For six Tuesdays beginning January 20, I'll be teaching Storytelling Techniques for Fiction Writers at my favorite indie bookstore, Vroman's in Pasadena, CA.
There's still room in the workshop, so if you're interested call Vroman's at 626-449-5320.
Here's a description of the class from Vroman's website:
Writing a compelling story is about
revealing the world of your protagonist in a way that keeps the reader
engaged and eager to know what happens next. In this class, novelist
Laurie Viera Rigler will explore how to “show, don't tell” and breathe
life into the page.
The principles and techniques she will cover include:
* establishing character goals and desires
* revealing internal and external conflict (obstacles to achieving those goals)
* choosing a point of view (first-person, third-person, or omniscient) that best serves your story
* unfolding events in immediate scene and narrative summary
* maintaining suspense and tension
* engaging the senses
* evoking emotions
* using metaphors and similes judiciously
* writing effective and engaging dialogue
* getting into and out of flashbacks
The class will include explanations and examples of these principles
plus in-class writing exercises that put the principles into practice.
If time permits, the instructor will read out the exercises students
wish to share and offer comments and suggestions. This is a safe and
encouraging environment in which there is no peer critiquing or
commenting.
Suggested (but not required) text: Stein on Writing by Sol Stein.
Instructor: Laurie Viera Rigler
Laurie Viera Rigler is the author of the Los Angeles Times best-selling novel Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict. In addition to teaching writing workshops at Vroman's, Laurie spent several years as a freelance book editor working with authors of fiction and nonfiction, from the birth of the story or concept to the finest polish of the finished manuscript.
