RBWG Classes Spring, 2019
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 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:
Click here for scholarship information.
To register and pay:
- Please register first with Maribeth at fischer.maribeth@gmail.com to make sure that the class is running (at times we do not have enough participants to make the class work) or is not already filled. Maribeth will respond to you within a day.
- To pay, mail a check to: Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild, P.O. Box 1326, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.
Click here for scholarship information.
MIXED GENRE
The Writer's Tool Box (Saturdays)
Sign up for one session or take them all. You pay only for the specific session(s) you want.
WHEN: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (behind Big Fish Grill), Rehoboth
COST: $55 per session for RBWG members; $65 for non-members
Session One: Mar 30
On Second Thought: Trying Out Second Person — Ethan Joella
You have only those brief, fragile, untested moments of exhilaration when you know: you are a genius. Understand what you must do.—Lorrie Moore, "How to Become a Writer"
In creative writing classrooms everywhere, students are cautioned against second person point of view, told that it is rare, weird, awkward, and tough to pull off. But what happens when it's done well? In what circumstances does second person dazzle the reader, creating something fresh and original? This toolbox session will seek to answer these questions, examining successful (and not successful) examples of second person with exercises to help you incorporate second person into your own writing.
Session Two: Apr 13
Memoir and Meditation — Ellen Collins
Meditation is an inner journey, a process of practicing going deeper into the moment, into the self. It takes us into a place where we can shed distractions, accept what is without attempting to manipulate or change it. It is like saying, “Here I am” or “I am here.”
Memoir is a form of writing that invites us into the important moments of our lives. It is not a string of all the events from birth to death or from birth to now, but an investigation into the heart of who we are and where we’ve been. Memoir takes us into the important moments of our lives.
Meditation and memoir are closely linked as each is an invitation to go into what really matters. Each seeks to cast off the unnecessary chaff to expose and celebrate the kernels within. In this workshop we will practice taking moments of memory and distilling them into pieces of writing we didn’t know were there under the layers.
This workshop is ideal for beginners as well as seasoned writers.
Session Three: Apr 27
Self-Publishing 101: A Guide to Prepping Your Book for Print — Crystal Heidel
Once you have decided to self-publish, there are a number of steps and decisions that writers need to make. It’s not just a matter of uploading a file into the Amazon self-publishing platform; it’s not even a matter of simply sending your Word document to a friend or a book designer who knows how to do this. There are things the writer must address before this step. Crystal Heidel, who has uploaded and designed numerous books for Guild authors interested in self-publishing, will offer writers a check-list of key issues necessary to consider in the self-publishing process. These include such things as how to select a designer; why writers shouldn't try to design the interior of their book themselves; why writers shouldn't use Word to design the interior; what fonts work best for certain genres; how, why, and where to purchase ISBN numbers; how to apply these ISBN numbers to KDP (formerly CreateSpace), and how to order galley copies and finally publish your book.
Session Four: May 4
Free Yourself from Your Self: Experimenting with Persona Poems — Katherine Gekker
What if you wrote from someone else’s perspective?
In this introduction to persona poems, we will explore how speaking with voices other than our own can yield original, powerful writing that, paradoxically, helps our poetry become even more authentic.
Prompts and exercises will facilitate our experiments with writing as historical figures, mythological creatures, relatives, animals, or inanimate objects to approach subjects in new ways. We’ll learn from other poets’ persona poems as well as from each other. And we’ll have fun doing it!
Session Five: May 11
Search/Insert Here: The Art of Using Research Creatively — Judy Catterton
In this workshop we will explore the many ways research might be used to amplify, explain or enhance your writing. Maybe there’s a psychological study that helps explain the personality of a character. Perhaps, an item plucked from the news reminds you of an event in your own past. Or maybe a current event works metaphorically in a poem. Pausing a narrative to give a reader a sense of the times by relaying parallel events going on in the world might provide context and texture to a story. Writing about a romance might be made more intriguing if we know it happened during the Cuban Missile crisis or five days after Katrina. A story that reports feeling angry might be improved by finding quotes from the Dahli Llama. Participants will be encouraged to bring a portion of a work in progress or a theme for a new endeavor. Attendees can then brainstorm ways in which research might enrich the work.
