Schedule

Plot can feel like the enemy. You’ve got a compelling voice, a rich premise, real momentum — and then the story stalls, collapses, or simply runs out of gas. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. In this session, you’ll learn how to work with plot — instead of feeling trapped by it. Through close readings of both classic and contemporary works, we’ll break down the mechanics of rising action, pacing, consequence, suspense, and character agency. You’ll explore why plot falls apart — and how to keep yours moving with purpose, tension, and emotional resonance. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this class will help you build stronger stories.

We’ll demystify the writing process, which may once have seemed intimidating. Writing is work; it’s a physical, if sedentary, activity. Writers write even when the writing’s not going well — especially when the writing’s not going well. We’ll discuss the craft of storytelling, explore the elements and techniques of flash fiction, and examine the qualities that make for vivid and compelling flash fiction. You’ll read exemplary short-short stories that will inspire, provoke, and serve as models for your own stories. You’ll write up a storm following the prompts and exercises. You’ll play with found forms and invent your own. You’ll get writing and you’ll keep writing. You’ll learn that your characters, your settings, and your themes are out there in the world. You’ll learn to look, to listen, to pay attention, and to notice, the fiction writer’s first job. The act of writing itself, you’ll realize, is its own reward. And the more you write, the more you'll want to write.

The simple answer is: don’t let your main character get killed. The larger answer is: You have to create a character people don’t have easy opinions about. In this workshop, we’ll look at how one develops a character they can use over the course of several books and stories, strategies for keeping the character fresh, and how to not accidentally chop off one of their limbs, unless your character is Luke Skywalker. We’ll also discuss turning one idea into a durable franchise that can sustain your through your career. We’ll touch on iconic books, TV shows and films to build our perfect dramatic device: a character you can’t stop loving.

This class will teach you to read as a writer. (It may dampen the naive joy of reading for pleasure a bit). 

We'll use outside texts to answer the elemental questions of story telling. And we'll look at things that lit classes don't: how to begin a story, say; how to introduce a character. And we'll take up such questions as, “What is the relationship of plot to sub-plot? How does one hold the reader's attention?” Of course, in Art, rules must be flexible—but I ask my students to think of writing in strategic terms; each story-telling decision needs to make tactical sense. With that in mind, we'll examine—with so much esprit de corps as to arouse envy—the tenets of the Art of Fiction. 

Grab your listener right away then keep them riveted. Like every story, stories told out loud need a change in the narrator and high stakes. In Writing a Story to Tell Out Loud, you’ll write to a prompt and receive feedback on your draft. Even if you sweat through your shirt at the thought of sharing your writing out loud, this workshop is so much fun, or no money back. You won’t be made to sweat if you don’t want to. Promise. You’ll leave with Writing Class Radio’s top tips for making your story a stage hit. 

P.S. This class is also amazing if you want to write personal essays with no intention of telling them out loud.

This workshop in writing fiction focuses on aspects of story invention including place, movement, and territory, character connections, secrets and discoveries, suspense and surprise, and the measure of change which the story can plausibly present. The uses of point of view and time structure choices, as well as the real or invented worlds where a story can be set, are aspects which a writer can develop in stages, through images, maps, charts, lists, sketches, building scenes and discovering unexpected possibilities. 

Russel Edson has called the prose poem “a cast-iron aeroplane that can actually fly, mainly because the pilot doesn't seem to care if it does or not,” while Laura Sullivan explains that the language of prose poems is for “people who don't often get to hold the floor and know at any moment they may be cut off.” In this generative workshop we will explore prose poems as "shape" (think beds, billboards, mattresses, paintings), as fables, as meditations, and more. Please bring a favorite small object for the “deep image” emulation. Please also bring your sense of play. Or as Beckian Fritz Goldberg puts it, “The prose poem is like the ugliest girl at the party who is having the best time. To which I say, Party on.”

In this workshop, we'll read together from assorted flash lyric essays that exemplify some of the most memorable features of the genre. We'll write in response to the invitations, permissions, and prompts gleaned from these essays, and participants will be able to share emulations as they choose. Everyone will leave the workshop with recommendations for future reading and publications where they can send polished work.

The TV Writing Crash Course is a comprehensive study of multiple tentpole components of screenwriting that offer deep insight into the craft. Whether you are just a fan of scripted television or an aspiring writer yourself, you will leave this workshop with significantly more knowledge about the nuances and specifics of TV writing. After dissecting the form, we will breakdown an episode of TV live to reveal the DNA that makes it so effective.

We’ll demystify the writing process, which may once have seemed intimidating. Writing is work; it’s a physical, if sedentary, activity. Writers write even when the writing’s not going well — especially when the writing’s not going well. We’ll discuss the craft of storytelling, explore the elements and techniques of flash fiction, and examine the qualities that make for vivid and compelling flash fiction. You’ll read exemplary short-short stories that will inspire, provoke, and serve as models for your own stories. You’ll write up a storm following the prompts and exercises. You’ll play with found forms and invent your own. You’ll get writing and you’ll keep writing. You’ll learn that your characters, your settings, and your themes are out there in the world. You’ll learn to look, to listen, to pay attention, and to notice, the fiction writer’s first job. The act of writing itself, you’ll realize, is its own reward. And the more you write, the more you'll want to write.

The hermit crab essay is a fun short form gaining in popularity — an essay that borrows its structure from an ordinary non-literary source, such as a recipe, a crossword puzzle, or a questionnaire, and uses that structure to propel itself forward, much like the vulnerable hermit crab borrows another creature’s shell to make its way across the dangerous ocean floor.  As we look at examples by Brenda Miller, Suzanne Farrell Smith, Esme Weijun Wang, Michael Martone, Anuska Jasraj, Lauren Trembath-Neuberger, Carmella Guiol, Patrick Madden, and Jill Talbot, I’ll share some tips and tricks about this hybrid form that’s surprising successful at helping writers access difficult material. We’ll end our session with a prompt followed by writing time and then share our hermit crabs with the class.

The simple answer is: don’t let your main character get killed. The larger answer is: You have to create a character people don’t have easy opinions about. In this workshop, we’ll look at how one develops a character they can use over the course of several books and stories, strategies for keeping the character fresh, and how to not accidentally chop off one of their limbs, unless your character is Luke Skywalker. We’ll also discuss turning one idea into a durable franchise that can sustain your through your career. We’ll touch on iconic books, TV shows and films to build our perfect dramatic device: a character you can’t stop loving.

Grammy-nominated songwriter Tift Merritt has been writing songs for over twenty years. In this session, she'll share the tenets and values behind her own writing, performing songs from her catalog to illustrate them. Participants are invited to bring their questions for an open Q&A on craft, process, and the writing life. The session will also include a live workshop, where a small group of writers can share a song-in-progress and receive direct feedback from Tift.

Grab your listener right away then keep them riveted. Like every story, stories told out loud need a change in the narrator and high stakes. In Writing a Story to Tell Out Loud, you’ll write to a prompt and receive feedback on your draft. Even if you sweat through your shirt at the thought of sharing your writing out loud, this workshop is so much fun, or no money back. You won’t be made to sweat if you don’t want to. Promise. You’ll leave with Writing Class Radio’s top tips for making your story a stage hit. 

P.S. This class is also amazing if you want to write personal essays with no intention of telling them out loud.

This workshop in writing fiction focuses on aspects of story invention including place, movement, and territory, character connections, secrets and discoveries, suspense and surprise, and the measure of change which the story can plausibly present. The uses of point of view and time structure choices, as well as the real or invented worlds where a story can be set, are aspects which a writer can develop in stages, through images, maps, charts, lists, sketches, building scenes and discovering unexpected possibilities.

Russel Edson has called the prose poem “a cast-iron aeroplane that can actually fly, mainly because the pilot doesn't seem to care if it does or not,” while Laura Sullivan explains that the language of prose poems is for “people who don't often get to hold the floor and know at any moment they may be cut off.” In this generative workshop we will explore prose poems as "shape" (think beds, billboards, mattresses, paintings), as fables, as meditations, and more. Please bring a favorite small object for the “deep image” emulation. Please also bring your sense of play. Or as Beckian Fritz Goldberg puts it, “The prose poem is like the ugliest girl at the party who is having the best time. To which I say, Party on.”

Got wanderlust? Learn how to quench it with your pen. Together, we will explore ways of weaving observations from our travels into story arcs to recreate a sense of place with exquisite sensory detail. We will debate the ethical considerations inherent in this genre as we strive to portray the lives of others with dignity. Our class will conclude with a business overview, including how and where to publish your travel memoirs, as well as tips for seeing the world on someone else’s budget via press trips, grants, magazine assignments, and book contracts. So: lace up your boots! In this class, we’ll be roaming.

Plot can feel like the enemy. You’ve got a compelling voice, a rich premise, real momentum — and then the story stalls, collapses, or simply runs out of gas. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. In this session, you’ll learn how to work with plot — instead of feeling trapped by it. Through close readings of both classic and contemporary works, we’ll break down the mechanics of rising action, pacing, consequence, suspense, and character agency. You’ll explore why plot falls apart — and how to keep yours moving with purpose, tension, and emotional resonance. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this class will help you build stronger stories.

The TV Writing Crash Course is a comprehensive study of multiple tentpole components of screenwriting that offer deep insight into the craft. Whether you are just a fan of scripted television or an aspiring writer yourself, you will leave this workshop with significantly more knowledge about the nuances and specifics of TV writing. After dissecting the form, we will breakdown an episode of TV live to reveal the DNA that makes it so effective.

The hermit crab essay is a fun short form gaining in popularity — an essay that borrows its structure from an ordinary non-literary source, such as a recipe, a crossword puzzle, or a questionnaire, and uses that structure to propel itself forward, much like the vulnerable hermit crab borrows another creature’s shell to make its way across the dangerous ocean floor.  As we look at examples by Brenda Miller, Suzanne Farrell Smith, Esme Weijun Wang, Michael Martone, Anuska Jasraj, Lauren Trembath-Neuberger, Carmella Guiol, Patrick Madden, and Jill Talbot, I’ll share some tips and tricks about this hybrid form that’s surprising successful at helping writers access difficult material. We’ll end our session with a prompt followed by writing time and then share our hermit crabs with the class.

Got wanderlust? Learn how to quench it with your pen. Together, we will explore ways of weaving observations from our travels into story arcs to recreate a sense of place with exquisite sensory detail. We will debate the ethical considerations inherent in this genre as we strive to portray the lives of others with dignity. Our class will conclude with a business overview, including how and where to publish your travel memoirs, as well as tips for seeing the world on someone else’s budget via press trips, grants, magazine assignments, and book contracts. So: lace up your boots! In this class, we’ll be roaming.

This class will teach you to read as a writer. (It may dampen the naive joy of reading for pleasure a bit). 

We'll use outside texts to answer the elemental questions of story telling. And we'll look at things that lit classes don't: how to begin a story, say; how to introduce a character. And we'll take up such questions as, “What is the relationship of plot to sub-plot? How does one hold the reader's attention?” Of course, in Art, rules must be flexible—but I ask my students to think of writing in strategic terms; each story-telling decision needs to make tactical sense. With that in mind, we'll examine—with so much esprit de corps as to arouse envy—the tenets of the Art of Fiction. 

Mike Bodayle has recently self-published his first book, A League of His Own. More than just a memoir — it’s a heartfelt story of a father and son bound together by baseball, family, and the ever-changing rhythms of life in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Set against the backdrop of the 1960s, young Mickey comes of age while his father, Mike, turns a dream into reality by creating a Cinderella softball league that brought life to their blue-collar town. That vision led to a legendary game, now preserved as part of Bayonne’s history.

Through vivid stories of the Great Depression, the turbulent Sixties, and the timeless bond between father and son, this book captures not only the spirit of baseball but the resilience of family, community, and dreams reimagined.

Using this book as a backdrop, Mike will present the story and process behind writing this memoir. With a primary motivation of encouragement for us all to pass on our memories to future generations, he will go over some of the dos and don’ts of the memoir-writing process.

In addition, Mike will discuss the self-publishing process with the tips he has learned along the way. He will also discuss his passion for music-related historical fiction and his upcoming debut novel.

Mike has made this presentation several times now to community organizations, and it has been well-received by both novice and experienced writers.