Bay Area Writing Classes

Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop

Designed for the serious fiction writer with some workshop experience, these classes focus on critique of completed short stories and novel/memoir chapters. Through intensive, detailed discussions, we work to find the heart of your story, identifying the elements that are engaging and pinpointing areas for further development. There is no prerequisite, but I do ask that you submit a writing sample if you would like to be considered for an advanced class. If you are considering an MFA program in writing, or if you have previously studied creative writing and are eager to reboot your writing practice, this class is for you. Class size: 8 maximum. Duration: 6 weeks. Location: Burlingame, CA. Tuition: $349

 

Instant Gratification Flash Fiction Workshop

In China they’re called “smoke-longs,” because people read them on the bus or at work during cigarette breaks. In Japan they’re called “palm-of-the-hand stories.” In America, we refer to them as “sudden fiction,” “flash fiction,” or, simply, “the very short story.” The beauty of flash fiction is that it evokes a world, a situation, a series of scenes, or perhaps a complex relationship in very few words. Whereas a novel takes years to write, a very short story may materialize in a day. For the purposes of this class, we define flash fiction as 750 words or fewer. You’ll come away from this five-week workshop with five complete flash fictions–brief, beautiful narrative gems ready to be released into the world. The class meets in the instructor’s home on the Peninsula. Class size: 10 maximum. Duration: 5 weeks. Location: Burlingame, CA. Tuition: $299

Memoir Writing Workshop

Has anyone ever told you, “You should write a book”? Is your head full of interesting stories that you’ve never committed to paper? Then my memoir workshop is for you. Using a series of short exercises, we will recall forgotten images, people, and places that will add life and variety to your writing. You’ll learn how to craft your personal experiences into compelling stories and how to use characterization, description, dialogue, and setting to draw readers into your world. Whether you’re writing to publish or simply saving your story for posterity, this memoir class will help you turn your life into art.

Duration: 6 weeks  Location: Burlingame, CA  Tuition: $349