Workshop Descriptions & Instructors

Faith Adiele
Mary Allen
Kate Aspengren
Thomas Fox Averill
Nancy Barry
Timothy Bascom
Linda Bendorf
Venise Berry
Bruce Bond
Michael Dennis Browne
Susan Taylor Chehak
John Dalton
Thomas K. Dean
Amber Dermont
Kelly Dwyer
Hope Edelman
Josh Emmons
Katie Ford
Patricia Foster
Laura Fraser
Cecile Goding
Douglas Goetsch
Kevin González
John Griesemer
Sands Hall
Christine Hemp
Jim Heynen
Rick Hillis
Charles Holdefer
Richard Jackson
Cheryl Fusco Johnson
Wayne Johnson
Bret Anthony Johnston
Daniel Khalastchi
Zachary Lazar
Carolyn Lieberg
BK Loren
Fritz Mc Donald
James McKean
Gordon Mennenga
Katherine Min
Sharelle Byars Moranville
Michael Morse
Barbara Robinette Moss
Marc Nieson
Shannon Olson
Lon Otto
Juliet Patterson
Anjali Sachdeva
Sarah Saffian
Sam Samuels
Leslie Schwartz
Sandra Scofield
Mary Kay Shanley
Carol Spindel
Karen Subach
Mary Vermillion
Ashley Warlick
Jan Weissmiller
Bart Yates

Susan Taylor Chehak

Rendering Consciousness In Fiction: Time, Space, And The Infinite Inwardness Of Mind
Weekend Workshop
July 12–13 

Advanced Novel
One-Week Workshop
July 13–18 and July 27-Aug 1

The Seven Basic Plots
Weekend Workshop
July 19–20

Biography

Rendering Consciousness In Fiction: Time, Space, And The Infinite Inwardness Of Mind
Weekend Workshop
July 12–13

For centuries, science, psychology, and philosophy have grappled with the mysteries of inner life, but it is literature that has provided the most accurate record of human consciousness over time. In this class we’ll start by taking a look at how consciousness has been rendered by writers of fiction and see how recent discoveries in psychology and artificial intelligence have changed the way we’ve come to understand our inner worlds. Then we’ll turn to an analysis of perspective, describing and defining the advantages and limitations of various points of view. Finally, we’ll do some experimenting of our own, using writing exercises to discover some of the techniques that are available to the fiction writer as we work out how a shift in consciousness can be used to change the way we see our characters, our fiction, and ourselves.

Advanced Novel
One-Week Workshop
July 13–18

You’ve got a good start on your novel, maybe even a full first or second draft. What now? This workshop offers tactics for revision and editing to help you see your novel anew, in order to find its weaknesses and learn how to correct them, as well as to appreciate its strengths and determine how to exploit them. We’ll use text-driven workshops to discuss plotting and pacing, develop narrative outlines, construct character arcs, sharpen dialogue, focus point of view, and listen for voice and tone. By the end of the week you’ll have a renewed sense of direction, as well as the means and the motivation to carry on. Plan to share previously drafted work with the class.

The Seven Basic Plots
Weekend Workshop
July 19–20

Is it true that there are only a small number of “basic stories” in the world? According to author Christopher Booker, there are exactly seven. Using a lecture/discussion format, we will spend this weekend studying those seven plots as templates against which we might measure our own work, to see how it fits or falls short of narrative expectations. Students will learn how to create biographical and narrative chronologies, prognostic and retrospective outlines, story and character arcs, and beat sheets. Our time will be spent examining these and other storytelling techniques for plotting compelling narrative fiction as we focus on story, structure, and time, all in the context of Booker’s seven plots.

Biography
Susan Taylor Chehak is the author of five novels, including Smithereens, The Story of Annie D., and Harmony, as well as a book of nonfiction, Don Quixote Meets the Mob. Her short stories have appeared in Guernica Magazine, The Chariton Review, Sisters in Crime 5, and L.A. Under The Influence. Susan grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has lived for many years in Los Angeles, spends as much time as possible in Colorado, and lately resides in Toronto.

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Sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education
Iowa Summer Writing Festival
C215 Seashore Hall
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242

Phone 319-335-4160
FAX 319-335-4743
iswfestival@uiowa.edu

Last updated on June 26, 2008