and Schuster, Random House, and Penguin. We will meet in our library and bring Denise in on our big screen. She will be able to see and interact with the entire room, directly answering your questions.

New York Editor Discusses One-Page Synopsis

The one-page synopsis is an important tool used by agents and editors to evaluate a manuscript. It is often attached to the query letter. A well-written synopsis can make or break a book’s chance to be read by an agent or publisher. Attendees of this workshop are invited to submit a synopsis for review on September 7.

This workshop will be guided by Denise Roy, who has decades of experiences as an acquisitions editor for Simon and Schuster, Random House, and Penguin. We will meet in our library and bring Denise in on our big screen. She will be able to see and interact with the entire room, directly answering your questions.

Image Is Everything: Constructing Extraordinary Images in Prose

Learn to construct a range of images (sliding and layering image, for example), identify those moments best anchored in image, and employ dynamic images that invite our readers to fully experience the “moving picture” of our narrative.

Learn the Most Powerful Writing Tool: Scrivener

Scrivener is a popular writing software program that many writers claim to be the most useful. It is, however, a bit tricky to get started.

 We’re offering a six-week course in the basics of Scrivener designed for those who want some guided instruction. We’ll go nice and easy, step-by-step, in learning this software. By the end of the six-week course, you’ll be using Scrivener for your writing projects and discovering the depth of possibilities it offers.

This class is open to all, free of charge. Bring laptop or tablet. If you don’t have the Scrivener software, we’ll show you how to download your free trial.

Dr. Book Promo: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet

Students in this workshop will learn the basic stages of book promotion and develop a first draft of a marketing plan for their book. They will look at possible objectives a writer might have for various promotional activities. They will be exposed to, and interact with, many of the resources available to writers. Promotion plans can be developed for all budgets. Many resources are free; many are reasonable; some are costly. The workshop will consider all three types.

The Zen of Writing a Sequel

Are you stuck in a sequel rut? Confused about how much backstory to include? Battling with time constraints? Lack of motivation? Through discussion and exercises, Jan Morrill’s workshop will provide the focus you need to start and complete your sequel.

Best Practices For Your Online Writing Platforms

Every non-profit organization or small business (including authors), must communicate with their audience using various online platforms. Online writing has different considerations from traditional print writing. Additionally, each platform, including websites and blogs, have their own best practices. This all-day workshop will guide participants through general best practices for online writing, and how to apply those to their website and blogs.

Coffee with the Editor: Query Letters

Denise Roy, who has decades of experiences as an acquisitions editor for Simon and Schuster, Random House, and Penguin, will be talking with us every month! We will meet in our library and bring Denise in on our big screen. She will be able to see and interact with the entire room.

There will be a theme for each “chat,” and Denise will talk for a little while on that theme. Then the floor will be opened for questions. Preference will be given to questions on the theme, but if there is time left, you can ask her anything. The theme for the June 1st chat is Query Letters.

Be the Gateway: Find Your Readers

Many writers are overwhelmed by the process of connecting with an audience. In this workshop series, Alison Taylor-Brown will lead you through the process established in Dan Blank’s book Be the Gateway. You will learn how to best develop the platform for your writing, understand your ideal audience, and begin to engage with them. How and why you create is a story — and that narrative is the best asset you can use to truly engage people. This workshop shows you how to use that gift with joy and confidence. Your copy of the book Be the Gateway is provided when you register. Dan Blank will conduct a special live Q&A discussion (via video feed) in the final session of this series.

Moments of Truth: The Arc and the Epiphany of Your Memoir

Every life is packed with stories. This memoir workshop will help you decide which story is vital to you right now and which you’re ready to write. You’ll find the opening, the narrative arc, the ending realization–the moment of truth you’re aiming for–and you’ll have the plot points and symbols you need to get there. Join Pat Carr, the author of eighteen books, for this workshop.

You Can Publish Now!

It’s a Brave New World for the publishing industry as it attempts to keep pace with the digital age. The technology boom has markedly broadened the world for today’s writers. Learn the new methods of publishing novels, poetry, memoirs, and short stories. Choose the best method for your writing and let’s get you published now.

Seating is limited so make sure you register here.

Simplifying the Art of Business Blogging

Have you been told you need a blog to attract attention to your website and business? Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts.

