RBWG Summer, 2021 Online (Email) Tutorials and One In-Person Class
Please Note: Summer email tutorials are one-on-one with the instructor. While we have only one in-person class for summer, the great news is that we’ll be holding a number of in-person classes this fall—back in our classroom at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Rehoboth. But for one more season, we’re going with (all but one) online tutorial classes—and we’ll try to have this option in the fall as well for those who have found this is preferable. For now, though, we hope you’ll find something here to keep you writing. To register (full descriptions below) please email Maribeth at fischer.maribeth@gmail.com. Do not send payment until we confirm that the class will run.
Weekly Calendar
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Because we are committed to keeping our classes small and because we can only continue to do this if participants commit to and pay for all classes, we ask that ONCE WE CONFIRM THAT THE CLASS WILL RUN, you pay for the full class amount up front. If you are interested in a class and cannot pay for it up front, just send Maribeth an email and we’ll work out a payment plan. As always, we are open to suggestions about classes you’d like to see offered. Please send suggestions to Maribeth at fischer.maribeth@gmail.com. To register and pay:
Our Instructors
Click on the link below to read brief biographies for each of our instructors.
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Multi-Genre
Outside the Lines: How and Why Drawing Can Enhance Your Writing — Mariah Burton Nelson
(2 hours, In-Person or choose ZOOM)
When: Thursday, June 24, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Where: Lewes Public Library, or Online via Zoom (your choice)
Cost: RBWG Members $60; Non-Members $75
As children, we all drew colorful pictures. Let’s try that again. Why? Drawing activates the right side of the brain and stimulates creative thought. When we express ourselves visually, even with rudimentary childlike drawings, we infuse our stories, memoirs, or poetry with new ideas, images, and energy. Participants will practice using basic shapes (circles, squares, squiggles) to create playful, pertinent pictures. The goal is not to become graphic novelists but to use artwork to deepen our understanding of our writing projects and improve our storytelling. You’ll leave with three simple drawing exercises to help you propel any writing project forward. (“Can’t” draw? This class is for you. Professional artist? You’re welcome too.)
This class will be limited to 7 people in-person (there is room to socially distance within the room). Mariah will also make the class available on Zoom for those who might not be comfortable meeting in-person.
Object Permanence — Ethan Joella (4 weeks)
When: Mondays, June 7, 14, 21, 28
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $180; Non-Members $200
Objects are the limits we desperately need. They show us where we end. They dispel our sadness, temporarily.
—Don Delillo
There are no live meetings for this class; new work is given to you every Monday, and weekly assignments are due the following Sunday.
What would The Glass Menagerie be without the unicorn figurine? What would William Carlos Williams have done without the wheelbarrow and plums? Can you imagine Holden Caulfield without his red hat? In this four-week online tutorial, we will study the importance of objects to prose and poetry and what a well-placed object or objects in your writing can do for characterization, symbolism, conflict, epiphany. Each week, participants will have an assignment that requires using objects in different ways (as distraction, as redemption, as symbols of grief, etc.) to enhance your poetry, fiction, or nonfiction.
Listing Agreement: Using Lists in Your Creative Writing — Ethan Joella (4 Weeks)
When: Mondays, July 19, 26 & August 2, 9
Where: Online via email
Cost: RBWG Members $180; Non-Members $200
Did children still marvel within as the holidays wheeled past in a slow pinwheel galaxy of altering candies, cards and artifacts, of back-to-school tablets, footballs, Halloween masks, pumpkins, turkeys, pine trees, tinsel, wrappings, reindeer, Santas, and stars...
—John Updike, "Henry's Variety Store"
There are no live meetings for this class; new work is given to you every Monday, and weekly assignments are due the following Sunday.
Lists are a powerful tool for writers. Susan Sontag swore by them as did Ray Bradbury. Kim Addonizio and Elizabeth Strout use them often. In this online four-week tutorial, we will look at how lists can deepen setting, can tell us more about a character's personality in a paragraph than sometimes a whole chapter will, can convey motivation and conflict, and can anchor and structure a poem or essay. We will look at examples of helpful lists in poetry and prose, and we will make our own new lists in prose or poetry. Try this session out if you want to deepen an existing project or if you're looking to create something entirely new.
