A Year's Worth of Classes
All Pennwriters Courses are conducted in a “live” presentation format utilizing the Zoom platform. If a conflict arises based on the required meeting times, please contact the instructor and Online Courses Coordinator to find a possible solution. ALL sessions will be recorded and will be available for students.
Please note that days and times of meetings vary each month. If you have further questions, please contact Dan Arndt
All Pennwriters events, including online classes and other meetings are easily found on the website calendar.
An updated yearly list will be loaded to the documents library soon!
Line Up of Classes for 2023
June 2023 Online Class: Craft: Putting the Art & Science of the Writing Process to Work for You With Kathleen Shoop
This class will meet on Zoom on Tuesdays in June: June 6, 13, 20, & 27 from 7PM to 8PM
Find all the details for this class at this link.
Description:
A course for writers from those who’ve just now opened their first story document to the wise old owls who need to take a fresh look at enriching the stories they tell. Writers of every genre will benefit from this course.
What’s the problem? You can’t “find” your voice. Your characters are stale little cardboard versions of who they should be. You’re overwhelmed with what it takes to make them breathe and create a setting that readers can step into from page one. You’re troubled by info dumps that suffocate and cause readers to put your book down. Your work is not inspiring you to query it or to share it with your readers.
July Online Class: Watch Your Gas Milage: Cutting Words and Writing Tight with Kathy Otten
This class will meet on Sundays, July 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2023, on Zoom from 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM
Find all the details at this link.
Description:
In the same way a driver economizes their gas mileage by condensing trips and monitoring driving habits, as writers we need to do the same with the words we choose to put on paper. As we rewrite, plot, story arcs, and character development are the points of our focus. Scenes and characters are added and omitted. Cut, paste, and delete are part of that tedious process. But when your manuscript is finally finished and ready to send off into the big wide world of the reader, hold off on hitting that submit button. Take the time to search your manuscript for places to cut words and tighten your piece.
August Online Class: Self-Publishing 101 with Instructor Abigail Drake
This class will meet for one-hour Zoom sessions on Tuesdays 7:00pm - 8:00pm
August 1, 8, 15, 22.
4 assignments (one per week)
Find all details at this link.
Description:
Are you intrigued by the idea of self-publishing, but don’t know where to start? Are you a traditionally published author who wants to rerelease a previously published book on your own? Never fear. Abigail Drake is here to take you by the hand and teach you step-by-step how to do it, and it’s not really as scary or as difficult as you might think.
In this course, we will:
1.Make sure your book is ready to be self-published.
2.Evaluate editors and cover artists.
3.Create a Kindle Direct Press account.
4.Build your Author Central page.
5.Analyze the merits of Kindle Unlimited.
6.Discuss going wide, and what it could mean for your books.
7.Dive into the merits of IngramSpark.
8.Learn about copyrights and ISBNs.
9.Work on blurbs, bios, and formatting.
10.Decide when and how to hit that magic “publish” button.
September Online Class: Romancing Your Muse: The Art of Retreating From Home with Kathleen Shoop
.This class will meet on Zoom every Tuesday in September: September 5, 12, 19, & 26 from 7PM to 8PM.
Find all the details at this link
Course Information:
A course that brings the magic of Mindful Writers Retreats right into your home. For writers of every genre, age, and stage! For authors who want to learn to layer the elements of retreating into their lives as a means to boost writing volume, quality, and career satisfaction.
Description:
The opportunity to get away with fellow writers to focus on writing without home and work distractions is a gift. But it’s possible to introduce the elements of Mindful Writers Retreats into daily life and reap the benefits without leaving the house. This workshop will introduce you to methods and ways to make the writing grind feel more like the incredible experience it ought to be.
Kathleen has co-coordinated over 22 Mindful Writers Retreats for fellow authors of every genre. She’s ready to share the magic with you!
I have a question about the fees for this or another class...
Any and all money questions should be directed to our Club Treasurer.
Treasurer