This seminar will simplify how to make that happen so you can get on your way to better business success. The information will help small business owners either be prepared to start a business blog or will help them understand what to look for in a blog written by a freelance writer. This is the third workshop in this three part series.

The Words that Fall Between Us

Fall Poetry Workshop Series

FREE TO THE PUBLIC

www.villagewritingschool.com

Molly Rector 

Self Portraiture / Saturday, October 29^th @ 1-3 PM 

LOCATION: Rogers Library / 711 S Dixieland Rd, Rogers, AR 72758

In this workshop, which is suitable for all ages, we will look at various kinds of self-portraiture in poetry and in visual art. We’ll examine symbols, including objects, colors, and structure, and discuss our own personal symbols. Each workshop participant will then use those symbols to write a self-portrait poem.

Molly lives and works in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she co-curates the Open Mouth Reading Series and serves as poetry editor for The Arkansas International. She teaches English for the University of Arkansas, where she is earning her MFA in poetry. She is a 2016 Edward Albee fellow. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in SAND, Hobart, and Nimrod.

Eszter Takacs 

Writing Away from the Subject / Saturday, November 12^th@ 1-3PM

LOCATION: Center for Nonprofits / 1200 West Walnut, Suite 1260 Rogers, AR  72756

In this poetry workshop we will locate and shake loose the spirits of our poem-ready narratives through juxtaposition of dissimilar images, opposing forces, unlike thoughts and unlinked objects. Poets like Emily Pettit, Nick Sturm, Natalie Eilbert, James Tate and Heather Christle, whose poems we will explore, often write through a lens of innocence, use playful language, and create what seem to be imaginary worlds. They write poems away and around their triggering subjects, defining only the sentiments of existing narratives and thus, allowing readers the space to exist within them. We will attempt to replicate these modes of writing the anti-narrative poem.

Eszter is the author of the chapbooks Together We Will Talk Right Down to Earthand The Spectacular Crash. Her poems have appeared in Alice Blue, Hobart, Sonora Review, Yalobusha Review, Forklift Ohio, Ampersand Review, Ghost Proposal, Salt Hill, and Soft Blow. She is a Fulbright Teaching Fellow at the University of Arkansas and has taught creative writing at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. She is the recipient of writing scholarships from The Juniper Institute and The Ashbery Home School. She holds an MFA in poetry.

Rodney Wilhite

 Poetry That Redirects Itself / Sunday, December 4^th @ 2-4 PM

LOCATION: Rogers Library / 711 S Dixieland Rd, Rogers, AR 72758

In this workshop, we will look at the nature of metaphor and how metaphor can be a tool for generating surprise in a reader. Then we’ll look at ways to coax our poetry into taking surprising detours and discuss how those detours can shape a new understanding of ourselves. We will also look at some examples of successful poems that employ similar tactics and participate in a few writing exercises designed to generate some new ideas.

Rodney’s poems have appeared in Pleiades, 14 Hills, Cartographer, The Idle Class, The Puritan, and Splash of Red. He teaches at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and lives in Fayetteville with his wife and young daughter. Much of his writing focuses mostly on themes of poverty and the disappearance of a local culture in rural areas–specifically (but not exclusively) in northeastern Oklahoma.

Poetry Meets Visual Art 

Thursday, January 5^th 6:30-8:30 PM

LOCATION: Crystal Bridges Museum

In this workshop, we will consider the poetic image as it connects with the visual art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. When it comes to writing about a work of art, what does essential description look and feel like? Beyond description, what narratives and ideas might we glean from a painting, sculpture or photograph? Along with this conversation, we will look at poets who have mastered the art of ekphrasis, or writing inspired by art, as we attempt to compose our own poetic responses to particular works of art using guided writing exercises that will take us through a museum experience. We will meet in Crystal Bridges’ lower lobby. Some walking required. Materials (clipboards, pencils, paper) will be provided.

Mary Angelino

Mary Angelino’s publications include the Best New Poets 2015 and 2010 anthologies, Shenandoah, The Journal, New Ohio Review, and Sugar House Review. She is the recipient of the Lily Peter and the Felix Christopher McKean prizes in poetry from the University of Arkansas, and of an Individual Artist Grant from the Arkansas Arts Council. Mary taught Creative Writing for the University of Arkansas while she earned her MFA, and she currently leads a bi-monthly poetry workshop for The Village Writing School. She teaches composition courses on contemporary poetry at NorthWest Arkansas Community College, where she is the Poetry Advisor for the Creative Writing Club.