(2 hours, In-Person or choose ZOOM)
When: Thursday, June 24, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Where: Lewes Public Library, or Online via Zoom (your choice)
Cost: RBWG Members $60; Non-Members $75
As children, we all drew colorful pictures. Let’s try that again. Why? Drawing activates the right side of the brain and stimulates creative thought. When we express ourselves visually, even with rudimentary childlike drawings, we infuse our stories, memoirs, or poetry with new ideas, images, and energy. Participants will practice using basic shapes (circles, squares, squiggles) to create playful, pertinent pictures. The goal is not to become graphic novelists but to use artwork to deepen our understanding of our writing projects and improve our storytelling. You’ll leave with three simple drawing exercises to help you propel any writing project forward. (“Can’t” draw? This class is for you. Professional artist? You’re welcome too.)
This class will be limited to 7 people in-person (there is room to socially distance within the room). Mariah will also make the class available on Zoom for those who might not be comfortable meeting in-person.
Object Permanence — Ethan Joella (4 weeks)
When: Mondays, June 7, 14, 21, 28
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $180; Non-Members $200
Objects are the limits we desperately need. They show us where we end. They dispel our sadness, temporarily.
—Don Delillo
There are no live meetings for this class; new work is given to you every Monday, and weekly assignments are due the following Sunday.
What would The Glass Menagerie be without the unicorn figurine? What would William Carlos Williams have done without the wheelbarrow and plums? Can you imagine Holden Caulfield without his red hat? In this four-week online tutorial, we will study the importance of objects to prose and poetry and what a well-placed object or objects in your writing can do for characterization, symbolism, conflict, epiphany. Each week, participants will have an assignment that requires using objects in different ways (as distraction, as redemption, as symbols of grief, etc.) to enhance your poetry, fiction, or nonfiction.
Listing Agreement: Using Lists in Your Creative Writing — Ethan Joella (4 Weeks)
When: Mondays, July 19, 26 & August 2, 9
Where: Online via email
Cost: RBWG Members $180; Non-Members $200
Did children still marvel within as the holidays wheeled past in a slow pinwheel galaxy of altering candies, cards and artifacts, of back-to-school tablets, footballs, Halloween masks, pumpkins, turkeys, pine trees, tinsel, wrappings, reindeer, Santas, and stars...
—John Updike, "Henry's Variety Store"
There are no live meetings for this class; new work is given to you every Monday, and weekly assignments are due the following Sunday.
Lists are a powerful tool for writers. Susan Sontag swore by them as did Ray Bradbury. Kim Addonizio and Elizabeth Strout use them often. In this online four-week tutorial, we will look at how lists can deepen setting, can tell us more about a character's personality in a paragraph than sometimes a whole chapter will, can convey motivation and conflict, and can anchor and structure a poem or essay. We will look at examples of helpful lists in poetry and prose, and we will make our own new lists in prose or poetry. Try this session out if you want to deepen an existing project or if you're looking to create something entirely new.
Poetry
Ecopoetics II: The Elements — Gail Comorat (4 weeks)
When: Thursdays July 1, 8, 15, 22
Where: Online via email
Cost: RBWG Members $180; Non-Members $200
I think people are going to want to have poetry do what it once did, which is to really represent the times, to be the sign of the times, and to also comment on what is happening now, to give people a different set of perspectives and understanding.
—Enzo Silon Surin, author of When My Body Was A Clinched Fist
The term “Ecopoetics” loosely describes writing that reflects the complex interrelationships within the ever-shifting, endangered ecosphere. The elements—fire, earth, water, and air—are the building blocks of nature, the foundations of life and our world. None of the elements can exist without the others, which makes them interesting subjects to explore in poetry.
This is a class for all levels, and you need not to have taken Ecopoetics I. We’ll read and write about the elements, climate change and weather—how the choices we make are changing the world. Each week you’ll receive a packet of sample poems and exercises. You’ll use the exercises to write toward an assignment—but ultimately, you'll write a poem of your choice, written in your own style. My goal is always that a poet produces new work, no matter how the poem happens.
When: Thursdays July 1, 8, 15, 22
Where: Online via email
Cost: RBWG Members $180; Non-Members $200
I think people are going to want to have poetry do what it once did, which is to really represent the times, to be the sign of the times, and to also comment on what is happening now, to give people a different set of perspectives and understanding.
—Enzo Silon Surin, author of When My Body Was A Clinched Fist
The term “Ecopoetics” loosely describes writing that reflects the complex interrelationships within the ever-shifting, endangered ecosphere. The elements—fire, earth, water, and air—are the building blocks of nature, the foundations of life and our world. None of the elements can exist without the others, which makes them interesting subjects to explore in poetry.
This is a class for all levels, and you need not to have taken Ecopoetics I. We’ll read and write about the elements, climate change and weather—how the choices we make are changing the world. Each week you’ll receive a packet of sample poems and exercises. You’ll use the exercises to write toward an assignment—but ultimately, you'll write a poem of your choice, written in your own style. My goal is always that a poet produces new work, no matter how the poem happens.