Session Six: May 18
A Crash Course in Japanese Verse — Gail Comorat
The primary purpose of reading and writing haiku is sharing moments of our lives that have moved us, pieces of experience and perception that we offer or receive as gifts. At the deepest level, this is one of the great purposes of all art, and especially of literature.--William J. Higginson
This is a class for both prose and poetry writers. Japanese verse employs tight, vivid language. Many of us are familiar with haiku, but there are other types of Japanese poetry. In this toolbox class we’ll read and write haiku, tanka, and haibun. We’ll talk about senryu and tanka poems, as well as journals that feature these forms of poetry.
Sign up for one session or take them all. You pay only for the specific session(s) you want.
WHEN: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (behind Big Fish Grill), Rehoboth
COST: $55 per session for RBWG members; $65 for non-members
Session One: Mar 30
On Second Thought: Trying Out Second Person — Ethan Joella
You have only those brief, fragile, untested moments of exhilaration when you know: you are a genius. Understand what you must do.—Lorrie Moore, "How to Become a Writer"
In creative writing classrooms everywhere, students are cautioned against second person point of view, told that it is rare, weird, awkward, and tough to pull off. But what happens when it's done well? In what circumstances does second person dazzle the reader, creating something fresh and original? This toolbox session will seek to answer these questions, examining successful (and not successful) examples of second person with exercises to help you incorporate second person into your own writing.
Session Two: Apr 13
Memoir and Meditation — Ellen Collins
Meditation is an inner journey, a process of practicing going deeper into the moment, into the self. It takes us into a place where we can shed distractions, accept what is without attempting to manipulate or change it. It is like saying, “Here I am” or “I am here.”
Memoir is a form of writing that invites us into the important moments of our lives. It is not a string of all the events from birth to death or from birth to now, but an investigation into the heart of who we are and where we’ve been. Memoir takes us into the important moments of our lives.
Meditation and memoir are closely linked as each is an invitation to go into what really matters. Each seeks to cast off the unnecessary chaff to expose and celebrate the kernels within. In this workshop we will practice taking moments of memory and distilling them into pieces of writing we didn’t know were there under the layers.
This workshop is ideal for beginners as well as seasoned writers.
Session Three: Apr 27
Self-Publishing 101: A Guide to Prepping Your Book for Print — Crystal Heidel
Once you have decided to self-publish, there are a number of steps and decisions that writers need to make. It’s not just a matter of uploading a file into the Amazon self-publishing platform; it’s not even a matter of simply sending your Word document to a friend or a book designer who knows how to do this. There are things the writer must address before this step. Crystal Heidel, who has uploaded and designed numerous books for Guild authors interested in self-publishing, will offer writers a check-list of key issues necessary to consider in the self-publishing process. These include such things as how to select a designer; why writers shouldn't try to design the interior of their book themselves; why writers shouldn't use Word to design the interior; what fonts work best for certain genres; how, why, and where to purchase ISBN numbers; how to apply these ISBN numbers to KDP (formerly CreateSpace), and how to order galley copies and finally publish your book.
Session Four: May 4
Free Yourself from Your Self: Experimenting with Persona Poems — Katherine Gekker
What if you wrote from someone else’s perspective?
In this introduction to persona poems, we will explore how speaking with voices other than our own can yield original, powerful writing that, paradoxically, helps our poetry become even more authentic.
Prompts and exercises will facilitate our experiments with writing as historical figures, mythological creatures, relatives, animals, or inanimate objects to approach subjects in new ways. We’ll learn from other poets’ persona poems as well as from each other. And we’ll have fun doing it!
Session Five: May 11
Search/Insert Here: The Art of Using Research Creatively — Judy Catterton
In this workshop we will explore the many ways research might be used to amplify, explain or enhance your writing. Maybe there’s a psychological study that helps explain the personality of a character. Perhaps, an item plucked from the news reminds you of an event in your own past. Or maybe a current event works metaphorically in a poem. Pausing a narrative to give a reader a sense of the times by relaying parallel events going on in the world might provide context and texture to a story. Writing about a romance might be made more intriguing if we know it happened during the Cuban Missile crisis or five days after Katrina. A story that reports feeling angry might be improved by finding quotes from the Dahli Llama. Participants will be encouraged to bring a portion of a work in progress or a theme for a new endeavor. Attendees can then brainstorm ways in which research might enrich the work.
