RBWG Winter 2026 Online Classes & Tutorials
Weekly Calendar
|
Register Here Please register first with Maribeth at [email protected] 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. Pay Here 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 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. Please do not pay prior to hearing from Maribeth that the class is running and a seat is available. We are unable to make full refunds if payment is received without confirmation from Maribeth first.
Our Instructors
Click here to read brief biographies for each of our instructors.
|
Fiction
Writing Science Fiction 101 — Gina Hagler (4 sessions)
When: Thursdays, Jan 29, Feb 5, 12, 19; 7-8:30 p.m.
Where: Zoom
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members $240
Science fiction is any idea that occurs in the head and doesn't exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody, and nothing will ever be the same again.
— Ray Bradbury
Science fiction is an amazing genre with a storyworld that comes from an individual author’s imagination and universal themes and conventions that span the work of many authors. In this four-week Zoom class, you'll take a close look at the themes that have held the genre together across generations. You’ll also create your own storyworld and make a start at writing your work of science fiction.
Week 1: Define Science Fiction
Week 2: Identify Themes That Resonate with You
Week 3: Describe Your Storyworld
Week 4: Start Writing
We’ll begin each Zoom by reading texts related to our topic for the week. You’ll also receive your assignment, due on the Sunday following our class. There will be time for questions during class, and each assignment will receive written feedback.
Graduate School in a Box (or Essentials of Fiction Writing) -- Maribeth Fischer (7 sessions)
When: Fridays, Feb 6, 13 20, 27, Mar 6, 13, 20
Where: Online via email
RBWG Members $350; 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’ve 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 to 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). A number of Guild writers who started with this class two short years ago are now well into novels begun with these exercises. Maribeth will offer feedback on each assignment.
Driving a Car at Night II: Assignments in Fiction -- Maribeth Fischer (7 sessions)
When: Fridays, Feb 6, 13 20, 27, Mar 6, 13, 20
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $350; 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 class for writers who have taken Graduate School in a Box (which introduces key concepts in fiction writing) and want to continue learning new techniques in fiction. It’s also a class for writers who have embarked on a novel or short story and find themselves stuck, not sure where to go next. Each week, writers will be given an assignment (with examples from works of contemporary fiction). Some assignments will help with structuring the story; others will develop content. One assignment might ask you to use the techniques of flashforward (structure), another might ask you to write a scene where your character is dealing with money—having it, not having it, wanting it (content); yet another assignment will ask you to incorporate social media into the story (structure and content). 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. (You don’t need to have taken “Driving I” to take this class, although ideally, you’ll have completed “Graduate School in a Box”).
When: Thursdays, Jan 29, Feb 5, 12, 19; 7-8:30 p.m.
Where: Zoom
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members $240
Science fiction is any idea that occurs in the head and doesn't exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody, and nothing will ever be the same again.
— Ray Bradbury
Science fiction is an amazing genre with a storyworld that comes from an individual author’s imagination and universal themes and conventions that span the work of many authors. In this four-week Zoom class, you'll take a close look at the themes that have held the genre together across generations. You’ll also create your own storyworld and make a start at writing your work of science fiction.
Week 1: Define Science Fiction
Week 2: Identify Themes That Resonate with You
Week 3: Describe Your Storyworld
Week 4: Start Writing
We’ll begin each Zoom by reading texts related to our topic for the week. You’ll also receive your assignment, due on the Sunday following our class. There will be time for questions during class, and each assignment will receive written feedback.
Graduate School in a Box (or Essentials of Fiction Writing) -- Maribeth Fischer (7 sessions)
When: Fridays, Feb 6, 13 20, 27, Mar 6, 13, 20
Where: Online via email
RBWG Members $350; 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’ve 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 to 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). A number of Guild writers who started with this class two short years ago are now well into novels begun with these exercises. Maribeth will offer feedback on each assignment.
Driving a Car at Night II: Assignments in Fiction -- Maribeth Fischer (7 sessions)
When: Fridays, Feb 6, 13 20, 27, Mar 6, 13, 20
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $350; 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 class for writers who have taken Graduate School in a Box (which introduces key concepts in fiction writing) and want to continue learning new techniques in fiction. It’s also a class for writers who have embarked on a novel or short story and find themselves stuck, not sure where to go next. Each week, writers will be given an assignment (with examples from works of contemporary fiction). Some assignments will help with structuring the story; others will develop content. One assignment might ask you to use the techniques of flashforward (structure), another might ask you to write a scene where your character is dealing with money—having it, not having it, wanting it (content); yet another assignment will ask you to incorporate social media into the story (structure and content). 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. (You don’t need to have taken “Driving I” to take this class, although ideally, you’ll have completed “Graduate School in a Box”).