Tobias Wray

Tobias Wray is a poetry editor for cream city review. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Blackbird, Bellingham Review, Mid-American Review, Third Coast, and elsewhere. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a coordinator for Eat Local :: Read Local, a program that partners local restaurants with poets from Milwaukee and Madison. He holds an MFA in poetry and translation from the University of Arkansas.

No registration required for these events.

Who the Heck is Talking?

Characters, Narrators, and the Slippery Slope of Narrative Distance

Saturday, October 15th from 1:00 PM to 4:00

What’s the difference between the following lines of fiction? “It was winter of the year 1853. A large man stepped out of a doorway.” vs. “Snow. Under your collar, down inside your shoes, freezing and plugging up your miserable soul.”

In one, the narrator keeps his distance from the protagonist; in the other, the narrator shares sensibilities with the protagonist. In this workshop, Brad Gambill will show you how professional writers manipulate “narrative distance” to bring added life and vitality to their characters and their fiction.

Brad Gambill was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma and received an English degree from the University of Oklahoma.

He received a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop where he worked with two Pulitzer Prize winners,  Marilynne Robinson and James Alan McPherson.

At Oklahoma State, he received his PhD in in fiction writing and Native American literature and completed Baby’s Blues, a coming-of-age novel set in the 1970s. At Waynesburg College (PA) and John Brown University, Gambill has taught creative writing courses in fiction, poetry, and playwriting and helped create and run writing/art festivals for high school and college students.

His full-length, Oklahoma-based play, The 5 & Dime Girls, received a staged reading at JBU, and he is currently writing a novel titled No Joy for Matisse.

Learn to take your writing to the next level by controlling narrative distance. 

Cost: $25

True Story

The Art of Writing Narrative Nonfiction

Nathalia Holt, Ph.D. is a science writer and the New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us from Missiles to the Moon to Mars (Little, Brown, 2016) and Cured: The People who Defeated HIV (Penguin Random House 2014).

Her work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Slate, Popular Science, and Time. She has trained at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard University, the University of Southern California, and Tulane University. She lives with her husband and their two daughters in Boston, MA.

Writing Compelling Dialogue

Learn to write crisp, compelling dialogue that creates memorable voices, brings characters to life, gives each character a distinctive presence in the work, and engages the reader.

In dialogue, characters come alive. In this workshop, students will learn how to shape dialogue with tone, emotion, tension, and misdirection using a set of specific techniques. The class will look at the relationship between voice and character and will practice using dialogue to create character.

Students will learn how to use rhythm and silence to create powerful dialogue and how to compress dialogue to make it more intense. And finally, the class will consider the most effective use of dialogue tags. To accomplish these goals, students will read examples of great dialogue and practice writing their own great dialogue through focused exercises.

Gary Guinn is a retired professor of literature and creative writing. He has taught creative writing workshops through Village Writing School and other venues.

His fiction has been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. His first novel, A Late Flooding Thaw, was published in 2005. His second novel, Sacrificial Lam, will be coming out later this year.

Mark your calendar: September 17 at the Center for Nonprofits, 1200 West Walnut in Rogers. Cost: $25

FAMILY WRITING

Rodney Wilhite

Family is one of the most universal and engaging topics in literature. Every reader, for better or worse, has some form of a family. Let’s look at ways to explore family relationships in your writing in a way that is more interesting and less predictable.

In this single course we will be discussing various models of what I consider successful depictions of family in literature, and what makes them successful. We will have a series of short exercises designed to generate more exciting, less obvious ways of exploring the family dynamic, focusing less on one’s own personal, subjective experiences and more on bigger picture issues, such as class and social expectations. What lessons can we glean from our encounters with the environment that shaped us that might be interesting for our audience?

Writing the Personal Essay

a four-week series

Kathy Manus, who teaches this curriculum in the public schools, will show us how to craft amazing personal essays and blog posts along the lines of NPR’s This I Believe.

The workshops will be taught in both Eureka Springs and Rogers on the following Tuesdays. Mark your calendars now.
July 12, July 19, July 26, Aug 2

In Eureka, the series will begin at 9: a.m. at a location Eureka Library Annex, Spring Street.
In Rogers, we will meet at 6:30 in the Center for Nonprofits.

This series is being offered free.