Session Six: May 18
A Crash Course in Japanese Verse — Gail Comorat
The primary purpose of reading and writing haiku is sharing moments of our lives that have moved us, pieces of experience and perception that we offer or receive as gifts. At the deepest level, this is one of the great purposes of all art, and especially of literature.--William J. Higginson
This is a class for both prose and poetry writers. Japanese verse employs tight, vivid language. Many of us are familiar with haiku, but there are other types of Japanese poetry. In this toolbox class we’ll read and write haiku, tanka, and haibun. We’ll talk about senryu and tanka poems, as well as journals that feature these forms of poetry.
MIXED GENRE (Guest Presentation)
Illustrating the Writer's Imagination — Ilona Holland, Writer and Judy Love, Illustrator
WHEN: Saturday, 1:30-3:00 p.m. April 13 (single session)
WHERE: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Behind Big Fish Grille), Rehoboth
COST: $30
Every writer faces the challenge of capturing and conveying images from their imagination. Most of these images are transmitted through words alone. Other times, their essence needs to be depicted in a visual, for example, in cover art or illustrations.
Judy Love is an illustrator from North Carolina who has illustrated over forty books for publishers like Charlesbridge and Harper Collins and created many covers. Local writer, Ilona Holland, teamed with Judy to produce the historical fiction book, The Lost Locket of Lewes. During their year-long collaboration, images were born and transformed through words and in art while being informed by research.
In this seminar you will learn how the words of the writer informed the illustrations and how the development of the images influenced word selection. Parallels will be drawn to creating strong setting details in novels and short stories. Participants will hear how the artist and writer worked together to create a complimentary mix of images and words to tell a story.
Both speakers will share how their work was inspired and informed by historical facts and photographs. You will see images of Lewes in 1893 and learn how the writer and illustrator integrated specific historical details into the book. Finally, they will share the challenges they encountered in creating the book’s cover and Judy will demonstrate the steps required in making illustrations camera ready.
Hopefully, you will walk away inspired to think about your writing in visual terms. Even if you never engage an illustrator, thinking like an illustrator may be helpful in creating scenes that are vivid, internally consistent, and highly memorable.
WHEN: Saturday, 1:30-3:00 p.m. April 13 (single session)
WHERE: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Behind Big Fish Grille), Rehoboth
COST: $30
Every writer faces the challenge of capturing and conveying images from their imagination. Most of these images are transmitted through words alone. Other times, their essence needs to be depicted in a visual, for example, in cover art or illustrations.
Judy Love is an illustrator from North Carolina who has illustrated over forty books for publishers like Charlesbridge and Harper Collins and created many covers. Local writer, Ilona Holland, teamed with Judy to produce the historical fiction book, The Lost Locket of Lewes. During their year-long collaboration, images were born and transformed through words and in art while being informed by research.
In this seminar you will learn how the words of the writer informed the illustrations and how the development of the images influenced word selection. Parallels will be drawn to creating strong setting details in novels and short stories. Participants will hear how the artist and writer worked together to create a complimentary mix of images and words to tell a story.
Both speakers will share how their work was inspired and informed by historical facts and photographs. You will see images of Lewes in 1893 and learn how the writer and illustrator integrated specific historical details into the book. Finally, they will share the challenges they encountered in creating the book’s cover and Judy will demonstrate the steps required in making illustrations camera ready.
Hopefully, you will walk away inspired to think about your writing in visual terms. Even if you never engage an illustrator, thinking like an illustrator may be helpful in creating scenes that are vivid, internally consistent, and highly memorable.
MIXED GENRE (Multi-Session Class)
The Curious Detour: New Writing Ideas for Spring -- Ethan Joella (3 Weeks)
WHEN: Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. April 2, 9, 16
WHERE: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (behind Big Fish Grill), Rehoboth
COST: RBWG Members $135; Non-members $150
See any detour as an opportunity to experience new things. —H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
In this course, we'll infuse our writing with some new techniques, trying forms and styles such as second person point of view, a story in script/playwright format, a vignette, a prose poem, and a non-linear piece. Writers of all levels and styles are welcome. The work load for the course is light with small exercises due each week, but you'll finish with a suitcase full of souvenirs for your future writing.
