Novels-In-Progress with Anna Quinn

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Dates: Saturdays, October 12th - November 16th
Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm
Cost: $250
Limited to: 6 participants -- FULL
Where: Imprint Bookstore

The intention of this workshop is to fully draw out the heart, energy, and uniqueness of your novel. Feedback will be open, honest and respectful, never harsh or prescriptive. The structure follows a conversational model with guided questions, rather than a traditional round-robin critique workshop. You as the writer, are an active participant in the discussion, and are free to ask clarifying questions, make comments, share your intentions, etc. throughout the conversation. As an instructor I switched to this model years ago, and I love how collaborative and informative it is for all, particularly in helping the author sharpen, refine and focus their work.
 
Each week participants will bring 7 copies of three pages of their novel, 12 font, double-spaced. There’ll be a short check-in with each participant regarding how their writing progressed (or didn't) that week. Next, we'll read your pages silently as if we were settled into our favorite chair at home, reading your novel. Then, we'll have a conversation centered around your piece. I’ll facilitate the discussion focused on the various elements of story; emotional resonance, character reveals and deepening through body language, action and dialogue, heartbeat moments, layers of meaning, sensory detail and imagery, setting, mood and tone. The last fifteen minutes will be an open Q&A discussion. By the end of our six weeks, you'll have deepened your editorial eye to better revise your own writing and feel even more motivated to keep writing. 

Anna Quinn is the author of The Night Child, (Blackstone, 2018) listed as #1 Best Real Psychological Fiction on Goodreads, and Ingram’s 2018 Best Book Group Book. Her second novel, Angeline, (Blackstone 2023) is a 2024 Foreword Review Winner and was nominated for a Washington State Book Award. Her work has garnered blurbs from Meg Waite Clayton, Luis Alberto Urrea, Elizabeth George, Pam Houston, Melissa Febos, Lidia Yuknavitch, Library Journal, and more. Quinn’s writing has appeared in Psychology Today, New York Times Book Review, Medium, Writer’s Digest, and the Alone Together Anthology. She’s been a writing instructor for three decades and is the former co-founder of The Writers’ Workshoppe.

Synopsis Writing One-Day Workshop with Nicole J. Persun

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Date: Saturday, October 26th
Time: 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Cost: $165
Limited to: 8 participants
Where: Imprint Bookstore

If you’ve written a book and are now in the querying phase of your publishing journey, you’ve likely been asked by an agent or publisher to provide a synopsis of your work. Many writers find this to be a challenging—even frustrating—task, but it doesn’t have to be!
 
In this workshop, we’ll discuss the key components of what makes a synopsis successful. We’ll identify the hook of your story, how to structure your synopsis clearly, and how to convey the plot and character arcs with clarity.
 
Please come to class with a draft of your one-page synopsis for us to kindly and thoughtfully workshop as a group. Participants will leave this workshop with a strong, polished synopsis that is ready to be sent out to agents and editors.

​Nicole J. Persun is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author with a master’s degree in creative writing and instruction. Nicole has taught writers as a keynote speaker, in large-scale class settings, intimate workshops, and one-on-one coaching for over twelve years. In her decade of serving on the board of the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association, Nicole got to know countless agents, editors, and publishers; this gave her a nuanced understanding of the publishing industry not just from her perspective as an author but also through the lens of industry professionals. If you’re looking to better position your writing for success in this competitive industry, Nicole’s your gal. For more information, visit nicolejpersun.com or jennifergoldauthor.com.

Alchemy of Story: Writing Picture Books with Faith Pray

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Date: Saturday, November 2nd
Time: 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Cost: $85
Limited to: 12 participants
Where: Online

Open to writers and illustrators of all experience levels. 

Do you want to write picture books? In this online generative workshop, come explore the alchemy of writing picture books with author-illustrator Faith Pray. Come prepared to mine for ideas, to discuss the bones of story structure, examine the familiar spells of pattern and language in picture books, and to spin new stories of your own. We will end with questions and an optional sharing session.  

Expect to come out of this class with 1-3 picture book ideas, a skeleton draft, fresh insights on your work, tips on leaving space for illustration on the page, and a general plan of what to do next.

​Faith Pray (yes, that’s her name, by marriage) is an award-winning children’s book author-illustrator from Port Townsend, Washington. After a stroke left her struggling to find her writing self again, Faith set out to tell stories through art as a form of therapy, and has since written and illustrated six books, plus more in the works. Faith is the author-illustrator of PERFECTLY IMPERFECT MIRA, THE STARKEEPER, THE DAY WE GOT LOST, and the illustrator of FINDING GRATEFUL by Dianne White, ONE DAY by Joanna Ho, and ONCE UPON A TIMELY by Lynn Parrish Sutton. Faith’s latest book THE DAY WE GOT LOST is set in the Pacific Northwest woods and is an ode to free spirits and adventure lovers everywhere.