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Novel in a Day – Back by Popular Demand!

by Mary Ann de Stefano on March 30, 2012

Vic DiGenti is a superb instructor and offered a well-organized, interactive workshop. Great takeaway. A good session for both novice and experienced writers. –Nancy Fox

Writers today face an uphill climb. The competition is fierce, the learning curve steep. There’s no magic wand, but by learning the basic techniques for crafting a novel, the beginning writer can quickly flatten the learning curve.

Novel in a Day Workshop packs a year’s worth of learning into a day-long interactive session filled with practical advice and solid instruction. For both beginning writers and more advanced pros looking for new insights, this workshop provides writers with the tools needed to craft their own novel—a novel that will grab a reader’s attention and keep them turning the pages.

Here are some of the topics covered:

  • Elements of plot and structure
  • Creating characters that sizzle
  • Secrets of good dialogue
  • Crafting strong beginnings, middles and ends
  • Deciphering point of view
  • Tips for self-editing

Vic DiGentiVic DiGenti is the instructor for this up-beat and fast-paced workshop. Vic is the author of three award-winning adventure/fantasy novels, Windrusher, Windrusher and the Cave of Tho-hoth, and Windrusher and the Trail of Fire (Ocean Publishing). His unpublished mystery, Matanzas Bay, won the 2007 Josiah Bancroft Award and was named a Book of the Year in the 2009 Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition. It was recently published under the pen name Parker Francis as both an ebook and a trade paperback.

Vic is a Regional Director and board member of Florida Writers’ Association, a member of Florida Sisters in Crime, and Mystery Writers of America.

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Poetry for Beginners

by Mary Ann de Stefano on March 29, 2012

If you don’t write poetry, are afraid to write poetry or have no idea if what you’re writing is actually poetry, this workshop is for you. Although there’s no secret handshake, the elements of poetry are straightforward (imagery, compressed language, sensory details), and reading exceptional poems is one of the best ways to learn about poetic techniques.

In this workshop, you will be inspired to write your own haunting images, and you’ll leave with first drafts of poems, a list of accomplished poets whose work you can enjoy later, and a taste of the delight that comes from creating poetry.

terry godbeyTerry Godbey’s poetry chapbook Flame was published in February 2012, and she’s the author of two previous collections, Beauty Lessons and Behind Every Door. Her poems have appeared in literary magazines including Rattle, Poet Lore, Harpur Palate, Pearl, CALYX and Slipstream. She is a winner of the Rita Dove Poetry Award and a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. She supports her poetry habit by working as a freelance writer and editor. [Read more » »]

Writing Workhop at Kerouac House

by Mary Ann de Stefano on March 13, 2012

kerouac projectOn Saturday April 28,  The Jack Kerouac Writers-in-Residence Project of Orlando partners with MAD about Words to offer you the opportunity to learn from and write with Leslie Parry, the current writer-in-residence at Kerouac House.

How to Get Started

One of the biggest struggles when it comes to writing is simply getting started.  What should I write about?  Where does the story begin?  Whose point-of-view do I choose?  How do I even find the time to write, anyway?  We’ll talk about the choices you face, both technical and imaginative, when you sit down to write, as well as the challenges of finding the right form for your project.  There will be several short creative exercises to help get you started.

leslie parryLeslie Parry is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow in fiction.  Her stories have appeared in The Virginia Quarterly Review, Indiana Review, Cream City Review, and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, and have been nominated for a National Magazine Award and a Pushcart Prize.

[Read more » »]

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