WHEN: Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. April 2, 9, 16
WHERE: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (behind Big Fish Grill), Rehoboth
COST: RBWG Members $135; Non-members $150
See any detour as an opportunity to experience new things. —H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
In this course, we'll infuse our writing with some new techniques, trying forms and styles such as second person point of view, a story in script/playwright format, a vignette, a prose poem, and a non-linear piece. Writers of all levels and styles are welcome. The work load for the course is light with small exercises due each week, but you'll finish with a suitcase full of souvenirs for your future writing.
FICTION
Taking the Plunge: Creative Writing Prose III — Maribeth Fischer (6 weeks)
When: Fridays, 2-4 p.m. April 5, 12 (no class April 19), 26, May 3, 10, 17
Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Behind Big Fish Grille), Rehoboth
Cost: RBWG Members $270; Non-members $300
This is a class for those who have begun, perhaps for the first time, to write the novel or short stories they’ve always wanted to write. In this class, we’ll continue tackling the basics of good fiction writing—developing characters into dynamic and compelling people and putting those people into unique situations that will evolve into scenes and plot. We’ll tackle the use of summarized dialogue, long speeches, how to show emotion without being melodramatic, and why setting is essential on every page you write. We’ll also look at the six building blocks of every scene. Each week there will be assignments to hone another aspect of fiction writing, which is a vastly different kind of writing than what many of us have practiced in our careers. This class is part workshop, part hands-on exercises and craft lessons. If you have not taken Taking the Plunge I or II, email Maribeth to make sure this class is a good fit for you.
When: Fridays, 2-4 p.m. April 5, 12 (no class April 19), 26, May 3, 10, 17
Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Behind Big Fish Grille), Rehoboth
Cost: RBWG Members $270; Non-members $300
This is a class for those who have begun, perhaps for the first time, to write the novel or short stories they’ve always wanted to write. In this class, we’ll continue tackling the basics of good fiction writing—developing characters into dynamic and compelling people and putting those people into unique situations that will evolve into scenes and plot. We’ll tackle the use of summarized dialogue, long speeches, how to show emotion without being melodramatic, and why setting is essential on every page you write. We’ll also look at the six building blocks of every scene. Each week there will be assignments to hone another aspect of fiction writing, which is a vastly different kind of writing than what many of us have practiced in our careers. This class is part workshop, part hands-on exercises and craft lessons. If you have not taken Taking the Plunge I or II, email Maribeth to make sure this class is a good fit for you.
NONFICTION
Let Me Tell You a Story: Memoir Writing — Judy Catterton (4 weeks)
WHEN: Thursdays 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m; May 2, 9, 16 (no class May 23-due to Memorial Day weekend traffic) June 6
WHERE: Judy’s King Creek Home
COST: $180 for RBWG members; $200 for non-members
How many times have you said that? And, don’t we all have stories to tell? This class will focus on how to tell your stories: tell them straight, tell them slant, tell them honest, tell them so others will see you and maybe also see themselves. Perhaps, you’ve already started a memoir and are looking for ways to add to it or make revisions. Or maybe, you want to write short vignettes, for your children or grandchildren’s eyes only. Maybe you’re interested in stand-alone essays that describe events that actually happened to you that may be of interest to friends and/or family. This class will offer you an opportunity to experiment in how best to tell your true stories
Writing the Ordinary — Maribeth Fischer (8 weeks)
WHEN: Mondays 2:30-4:30 p.m. April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 6, 13, 20
Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Behind Big Fish Grille), Rehoboth
Cost: RBWG Members $360; Non-members $400
"The world is grim right now. Problems are dire. It’s rotten, catastrophic. But also filled with wonders, joys, amazing
places and things, heroic behaviors. Pratfuls and ridiculosity… --David Quamman, Creative Nonfiction, Spring 2017
Often people take memoir classes because they have specific stories they want to tell—about a significant person or an event, about something that happened to them. In this class, however, participants will search for topics to write about in the ordinary, in the everyday. We will write about the small moments, about the things we love to do—biking, shopping in thrift stores, doing yoga, reading. We’ll look at the use of journals, which Anthony Doerr said should be “a love letter to the world,” and look at the literary journal River Teeth’s “Beautiful Things” column. We’ll try to capture “A day in a life,” and be inspired by the collecting of data about ordinary things—tracking in a given week the number and variety of “thank you’s” that we’ve encountered, or examples of kindness. The goal will be to hone our writing skills by writing what we know well. Each week we’ll have a different reading and exercise that forces us to study the ordinary and write about it, while meeting the challenge of how to make compelling essays out of every-day topics.
