Writing: Method and Motivation

Description

A workshop for anyone who wants to write, or wants to infuse their existing writing practice with new energy. In each class, we'll consider one element of fiction or creative non-fiction, such as point of view, narrative voice, and what makes a piece of writing riveting, or boring. Students can expect in-class writing prompts, reading aloud, and optional homework. Positive encouragement, rather than formal critiques, will be featured, and inspiration and organization for writers will be discussed. Students should bring whatever they use to write to each class.

Facilitator

Valerie Block is the author of the novels Was It Something I Said? (SoHo Press), None of Your Business (Ballantine Books), and Don’t Make a Scene (Ballantine Books). These books are novels of (bad) manners set in present-day New York City.

Born and raised in New York City, she received a BA from Barnard College and an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She has been a fellow at Hawthornden International Retreat for Writers, and a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome.