Application Deadline: September 30
Acceptance to the course is required before registration
Make this your year to complete your novel and prepare for publication! Working with novelist Diane Zinna, ten writers will experience the rigor and structure of an MFA program while workshopping an entire novel-in-progress in a supportive community.
You’ll get:
- Consistent writing deadlines
- Thoughtful feedback from your cohort of writers
- Meaningful discussions on various aspects of craft
- Panels and Q&As with experts in the industry
- Visits from published authors and literary agents
- The opportunity to participate in a public reading at The Writer’s Center (either in-person or on Zoom, as conditions permit)
- And more!
This intensive workshop is geared toward writers with either a draft of a novel ready for revision, or a novel substantially underway (approximately 75 pages already written). Each participant will have the opportunity to present 300 pages for critique, either continuous pages or revisions. The class will meet every other Thursday from October 8 – December 17, 2020, and again from January 7 – July 22, 2021 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., for a total of 21 sessions. In the spring, a public reading of work will take place at The Writer’s Center or on Zoom.
Although the class is primarily a workshop format, there will be discussions of craft and occasional exercises meant to help participants think more deeply about their own projects. These will include discussions of character, dialogue, description, point of view, plot, setting, and a variety of other subjects of concern to novel writing. In the spring, the focus will turn to publishing, including writing a successful query letter and synopsis. Occasional guest speakers will include published writers, literary agents, and others involved in the publishing industry.
We will be a supportive community for one another, and we will also talk about ways to be a part of a larger life of literary service, community, and citizenship.
To be admitted into the program, potential candidates will need to submit:
- A one-page cover letter detailing their interest in the program.
- A twenty-page writing sample from their novel in progress. (Submissions must be double spaced and use a standard font.)
Admissions will be on a rolling basis, and the number of participants will be limited to ten, so participants are encouraged to submit early. Send your submission to laura.spencer@{{{{homeurl_non_www}}}}.
NOTE ABOUT COVID-19
Because of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, this class will be conducted on ZOOM with possible in-person sessions later in the year as conditions permit. In an effort to encourage participants who do not live in the DC-area—as well as those who do not wish to participate in an in-person class—we will offer a hybrid approach in 2020-2021 so that it will be possible to participate either virtually or in person.