WHEN: Thursdays 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m; May 2, 9, 16 (no class May 23-due to Memorial Day weekend traffic) June 6
WHERE: Judy’s King Creek Home
COST: $180 for RBWG members; $200 for non-members
How many times have you said that? And, don’t we all have stories to tell? This class will focus on how to tell your stories: tell them straight, tell them slant, tell them honest, tell them so others will see you and maybe also see themselves. Perhaps, you’ve already started a memoir and are looking for ways to add to it or make revisions. Or maybe, you want to write short vignettes, for your children or grandchildren’s eyes only. Maybe you’re interested in stand-alone essays that describe events that actually happened to you that may be of interest to friends and/or family. This class will offer you an opportunity to experiment in how best to tell your true stories
Writing the Ordinary — Maribeth Fischer (8 weeks)
WHEN: Mondays 2:30-4:30 p.m. April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 6, 13, 20
Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Behind Big Fish Grille), Rehoboth
Cost: RBWG Members $360; Non-members $400
"The world is grim right now. Problems are dire. It’s rotten, catastrophic. But also filled with wonders, joys, amazing
places and things, heroic behaviors. Pratfuls and ridiculosity… --David Quamman, Creative Nonfiction, Spring 2017
Often people take memoir classes because they have specific stories they want to tell—about a significant person or an event, about something that happened to them. In this class, however, participants will search for topics to write about in the ordinary, in the everyday. We will write about the small moments, about the things we love to do—biking, shopping in thrift stores, doing yoga, reading. We’ll look at the use of journals, which Anthony Doerr said should be “a love letter to the world,” and look at the literary journal River Teeth’s “Beautiful Things” column. We’ll try to capture “A day in a life,” and be inspired by the collecting of data about ordinary things—tracking in a given week the number and variety of “thank you’s” that we’ve encountered, or examples of kindness. The goal will be to hone our writing skills by writing what we know well. Each week we’ll have a different reading and exercise that forces us to study the ordinary and write about it, while meeting the challenge of how to make compelling essays out of every-day topics.
POETRY
Poetry and Aging — Gail Comorat (4 weeks)
WHEN: Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. May 7, 14, 21, and June 4
WHERE: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Behind Big Fish Grille), Rehoboth
COST: $180 for RBWG members, $200 for non-members
I am living in the late season, but it has its songs, too. I have to find out what they are… even in this period which is trying everything it can to shut one down.--Jorie Graham
In this class, we’ll read and write poems that consider the passage of time and the effects we feel as we age. While we’ll contemplate loss and grief, we will also celebrate our lives, shine a light on what we’ve accomplished and the changes we’ve witnessed. We will write about the importance of joy. In short, we’ll follow Mary Oliver’s “Instructions for living a life: pay attention, be astonished, tell about it.”
WHEN: Tuesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. May 7, 14, 21, and June 4
WHERE: Lutheran Church of Our Savior (Behind Big Fish Grille), Rehoboth
COST: $180 for RBWG members, $200 for non-members
I am living in the late season, but it has its songs, too. I have to find out what they are… even in this period which is trying everything it can to shut one down.--Jorie Graham
In this class, we’ll read and write poems that consider the passage of time and the effects we feel as we age. While we’ll contemplate loss and grief, we will also celebrate our lives, shine a light on what we’ve accomplished and the changes we’ve witnessed. We will write about the importance of joy. In short, we’ll follow Mary Oliver’s “Instructions for living a life: pay attention, be astonished, tell about it.”
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