The

Writers'

Workshoppe

820 Water Street

Port Townsend, Washington

1-360-379-2617

Hours: Wed - Sat 11am - 5 pm, Sun 12-4 pm

820 Water Street
Port Townsend , WA 98368
ph: 360-379-2617
alt: 206-697-9661
annaquinn@writersworkshoppe.com

SPRING workshop schedule

“The act of writing is a way to possess your own life.” - Cassil

We welcome anyone who desires to express themselves through the written word, no matter how much or how little experience they may have.

Most workshops are limited to six students, so sign up early.

Workshops held
Wednesdays through Sundays
Wednesdays

Creative Exercises w/Anna Quinn, Mar 17 - Apr 28, 1:00-2:00, 7 weeks, $70

“Is it not of the imagination that the sharpest pleasures arise?” DeSade

Writing exercises have long been a part of elevating the art of writing for new and established writers. Just as every singer, dancer, visual artist, must constantly practice, so too must the writer. Come lose yourself in the magic of creating and tap into the energy that keeps your writing alive.

Works-In-Progress w/Anna Quinn, Mar 17 - Apr 28, 3:00-4:00, 7 weeks, $70

“You are in the midst of a moving process. Nothing fails then. All goes on. Work is done. If good, you learn from it. If bad, you learn even more.” – Ray Bradbury
Whether you are on the first sentence or the last sentence of a novel, a short story, memoir, or magazine article, this workshop will take your writing to the next level. Maybe you wonder if your characters breathe? Or if your flashbacks work? Should you switch to third person? Is your imagery vivid enough? Perhaps you even wonder if you are wasting your time. Each week you will bring a 300 word piece for the group to review. Worshop participants can help answer your questions and build your confidence. You will have supportive companions who understand the writing process.
Thursdays

Hesitant Writer w/Anna Quinn, Mar 18 - Apr 29, 12:00-1:00, 7 weeks, $70

“Do you have the courage to bring forth this work?” –Jack Gilbert

The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say “yes.” Maybe you only wish you could write, or perhaps you’ve been writing great stories in your mind, but just can’t seem to get them on paper. Maybe your friends say you write great letters and you should “do something with that talent.” Whatever your reason, through a series of imaginative writing exercises, this no-pressure workshop will help you build your confidence and discover the inexhaustible wealth of creativity within you.

Works-In-Progress w/Anna Quinn, Mar 18 - Apr 29, 2:00-3:00, 7 weeks, $70
“I try to leave out the parts that people skip.” - Elmore Leonard
Whether you are on the first sentence or the last sentence of a novel, a short story, memoir, or magazine article, this workshop will take your writing to the next level. Maybe you wonder if your characters breathe? Or if your flashbacks work? Should you switch to third person? Is your imagery vivid enough? Perhaps you even wonder if you are wasting your time. Each week you will bring a 300 word piece for the group to review. Worshop participants can help answer your questions and build your confidence. You will have supportive companions who understand the writing process.

Works-In-Progress w/Kathie Meyer

                Mar 18 – Apr 29, 3:30- 4:30 - 7 wks, $70
                Mar 18 – Apr 29, 7:00- 8:00 - 7 wks, $70
See Works-In-Progress description above.
Fridays

Works-In-Progress w/Anna Quinn, Mar 19 – Apr 30, 12:00-1:00, 7 wks, $70
Whether you are on the first sentence or the last sentence of a novel, a short story, memoir, or magazine article, this workshop will take your writing to the next level. Maybe you wonder if your characters breathe? Or if your flashbacks work? Should you switch to third person? Is your imagery vivid enough? Perhaps you even wonder if you are wasting your time. Each week you will bring a 300 word piece for the group to review. Worshop participants can help answer your questions and build your confidence. You will have supportive companions who understand the writing process.
Saturdays

Memoir-In-Progress w/Anna Quinn, Mar 20 – May 1, 11:00-12:00 7 wks, $70
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.” Anais Nin

To make readers care, your memoir must be told with the finesse of fiction. Whether you are on the first sentence or the last sentence of your memoir, you will learn to apply such craft elements as character, plot, description, dialogue, setting, pacing, and theme. This workshop is devoted almost exclusively to the reading, critiquing, and discussion of participant work. Work towards completion of your memoir in a supportive, challenging environment.

Poetry-In-Progress w/Peter Quinn, Mar 20 – May 1, 1:00-2:00 7 wks, $70
“Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.” Poe

Poetry is a very personal art form; at its best it flows freely from the heart and soul
of the poet. Poetry has stylistic conventions and rhythmic patterns that once understood can enhance the emotional content of your verse with design and structure. In this workshop, you will have the support of fellow poets encouraging your individual poetic “voice” and perhaps write something stronger and truer than ever before.

The Spirit of Place; Intensive Class in Writing about Travel and Home, w/Barbara Sjoholm, March 13th, 3:00 - 6:00 pm. $80

Join Barbara Sjoholm for an afternoon of writing about the spirit of place. This class, for the more experienced writer, is a chance to share your work in progress and discuss aspects of what makes for evocative descriptive writing. Whether you write memoir, travel articles, or fiction with a strong sense of locale, learning to create memorable settings, seasons, and weeathers can help your work shine.

How to Write and Publish Your Op-Ed Piece w/Ross Anderson, March 20, 1:00-3:00 pm, $25

Even as they struggle for survival, newspapers are looking for good, smart “oped”s, or opinions from people who are not journalists. They particularly want thoughtful articles from scientists, medical professionals, or others with expertise in complex areas. Alas, most people aren’t sure how to write an oped, or how to market it.  Ross Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and former editorial writer and columnist at the Seattle Times, offers some simple advice on how to state and market your opinion so that it is more likely to be published by a newspaper, website or blog.
Participants are invited to email in advance a draft op-ed or blog posting, or even a rough outline -- an expository argument on a local, regional or national issue, about 600 words, that they would like to see printed in the Leader, PDN, Seattle Times or, for that matter, the NY Times.  We will use a selection of these submissions to discuss what they might do to make it more marketable to oped editors.

Writing Query Letters, w/Mary Buckham, Mar 27, 3:00-6:00, $30

Why is it so hard to write a query letter? Well, because an author's career depends on the response! This doesn’t make the job any easier when a writer who routinely creates compelling prose is suddenly forced to create a sales tool.
Mary Buckham knows a writer’ query letter has to work harder than ever before in a tight market. In this workshop, which includes critiques for any writers willing to share their work, she brings 20 plus years of writing and selling writing experience to the task of identifying what makes people want to buy a product - any product - and how to convince them YOURS is the one they want.

Children’s Bookmaking Workshop w/Kathie Meyer, Apr 3, 1:00-5:00, $60 includes materials.

Write your own story; make your own book. This writing class designed for kids ages 9-12 has two short writing exercises along with two hands-on projects. Award-winning journalist/highly creative person, Kathie Meyer will talk about the history of writing and bookmaking while students create a handmade book and art portfolio to take home after class.

Ten Simple Self-editing Steps w/Kathie Meyer, Apr 10, 1:00 – 4:00, $30
It’s been said a poem isn’t done until words can neither be added to or subtracted from it. So it is also with prose. Endear yourself to editors and make that manuscript shine by following 10 simple self-editing steps. Bring a short manuscript of prose of no more than 500 words.

Weekend Poetry Workshop w/Gary Lilley, Apr 17-18, 10:00-4:00, $200

Following the path of the poem, letting it lead you, will reveal strategies for getting
out of the way of your creative self to let the poem generate its own resonate heat. It will provide the writer a literary tool-bag of elements, the right tools for use in the revision process that is most important in developing personally satisfying, richly detailed, poetry.    This workshop is for writers of all levels. It is craft oriented, utilizing the close read, the analytical process, and discovery within your own work in a fun, non-competitive and supportive workshop setting. If you are creating new poems this workshop will help you to start the process with stronger drafts, and if you consider yourself a higher level writer this workshop will move you towards achieving a more dynamic overall quality in finishing your poems.

Soul Collage w/Carol Fischbach, Apr 18, 1:00-4:00 , $50 Includes materials

Learn to create Soul Collage™ cards - a tool for personal and inner exploration developed by collage artist and psychotherapist Seena Frost. Use your intuition and imagination to create your own deck of Soul Collage™ cards that you can then interpret for a better understanding of your life's journey. Learn about the four major suits and how you can use your cards to do readings for yourself and others. Collage is a process by which we are drawn to certain pictures, colors or shapes that become messengers from our soul and tell us about ourselves and our relationships to others. Each card allows you to access your deep inner wisdom. Join us in a workshop that will explore the deeper meaning in your life and all you need to bring is a journal, some favorite pictures if you'd like, and your sense of adventure and curiosity.
Grammar Gripes w/ Wendy Chapman, Apr 24, 10:00- 12:00 $25
Sharpen grammar and punctuation skills with explanation, practice, and humor
. An engaging two-hour workshop for people who know what they want to write but who aren’t totally confident in their use of grammar and punctuation. This concise, respectful and entertaining class targets only the most common errors. Grammar questions like “Should I use affect or effect? Lay or lie? Am I hoping I was or hoping I were? Punctuation questions like “Does a period go inside or outside a quotation mark? Do I need to use a comma or nothing?”

Plotting Your Novel In Two Days w/ Mary Buckham, June 5 – June 6, 9-5, $250
Have you hit the point where you’re stuck in your story?
Do you need to find a more efficient way to create strong stories in a timely manner? Do you want to write a bigger, more complex, character-driven story?
Do you need a simple way to find plot holes? Would you like lots of one-on-one time over a two-day period with a multi-published author/writing craft instructor to make sure your plot is as strong as possible?

Author Mary Buckham is a national speaker who teamed up to create the highly successful Break Into Fiction® Template Teaching Series, which is now out in a book, Break Into Fiction: 11 steps to Building a Story that Sells. Join Mary as she shows you how to plot a strong story in two-days that will hum with potential.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Jon Franklin, who participated in a two-day Plotting Retreat with Mary, wrote a cover comment for their new book: “These writers know their business and, what¹s more, know how to explain it. Break into Fiction® is solidly grounded in storytelling fundamentals, but then goes much farther into the practical detail that determines whether your book will bring a check or a rejection slip.”
Sunday

Details, Details w/Anna Quinn,
When you write a story or article, you have more in mind than simply creating pictures. Every detail you choose evokes a feeling, creates a mood, develops a character and delivers a message. If it delivers the message you want, it works. If it delivers a message you don’t want, it doesn’t. At some level the reader is asking “Why are you telling me this?” and if she doesn’t understand why, she’ll create an answer or lose her bearings.
In this workshop we’ll look at effective ways to use detail to capture the reader’s imagination and keep your story in motion. We’ll look at how both “show” and “tell” can enrich a passage. You’ll not only tell the reader there’s a hallway, puddles and an elevator in the scene, but you’ll give him something to watch while you’re doing it.
Mar 21, 10:00 – 4:00 $60
Apr 25, 10:00 – 4:00 $60