Our Chapter offers online workshops and classes that vary in length and are conducted via email loops. With convenient member and non-member pricing, our classes are open to anyone who wants to participate. The deadline to register for all classes is the 7th day before the start of the workshop unless otherwise noted. (All amounts below are in U S Dollars only.)
NEW WORKSHOP POLICY AS OF JANUARY 1, 2011: All payments, whether snail mail or PayPal, must be received by the registration deadline of 7 days before the start of the workshop unless otherwise noted.
If you wish to cancel your workshop registration and you notify us at least 7 days prior to the start date of the workshop, your payment may be applied to a future Elements workshop of equal value or you may request a refund.
To inquire, please contact our Workshop Coordinator at workshops@elementsofrwa.com.
NOTE: If you have any questions or have not received an e-mail invitation to join the online workshop within four days prior to the start date of your class, please contact the Workshop Coordinator at workshops@elementsofrwa.com
2011
June July August September October November December
2011 Workshops
June 2011
No workshop
July 2011
No workshop
August 2011
Deep POV
by Camy Tang
August 1 - 12
REGISTRATION ENDS July 27th
Non-members $15; Elements Members $9
Description:
Want to rivet your reader to the page? Want to make your writing richer emotionally? Want your characters to be more vivid? Learn ways to draw the reader into the mind, body, and soul of your characters through deep point of view techniques. By the end of the class you’ll have:
1) Ways to strengthen the emotional writing and draw the reader deeper into the character’s point of view.
2) An understanding of the structural elements of a scene to help you know when and how to add deep-POV emotions.
3) Tips for how to tweak wording in order to deepen point of view on a minute level, which contributes to a richer point of view for the manuscript as a whole.
4) A finely honed radar for spotting “Telling” and shallow POV through exercises and feedback on your own writing.
This two week workshop will consist of lessons, homework, and fun exercises for you to see lots of deep and shallow POV examples. You’ll learn lots of simple techniques to help you deepen your character’s point of view!
Bio:
Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Out now is her chick lit Sushi series (Sushi for One?, Only Uni, and Single Sashimi) and her romantic suspense, Deadly Intent. Originally from Hawaii, she worked as a biologist for 9 years, but now she is a staff worker for her San Jose church youth group and leads a worship team for Sunday service. She also runs the Story Sensei fiction critique service, which specializes in book doctoring. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels and ponders frivolous things. Visit her website at http://www.camytang.com/.
To register for this workshop, click here.
September 2011
Ergonomics
by Dale Mayer
September 12 - 30
REGISTRATION ENDS September 7th
Non-members $20; Elements Members $12
Description:
If you've ever endured the agony of neck strain or overuse of your mouse hand (and who hasn't?),don't miss this class. The world of a writer is unique. Many people laugh when you say you’re a hard-working writer—to them it’s an oxymoron. Everyone has this idea that writers sit at home with a cup of coffee, write for an hour or two, and produce huge money-making bestselling novels. Everyone has a good giggle over the concept—except for writers. Many long hours are spent in front of a computer in a world that is more isolated than most other jobs. Keeping healthy requires paying attention to several different aspects of this working lifestyle. This class focuses on the information to help you to understand proper ergonomics for writers, the problems associated with incorrect ergonomics, and ways to avoid getting into trouble. Catch the problems before they go bad.
Bio:
Freelance writer Dale Mayer is published in nonfiction on topics ranging from resume writing to the mortgage industry. Her latest contract is on gardening. A single mother of four, she successfully manages her full-time writing career around parental responsibilities and still squeezes in time to write new manuscripts each year. Her manuscripts have earned awards in the Emily and several other contests. Dale is currently working on another taut psychological suspense with romance and paranormal elements and has just completed a YA in the same genre. Learn more about her at www.dalemayer.com.
To register for this workshop, click here.
October 2011
Weapons for Writers
by Wendy Piper Rome and Mark Pfeiffer
October 3 - 28
Non-Members $25; Elements Member $15
Description:
WEAPONS FOR WRITERS
Law enforcement officers, members of the military, hunters, civilians, good guys, bad guys - writers put weapons in the hands of all sorts of characters. But do they 'get it right' in their manuscripts?
Which weapon should your hero carry? Would he carry a back-uppistol? Should he? A knife? What kind of knife? How about your heroine? Could she carry a .45? A .357 or .40? Maybe a 9mm? What's the difference between a revolver and a semi-automatic? What are some of the different types of ammo? Does it matter in your manuscript? How do hunting rifles and ammo differ from military and civilian ones? What is the realistic range of the rifle your military hero is using? Is there a rifle with greater range that you could put in his hands instead? What kinds of weapons should you give your law enforcement hero? Can your villain hit your hero by shooting through ten feet of water? Where can you find information that will help you develop accurate weapon scenes?
In Weapons for Writers, you'll learn the answers to these and many more questions. Mark Pfeiffer and Piper Rome will teach you how to choose the appropriate weapons for your characters and develop details that make your weapon scenes believable. If you've been using Hollywood and the media as points of reference, beware. They often get it wrong. This course will arm you with the facts and research sources you need to make your confrontation scenes accurate. Your confident inner muse can then make those scenes dynamic and exciting.
Bios:
Mark Pfeiffer, former Chief Petty Officer (US Navy), was a member of a shipboard counter-terrorism team. He was a competition rifle shooter, taking third place nationally in his class less than a week after a bilateral hernia operation. He is also a former law enforcement officer and former firefighter/EMT. He maintains a concealed carry permit, his preferred carry piece being a mildly customized 1911A1 .45 ACP. He has dabbled in writing fan fiction for several series he enjoys, and has been one of the experts on the "Weapons_Info" website on Yahoo groups for the past several years. As a deputy sheriff, he covered over 1,600 square miles of territory that included parts of the Navajo Indian Reservation, I-40, small cities, and large tracts of unincorporated areas where his nearest back-up was often an hour or more away.
Wendy "Piper" Rome has held a concealed carry permit for over fifteen years and rarely goes anywhere without her Glock .45 and a knife or two. She has trained tactically with both rifle and pistol, focusing on self defense, and maintains proficiency with her weapons on her own shooting range in the Shenandoah Valley. She has dissuaded a would-be mugger with a knife and dispatched another with her hands and high heel. Now retired from her career as an aviation trial attorney, she writes romantic suspense. She has been a contest judge, an editor and beta reader and she finaled in the only contest she entered. She is a member of RWA, KOD, Chesapeake Romance Writers, and Virginia Romance Writers and can be found answering weapons questions on several Yahoo groups including Weapons_Info, crimescenewriter, and CLUES-N-NEWS, the RWA Kiss of Death chapter's loop.
To register for this workshop, click here.
November 2011
No workshop
December 2011
No workshop
2012
January February March April May June
July August September October November December
January 2012
To be scheduled
February 2012
To be scheduled |