Fiction
Graduate School in a Box (or Essentials of Writing Fiction) — Maribeth Fischer (8 weeks)
When: Fridays, June 11, 18, 25 & July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Where: Online via email
Cost: RBWG Members $360; Non-Members $400
This is a class for writers coming to creative writing after years in the business, legal, or academic world. You know how to write; you’ve done it your whole life, but fiction is a different ballgame. Or maybe you have written creatively for years, are halfway through a novel, but never actually learned—or perhaps want to review—the fundamental techniques of fiction writing.
Each week we’ll explore a key aspect of fiction writing, doing brief exercises that allow participants to better understand how to apply these techniques in their own work. We’ll look at how to create three-dimensional characters who “seem to breathe on the page” (yes, there are specific techniques and rules to guide writers); we’ll discuss what constitutes plot (and no, you don’t have to have it figured out before you begin); we’ll discuss point of view and why it’s essential to all writing, look at how and when to write flashbacks; review the essential ingredients of good dialogue, and more. Each class will cover years of creative writing “lessons” distilled into what is essential for every writer to know.
Participants will be given a short assignment each week (and if the writer is currently working on a project—a novel or story—these assignments can be used to develop the writing of that specific project). Maribeth will offer feedback on assignments.
When: Fridays, June 11, 18, 25 & July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Where: Online via email
Cost: RBWG Members $360; Non-Members $400
This is a class for writers coming to creative writing after years in the business, legal, or academic world. You know how to write; you’ve done it your whole life, but fiction is a different ballgame. Or maybe you have written creatively for years, are halfway through a novel, but never actually learned—or perhaps want to review—the fundamental techniques of fiction writing.
Each week we’ll explore a key aspect of fiction writing, doing brief exercises that allow participants to better understand how to apply these techniques in their own work. We’ll look at how to create three-dimensional characters who “seem to breathe on the page” (yes, there are specific techniques and rules to guide writers); we’ll discuss what constitutes plot (and no, you don’t have to have it figured out before you begin); we’ll discuss point of view and why it’s essential to all writing, look at how and when to write flashbacks; review the essential ingredients of good dialogue, and more. Each class will cover years of creative writing “lessons” distilled into what is essential for every writer to know.
Participants will be given a short assignment each week (and if the writer is currently working on a project—a novel or story—these assignments can be used to develop the writing of that specific project). Maribeth will offer feedback on assignments.
Driving a Car at Night II: More Assignments in Fiction — Maribeth Fischer (8 weeks)
When: Thursdays June 10, 17, 24, & July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Where: Online via email
Cost: RBWG Members $360; Non-Members $400
"[Writing is] like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
—E.L. Doctorow
This is a tutorial for writers who already understand key concepts in fiction writing and are ready to embark on a novel or short story: you have an idea what to write, but aren’t quite sure where to begin; or you aren’t sure what to write about—you’re still searching but know you want to write something! Or perhaps you are a writer who has begun a novel or short story, but have gotten stuck, not sure where to go next…This tutorial is the answer.
Each week, writers will be given an assignment (with examples from a work of contemporary fiction) that helps develop character or plot. One assignment might ask you to develop your character’s backstory, another might ask you to flash forward; still another might have you write a scene where what a character feels internally is very different from how he acts externally. Each assignment helps the writer discover new aspects of her story. Many of the Guild’s published writers have incorporated these assignments into their finished novels and stories—and we’ll look at a few of those examples too.
When: Thursdays June 10, 17, 24, & July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Where: Online via email
Cost: RBWG Members $360; Non-Members $400
"[Writing is] like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
—E.L. Doctorow
This is a tutorial for writers who already understand key concepts in fiction writing and are ready to embark on a novel or short story: you have an idea what to write, but aren’t quite sure where to begin; or you aren’t sure what to write about—you’re still searching but know you want to write something! Or perhaps you are a writer who has begun a novel or short story, but have gotten stuck, not sure where to go next…This tutorial is the answer.
Each week, writers will be given an assignment (with examples from a work of contemporary fiction) that helps develop character or plot. One assignment might ask you to develop your character’s backstory, another might ask you to flash forward; still another might have you write a scene where what a character feels internally is very different from how he acts externally. Each assignment helps the writer discover new aspects of her story. Many of the Guild’s published writers have incorporated these assignments into their finished novels and stories—and we’ll look at a few of those examples too.
Copyright © Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild
