Several weeks ago, we posted about writing workshops, wondering if there were an interest among active and aspiring writers. One thing led to another, and with the help of the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) and the National Endowment for the Arts, plus the fiscal sponsorship of Alaska Sisters in Crime, we’re gearing up for our first 49 Writers Workshop: Finding Your Voice. Thanks to ASCA workshop grant funding, we’re able to offer six hours of top-quality workshop instruction at the low rate of $35 per person.
Finding Your Voice will be held in two Saturday sessions: January 30 and February 6, 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., in the upstairs conference room of the Elim Café, 561 W. Dimond Blvd, Anchorage. Participation is limited to the first 15 who register with payment. (Pre-payments are non-refundable, but they are transferable.) Participants must attend both sessions, and of course the $35 fee covers both.
Page through rejection letters, study agent blogs, interview publishers, and a common theme emerges: Everyone’s looking for authentic voice. But what does that mean, and how does one achieve it? Whether you write poetry, fiction, or non-fiction, developing voice is essential to good writing. During our workshop, Andromeda and I will offer strategies, exercises, and critiques designed to help writers discover and enhance the key element of voice in all stages of their craft, from prewriting through revision. In Session One, participants will develop a working definition of voice as we discuss why voice matters. We’ll examine models of both narrative and character voice, and through various exercises, we’ll probe the origins of voice and pitfalls that stifle voice.
Following a week of individual practice, participants will bring their own working drafts to Session Two, where they’ll tap the emotional core of their work to strengthen voice. Through various exercises, we’ll explore how mimicry and manipulation can, paradoxically, free natural voice. We’ll practice identification and correction of overwriting and underwriting along with revision techniques that refine and enhance voice, ending with a question and answer session and celebration of achievements in voice.
Intrigued? Fill out a registration form and submit payment to secure your spot; if you prefer a form you can complete online, email me and I’ll send it as a Word attachment. Remember, registration is limited to the first fifteen paid participants.
We’re excited to offer this opportunity to Anchorage area writers, and we’re considering more workshops in the future. Are there topics you’d especially like us to offer? Leave a comment here, or vote in our sidebar Workshop Poll. We’re looking forward to exchanging great ideas and information in a productive workshop format.