If you ever wanted to be articulate in expressing your ideas, this is the way.

One-Act Plays in Arts Festival

Brad Gamball is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and teaches creative writing and American/Native American literature at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR. In addition to the one-act plays “Truck,” “Aimes & McAdoo,” and “Record-Keeping,” he recently completed The 5 & Dime Girls, a full-length play set in small-town Oklahoma, in the 1950’s.

Strong Women

Literary Luncheon

May 14th, 2016

11:00am to 2:00pm

Strong Women

Have Lunch with these Strong Women Authors.

Here’s your opportunity to ask two acclaimed authors anything about writing and publishing. Each author will speak and take questions, and they will spend time at every table during lunch.

Diane les Becquets’ novel Breaking Wild features two strong women surviving physical and emotional hardships in the Colorado wilderness.

“This is a powerful story of survival, wilderness field craft, and fractured relationships packed into a suspenseful plot with more than a few surprises….After three young adult novels, Les Becquets scores big with this very adult thriller about two women facing life and death challenges in western Colorado’s rugged wilderness.”
— Publishers Weekly

“In Les Becquets’ crisp, immersive novel…she chronicles the harsh beauty of wintertime in the mountains while reminding us that people aren’t puzzles to be solved; they are fierce works in progress.”
— Isabella Biedenharn, Entertainment Weekly

You can find out more information on her website here including an NPR interview.

Sanderia Faye’s novel is about a young girl growing up strong during the Civil Rights struggles in southern Arkansas.

“Mourner’s Bench should be mandatory reading for those seeking understanding of this part of the civil rights struggle. Sanderia’s deft touch in creating her characters makes her novel accessible to wide audiences on multiple levels. ...Surely Mourner’swill become a classic selection for higher education.” —Dr. April Burris

Sanderia’s website has more about her book and about her life.

To keep the luncheon personal and make sure everyone has time with the authors, seating is limited.

A $50 donation will secure your invitation. All proceeds go to support the writing programs of the VIllage Writing School.

Make your donation HERE.

Is Your Story a Memoir or a Novel? – Pat Carr
April 9, 2016

Memoirs and novels are distinct genres. You’ll learn the differences between them and decide which would be more effective for your particular story. You’ll learn the differences between memoirs and novels and decide which genre is more effective for your story.

Sometimes the ‘stranger-than-fiction’ stories are just too strange to make a convincing novel and their power lies in the fact that they actually happened. When you decide which genre you want to use for your particular story, you’ll set up the connecting thread or core event, the setting(s), the characters and the beginning and ending. By the end of the afternoon, you’ll have the core event of a novel or the defining aspect of a memoir, the characters, the setting(s), and the beginning and ending of your unique story.You’ll have begun the rough draft.

Pat Carr has published 18 books, including prize-winning short story collections, novels, and a memoir on the writing life. She has a B.A. and an M.A. from Rice, a Ph.D. from Tulane, and has taught literature and creative writing in universities across the South. In her most recent interview (February, 2016) she said she wants writers to write as honestly and as consciously as they can. And basing her workshops on her own writing and teaching experience, she wants to help every writer be great.

Plotting and Planning – Dr. Gary Guinn
March 26, 2016

The objective for the workshop will be that writers who come with a story idea, or a story in the early stages of development, will walk out the door with a first draft outline of the events of the story. We will begin by answering a set of questions focused on our main characters–our protagonist and our antagonist–developing the necessary motivations, strengths, and weaknesses that drive the story. We will then go through a similar questioning process to define the central conflict, the inciting incident, and the most important events in the story. We will discuss the issues of choice, consequence, and change as they reflect the cause-and-effect within the story. Finally, using three-act structure as a background, we will identify key plot points in the story structure and, using the material developed in the exercises above, map out the most effective sequence of events.

We will be listening to your story idea and making suggestions on structure. If you don’t have a story idea, come learn what you need to consider in developing one.

Dr. Gary Guinn is retired Distinguished Professor of English from John Brown University, where he taught literature and creative writing. His short fiction has appeared in literary journals and anthologies, and his novel A Late Flooding Thaw was published by Moon Lake Publishing in 2005.

Blogging – Jackie Wolven 
March 19, 2016

Everyone wants to be published and writing a blog can help you refine your message, story or style by giving you a canvas that people actually read.

In this session you will learn:

Why you need a blog
All about SEO
Best practices for blogging
How to grow your blog
Developing your personal and professional brand through your blog
Technical aspects to blogging
Blog scheduling and calendars
The blogging community
and more.

If you have a blog and it has been floundering, this is the workshop to take. If you know you need a blog, but you haven’t done it yet, this course can help get you on track. If you aren’t sure if blogging is something you want to do for you, your writing or your business – come see and then decide.

If you don’t have a blog before the class starts, email jacquelinewolven@gmail.com for easy instructions to starting one or a connection to a low-cost guide who can help you get set up.

Having a blog prior to the class isn’t a requirement, but it might help you understand some of the technical aspects to blogging.

Who is this class for? Writers, artists, nonprofit directors, business owners, and anyone who wants their voice to be heard.

A laptop is not required but may be helpful.

Women Blogger member Jacqueline Wolven relocated to Eureka Springs over 10 years ago from San Francisco with her family sight unseen. She doesn’t regret that for a minute! She works with small businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide to brand themselves and grow into strong values-based business. Her blog is a mix of personal stories and inspiration about slowing down and living simply and solid, easy to understand business advice. She runs the Northwest Arkansas Bloggers community, speaks at blogging conferences nationwide, writes for the Huffington Post and Beliefnet.com. You can find out more about her and get inspired at JacquelineWolven.com.

Subtext, High Events, and Closings – Alison Taylor-Brown
March 12, 2016

When the story is between the lines, over the top, or at the end.

Subtext will be in the morning session.

• • Below the Surface of Story, Plot, Context

• • Implicit Narrative

High Events & Closings will be in the afternoon session. 

• • Weaving the Dramatic & the Subtle

• • Two Mistakes with High Events

• • Endings can Culminate or Imply Continuation

• • Ending Literal or From Afar?

*If you are unable to attend the full-day workshop, you may register for the morning or afternoon session separately.

Platform with Jackie Wolven – February 20, 2016

It isn’t just social media anymore – you are developing a platform to share your message and attract the right customer, publisher, investor or visitor. Tying together social media, blogging, and brand development you will walk through all the elements you need to get yourself noticed. We will cover the basics of what a platform is and how you craft yours – helping you through exercises to cast away what isn’t serving your brand. We will cover brands that are rocking their platform on every media and those that are sorely lacking to help you see the difference. Tools, tips and tricks will be part of this session – be prepared to take notes and walk away know what you want to do to develop your platform.

Jacqueline Wolven has 25 years experience creating marketing platforms for Fortune 500 products, small businesses, entrepreneurs and towns. She is constantly researching what works and what doesn’t, refining her tool belt to offer the very best strategies to her clients and classes. Understanding that there is an end goal and you are trying to cross that finish line, she isn’t interested in what’s flashy but what works! She brings that to each workshop she teaches and building your platform is the final piece of the marketing puzzle that she will help you place!

Arkansas Women Blogger member Jacqueline Wolven relocated to Eureka Springs over 10 years ago from San Francisco with her family sight unseen. She doesn’t regret that for a minute! She works with small businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide to brand themselves and grow into strong values-based business. Her blog is a mix of personal stories and inspiration about slowing down and living simply and solid, easy to understand business advice. She runs the Northwest Arkansas Bloggers community, speaks at blogging conferences nationwide, writes for the Huffington Post and Beliefnet.com, and was recently named a So Fab Writer. You can find out more about her and get inspired at JacquelineWolven.com

• Your favorite places
• Making your settings come alive with sensory details
• Utilizing symbols
• Owning the past

The transformation from writer to published author can be exhilarating, as well as exhausting.  This workshop will move from the first hurdle—getting attention from the right publishing powers-that-be—to the finished product (and what to do with it). We’ll discuss the steps to publication, options available to today’s authors, and the realities of marketing your book in a social-media-saturated world.Each participant is encouraged to bring a three-sentence “elevator pitch” designed to grab an agent’s or editor’s attention. The class will conclude with role-playing and collective editing to help participants polish their pitches.

Time: 1pm – 4pm   Cost: $25

Sept. 20: Vision, Voice, & Point of View ~ Pat Carr

* Defining your vision
* Making or breaking a story–the crucial role of point of view
* Choosing the most effective/authentic point of view
* Finding your voice
The workshop will feature step-by-step techniques and will give participants time to write. Each seminar should result in writers having rough drafts to work with and polish by the end of the session.

Time: 1pm – 4 pm Cost: $25

Aug. 23: Plot ~ Dr. Gary Guinn

Winston Churchill said that History (life?) is just one damn thing after another. E.M. Forster said that “the king died and the queen died” is a story, while “the king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot. So how do we take a simple series of events (one damn thing after another) and turn them into a plot? More importantly, a plot that other people will want to read? This workshop will explore the characteristics of a good plot, examine several effective plot structures, and experiment with some ways to generate those structures. And then we will generate a plot or two.

Time: 9am – noon Cost: $25

Aug. 23: Magical Realism and the Literary Fantastic ~ Kevin Brockmeier

In our afternoon ON FANTASY & PROPHECY, Kevin will give a lecture, lead the discussion of two short stories, and open the room to questions and free-ranging discussion. If you are interested in including elements of magical realism and literary fantastic in your writing or if you’re just a Brockmeier fan, come join us for illumination.

Time: 2pm – 5 pm Cost: $25

July 26: Intro Into Screenwriting ~ Carole Parker

Ever had a great idea for a movie — but didn’t know how to write a screenplay?  This workshop will cover the nuts and bolts of the craft, how the biz works, what’s selling in Hollywood – and what’s not.We’ll study story structure, outlining, and how to get your screenplay started on the right foot. Then we’ll talk about how to get an agent.  Not an academic theory class, this workshop will be spiced up with insider tips galore.

Time: 1pm to 4pm  Cost: $25

July 12: Infinite Choices ~ Pat Carr

Time: 1 pm to 4 pm  Cost: $25

May 18: CPR For Your Story, Books in Bloom @ the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs

• Do you have an idea for a novel or memoir but don’t know how to begin?
• Have you made a start but now you’re stuck?
• Do you wonder if your first page will hook a reader or publisher?

WE CAN HELP!

Time: Noon

May 31: Kelly Madigan ~ Writing a Self-Help, How To Book

Have you overcome obstacles or succeeded at a difficult task?  Do you have hard-won wisdom that can illuminate another’s person’s pathway?
But what makes your experience meaningful to others? Why should they trust you? What makes your story stand out from the multitude of stories coming at us every day?

Time: 9 am to Noon  Cost: $25

May 31: Kelly Madigan ~ It’s Not Who You Know

As an unknown writer with no academic affiliation, many miles from New York City or L.A., Kelly Madigan struggled to get her work out into the world. Eventually, through trial and plenty of error, she discovered multiple tools that helped her acquire an agent, sift through book deal offers from major publishing houses, win prizes from literary magazines, receive a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and get invited to amazing locations to settle in and write for up to a month at a time – while they paid her to be there.

Time: 2 pm to 4 pm  Cost: $25

June 22: Paula Morell ~ Tales from the South, Tales on the Rail

An Oral Storytelling Workshop with Paula Martin Morell, Executive Producer of Tales from the South. Here’s your chance to learn how to write, present and perform your work for Radio or Public Storytelling.

Time: 1 pm to 4 pm   Cost $35 for workshop includes a 1- hour train ride.Departing from Rogers at 1^st & Poplar St.

April 5: Marilyn Collins ~ Tell Your Story Your Way

Join this fun and interactive writing workshop and lean to write your own life story. You know, the one you’ve always promised yourself you’d write. Take this opportunity to tell your story, your way. You’ll learn to select which stories to tell, tips on organizing all that memorabilia and photographs, how not to start a family feud, and much more. You’ll learn, write, and share. Everyone has stories worth telling and preserving—and so do you. “When other people define the story for you, they are likely to define it incorrectly.” (Kim Goodwin)

Time: 9 am to 1 pm  Cost: $25

April 24, May 22, & June 26: Rebecca Mahoney ~ Spring Memoir Series

If you want to be the next Cheryl Strayed, this is for you.  Rebecca will address the common but thorny problems with memoir such as:

·      how to create a true scene,

·      how to incorporate dialogue,

·      how to create a story arc,

·      how to create characters.

She’ll discuss the issue of recreating material, i.e., where do you draw the line between journalism and fiction?  When is it ok to fill in the blanks and when is it not?

Time: 3 – 5 pm  Cost: $90

May 3: Pat Carr ~ Short Stories

Award-winning short story writer Pat Carr will teach you the A-Z of short stories and you’ll go home with a draft of your own story.