Multi-Genre
Getting Started 101: From Idea to First Draft — Gina Hagler (4 sessions)
When: Mondays, Jan 26, Feb 2, 9, 16
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members $240
Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.
— Anne Lamott
How many times have you had a terrific idea that stayed just that — a terrific idea — because you didn’t have a process for getting beyond that point? In this four-week tutorial, you’ll go from idea to opening with a solid vision for your work of fiction or nonfiction.
Week 1: Productive Brainstorming
Week 2: Deciding Upon the Scope
Week 3: What Else Do I Need
Week 4: Writing the Opening
This is an email class. You’ll receive the lesson and assignment for the week each Monday morning, with assignments due on Sunday. Each assignment will receive written feedback, and student questions are encouraged.
When: Mondays, Jan 26, Feb 2, 9, 16
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members $240
Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.
— Anne Lamott
How many times have you had a terrific idea that stayed just that — a terrific idea — because you didn’t have a process for getting beyond that point? In this four-week tutorial, you’ll go from idea to opening with a solid vision for your work of fiction or nonfiction.
Week 1: Productive Brainstorming
Week 2: Deciding Upon the Scope
Week 3: What Else Do I Need
Week 4: Writing the Opening
This is an email class. You’ll receive the lesson and assignment for the week each Monday morning, with assignments due on Sunday. Each assignment will receive written feedback, and student questions are encouraged.
Nonfiction
The News as Inspiration: Writing Timely Personal Essays — Elise Seyfried (4 sessions)
When: Mondays, Feb 2, 9, 16, 23
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members $240
Can you write compelling personal essays based on headline news? Absolutely! In fact, these are some of the pieces most likely to be published in newspapers and magazines. Elise has published many of these, and will guide you through the process. In this four-week online class, you’ll connect current events with elements from your own life, to create deeply resonant essays. Note: in keeping with the mission of RBWG, this course is a “politics-free” zone. There’s a whole world of other timely topics, from pop culture, to upcoming holidays, to science discoveries — there’ll be plenty to write about!
100-Word Dash: Nonfiction Mini-Essays in a Flash — Elise Seyfried (4 sessions)
When: Mondays, March 9, 16, 23, 30
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members $240
We Guild members well know the 300-word limit on essays read at Night of Songs and Stories and Art in the AM. It’s a definite challenge to boil your reading down to only 300 words, right? Well — how about 100 words? That’s the limit for a New York Times ”Tiny Love Story.” These brief tales pack quite an emotional punch, every word precisely chosen (because there isn’t a single one to waste). Join Elise for a four-week online adventure in (very short) prose! You’ll receive weekly prompts, and write four slices of distilled life. Is less really more? You’re about to find out!
When: Mondays, Feb 2, 9, 16, 23
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members $240
Can you write compelling personal essays based on headline news? Absolutely! In fact, these are some of the pieces most likely to be published in newspapers and magazines. Elise has published many of these, and will guide you through the process. In this four-week online class, you’ll connect current events with elements from your own life, to create deeply resonant essays. Note: in keeping with the mission of RBWG, this course is a “politics-free” zone. There’s a whole world of other timely topics, from pop culture, to upcoming holidays, to science discoveries — there’ll be plenty to write about!
100-Word Dash: Nonfiction Mini-Essays in a Flash — Elise Seyfried (4 sessions)
When: Mondays, March 9, 16, 23, 30
Where: Online via Email
Cost: RBWG Members $200; Non-Members $240
We Guild members well know the 300-word limit on essays read at Night of Songs and Stories and Art in the AM. It’s a definite challenge to boil your reading down to only 300 words, right? Well — how about 100 words? That’s the limit for a New York Times ”Tiny Love Story.” These brief tales pack quite an emotional punch, every word precisely chosen (because there isn’t a single one to waste). Join Elise for a four-week online adventure in (very short) prose! You’ll receive weekly prompts, and write four slices of distilled life. Is less really more? You’re about to find out!
Copyright © Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild