Workshop Focus

"Virtually all of my fiction has an element of autobiography, some incident or emotional trigger that serves as the starting point of the story," says novelist Rich Wallace. Drawing the emotional heat from a real-life incident and incorporating it into fiction will be the focal point of this workshop.

Participants will learn to mine the depths of their experiences to find a focus for their own stories, using those experiences to provide energy and grit to their work.

Topics to be covered include:

• the power of dialogue
• finding your narrative voice
• connecting with the reader
• using real-life events as the basis for fiction
• exercises to trigger your memory

The workshop will include ample time for writing. Manuscript critiques and one-on-one attention to your work-in-progress will be included.

Preworkshop assignment:  If you’d like to participate in a critique session, please submit up to fifteen manuscript pages along with a synopsis, to arrive by May 13.

Workshop Fee of $895 includes cozy, individual cabins; all meals (provided by a top-notch chef); airport pickup service, if needed; and an intimate teaching setting in the living room of the Founders of Highlights for Children!