The workshop will cover these important elements:

*Finding the core incident

*Making the reader care about your characters

*Keeping your voice

*Setting the scene

*Plotting the story arc

*Beginning and ending the story

*Revising and submitting the story

Time: 9 am to 4 pm  Cost: $25

April 19: Subtext, High Events, Closing

Below the Surface of Story, Plot, Context

Implicit Narrative

Weaving the Dramatic & the Subtle

Two Mistakes with High Events

Endings can Culminate or Imply Continuation

Ending Literal or From Afar?

Time: 9 am to 4 pm  Cost: $25

February 22 or March 15, 2014: The Word and the Sentence

Diction

Sound Devices

The Sentence

Figurative Language

Types of Phrases

Style

Time: 9 am to 4 pm

February 1 or 15, 2014: Dialogue and Setting

What to Say

How to Say it

Setting–More than a Place

Setting–Friend or Foe?

The Four Elements to Research

How to Research

Time: 9 am to 4 pm

January 18: The First Page Character

How to Begin

Asking the Right Questions

What is Voice?

Narrative Arc

Writing Rules to Live By

13 ways to make Characters REAL

Narrative Urgency

Times: 9 am to 4 pm

February 6: Rebecca Mahoney ~ Feature Writing

Learn to write a Feature Story for magazines and newspapers.  Rebecca Mahoney, who has published numerous feature articles in the Boston Globe, the L.A. Times, the Orlando Sentinel, and many other newspapers, as well as Associated Press online, will teach a workshop, via Skype, on how to find, organize, and write a feature story. To see some of Rebecca’s work, go to rebeccamahoney.com

Time: 3 pm to 5 pm  Cost: $20

October 19, 2013: Elizabeth Mack ~ Mindful Writing 

In this full-day workshop, students will learn how to unlock creativity, write without judgment, and explore the endless possibilities in their stories. Through guided instruction on the craft of writing as well as mindfulness practices, participants will learn how to avoid roadblocks that get in the way of their writing. This workshop is for those who have not considered themselves a writer before, while also providing keen insights into the craft for seasoned writers. Re-energize your mind and your writing and take your writing to the next level!

Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Cost: $45

October 5, 2013: Pamela Foster ~ The Golden Trilogy

Pamela Foster’s workshop, The Golden Trilogy, teaches the art of weaving sense of place with point of view and internalization.   The author believes that when, as writers, we braid these three components seamlessly together, we drop our readers into our stories and allow them to experience the world we invent and to inhabit our characters. The workshop includes a series of presentations and examples, as well as writing exercises and critiques.  Foster will share with you her method for building a sense of place that encompasses all five senses, as well as the memories and the expectations of the point of view character.

Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

September 21,2013: Jan Morrill ~ Characters!

Characterization is one of the most important drivers of fiction or creative non-fiction. In this workshop, Jan Morrill will demonstrate how to create multi-dimensional characters that will come alive with personality, quirks, secrets, habits and senses, to keep the reader turning the page for more.

This class will have several exercises to demonstrate the following methods:

• • Interviewing Characters
  • Writing Letters
  • Describing Photos or Art in Character’s Voice
  • Writing a Scene in a Different Point of View

Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

September 7, 2013: Linda Apple ~ Inspire! Writing from the Soul

To inspire is to motivate, guide, and stimulate. To write from our soul is to use our knowledge and life experiences to inspire our readers in a positive way.

Two Mini Workshops ~ Take One or Both!

Morning (9 a.m. – noon): How to write inspirational stories no matter what your worldview or faith tradition. Learn to share the life lessons that you’ve learned. $25

Afternoon(1 p.m. – 4 p.m.): Christian Inspirational writing in the style of the Master of storytellers

We’ll also discuss ways to get our stories into the hands of readers.

Time: 9 a.m. – noon and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

August 17, 2013: Jackie Wolven ~ Blog Right

Jacqueline Wolven, Executive Director of the Eureka Springs Downtown Network and an instructor for the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, will teach blogging for the Village Writing School on August 17.

Time: 9-4.  Cost: $45

July 27, 2013: Publish Conference

Over fifty area writers attended The Village Writing School’s conference, PUBLISH! Your Questions Answered, at the Inn of the Ozarks on Saturday.  Via Skype, speakers from New York and Florida joined six live presenters to cover the full range of options available in today’s publishing world.