Writing Starters... and the Focus on Form Seminars!

Spring making you antsy to start some new work?

Try one of these great writing-starters from Nancy Pinard (author, AWW alumna, and 2010 AWW Faculty member):
Copy out the first line of a published story that you haven't yet read. Change the nouns. Use it to start your own story.
Eavesdrop on others' conversations. Take a line out of context. Use it to start a story. Ex: "I want you to leave him alone."
Choose a well-known fairy tale such as "The Three Little Pigs" and write a contemporary tale using "characters" from your neighborhood.
Tell a family story, but change each of the family member's genders and allow that to inform/determine what happens.
Nancy is the Mentor-Leader for our Focus on Form afternoon seminar. This seminar does not require a manuscript... in fact, you get to start three works--fiction, poetry, and non-fiction--during the first three afternoons. Then during the final three afternoons, Nancy serves as Mentor to help participants develop that work more fully. By the end of the week... you have a solid piece of work to take home and continue creating!

Nancy was our Focus on Form afternoon seminar Mentor last year, and her participants were thrilled and amazed at how much creative work they developed in just six afternoons. Several of these participants read during the final workshop night at the Participant Reading... and everyone else was also very impressed with the work they started during the Focus on Form seminar.

In fact, it was such a success that we decided to offer Focus on Form two ways:
As part of the Full Week seminar, under Nancy's mentorship. (These students attend morning classes and have full week perks, then attend the Focus on Form seminar in the afternoon.). Greg Hoard leads the non-fiction afternoon; Herb Woodward Martin leads the poetry afternoon; Nancy leads the fiction afternoon and the mentoring portion of the seminar.
As an A La Carte seminar--same concept, but these participants go to their own Focus on Form seminar, afternoons only, from 2:30-5:00. Rebecca Morean (published author and Sinclair Community College instructor) is the Mentor for this option. This is perfect for those who would like to explore their creative writing in a seminar setting, but not attend morning classes. Offered at a reduced rate; see our A La Carte page for details. Jeff Bruce leads the non-fiction afternoon; Jamey Dunham leads the poetry afternoon; Rebecca leads the fiction afternoon and the mentoring portion of the seminar.

Please see Faculty page for full bios for all instructors.