Works in Progress: Fiction
Dates: Thursdays, January 2nd - February 6th
Time: 6:00 to 8:00 (PST)
Cost: $165
Limited to: 6 participants -- FULL
Where: Online via Zoom
Share your work in progress in a safe, small, and collaborative environment. This six-week online workshop is open to all levels.
Each week, writers will email the group a single excerpt of no more than 1,000 words. Everyone will read their work aloud during the workshop while the rest of the group reads and/or listens along. Writers are encouraged to let the group know if they'd like feedback on a specific element of the story (tone, theme, plot, character, etc.) when they email the group. Afterwards, we'll take a couple of minutes to gather our thoughts on the piece, write down any questions/comments, and then we'll spend time offering helpful feedback that will inspire the writer and guide them forward.
To sign up, please email me at [email protected]
Time: 6:00 to 8:00 (PST)
Cost: $165
Limited to: 6 participants -- FULL
Where: Online via Zoom
Share your work in progress in a safe, small, and collaborative environment. This six-week online workshop is open to all levels.
Each week, writers will email the group a single excerpt of no more than 1,000 words. Everyone will read their work aloud during the workshop while the rest of the group reads and/or listens along. Writers are encouraged to let the group know if they'd like feedback on a specific element of the story (tone, theme, plot, character, etc.) when they email the group. Afterwards, we'll take a couple of minutes to gather our thoughts on the piece, write down any questions/comments, and then we'll spend time offering helpful feedback that will inspire the writer and guide them forward.
To sign up, please email me at [email protected]
Writing Memory in Creative Nonfiction
Date: Saturday, April 26th
Time: 10:00am to 1:00pm (PST)
Cost: $75
Limited to: 16 participants
Where: Writing Workshops (online)
How do we write about an event that those closest to us remember differently? This workshop will discuss ways to approach memory in creative nonfiction.
Memory is a curated collection of our past. We recall conversations and events differently from those closest to us, be it a partner, sibling, friend, or parent. At first glance, this challenge to our lived experience might present itself as a creative roadblock.
How do we write about something that the person sitting next to us remembers differently? How do we soothe the self-doubt that follows such a realization, which can keep us from moving forward in our work?
This workshop will discuss ways to approach memory in creative nonfiction, how sometimes embracing what we don’t know can enhance an essay and lift the deeper meaning from the text. Students will write on a number of prompts following the discussion.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
Time: 10:00am to 1:00pm (PST)
Cost: $75
Limited to: 16 participants
Where: Writing Workshops (online)
How do we write about an event that those closest to us remember differently? This workshop will discuss ways to approach memory in creative nonfiction.
Memory is a curated collection of our past. We recall conversations and events differently from those closest to us, be it a partner, sibling, friend, or parent. At first glance, this challenge to our lived experience might present itself as a creative roadblock.
How do we write about something that the person sitting next to us remembers differently? How do we soothe the self-doubt that follows such a realization, which can keep us from moving forward in our work?
This workshop will discuss ways to approach memory in creative nonfiction, how sometimes embracing what we don’t know can enhance an essay and lift the deeper meaning from the text. Students will write on a number of prompts following the discussion.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- Learn how to write into the unknown.
- Learn how to embrace memory, even when it's fuzzy and/or challenged.
- Gain an understanding of different types of essays.
- Learn how other writers approach memory when it deals with other people.
Writing Personal Essays: Three Month one-on-one Mentorship
Dates: Ongoing
Cost: $1,400
Where: Writing Workshops
Apply Now
This mentorship is designed for writers seeking guidance on how to turn a significant experience, large or small, into an essay that will resonate with readers.
During our time together, we will meet monthly over Zoom with bi-weekly check-ins via email. Our first meeting will be spent identifying your unique perspective, writing into the experience, and preparing clear goals for the weeks ahead.
Writers will submit their essay - somewhere between 1,000 and 4,000 words - at the end of the month, as month two will focus on editing your draft and developing strategies for editing future work independently. Writers will spend the rest of month two implementing that feedback.
With a polished draft in hand, month three will center on pitching: how to find appropriate magazines, how to find the right editor, and how to develop a pitch that will catch that editor’s eye, all with the goal of submitting your pitch by the end of the month, if not sooner.
The goal of this mentorship is for writers seeking to complete and submit a polished draft.
Assigned Craft Essays & Articles will be determined depending on the needs of individual writers.
PROGRAM OUTLINE:
MENTORSHIP TAKEAWAYS:
Cost: $1,400
Where: Writing Workshops
Apply Now
This mentorship is designed for writers seeking guidance on how to turn a significant experience, large or small, into an essay that will resonate with readers.
During our time together, we will meet monthly over Zoom with bi-weekly check-ins via email. Our first meeting will be spent identifying your unique perspective, writing into the experience, and preparing clear goals for the weeks ahead.
Writers will submit their essay - somewhere between 1,000 and 4,000 words - at the end of the month, as month two will focus on editing your draft and developing strategies for editing future work independently. Writers will spend the rest of month two implementing that feedback.
With a polished draft in hand, month three will center on pitching: how to find appropriate magazines, how to find the right editor, and how to develop a pitch that will catch that editor’s eye, all with the goal of submitting your pitch by the end of the month, if not sooner.
The goal of this mentorship is for writers seeking to complete and submit a polished draft.
Assigned Craft Essays & Articles will be determined depending on the needs of individual writers.
PROGRAM OUTLINE:
- Month 1: Our initial Zoom meeting will focus on identifying and unpacking the essay you’d like to write. Students will leave with a solid framework for a first draft and clear goals for completing it before the second meeting.
- Month 2: Students will submit a draft of their work before the start of the second meeting. The rest of the month will be spent reviewing my edits and learning tools for editing your work in the future. Then, students will implement those edits and send a fresh draft before the start of the third meeting.
- Month 3: Month three will be spent polishing your draft for submission. We will spend our last meeting discussing pitching guidelines, identifying potential magazines for your piece, and working together to create a memorable pitch that will catch an editor’s eye.
MENTORSHIP TAKEAWAYS:
- Learn how to turn an experience into an essay that will resonate with readers.
- Develop strategies for editing your work.
- Leave with a polished draft between 1,000 and 4,000 words.
- Learn the ins and outs of pitching to editors with the intention of sending a completed pitch during the third month.
Ongoing Consultations
I'm currently available for one-on-one essay consultations that involve writing, editing, and/or pitching. Below is a breakdown of services, rates, and a bit about my working style.
Connecting with a writer and their work is essential to a consultation. Before committing to a project, I will ask you a few questions to find out more about you, your work, and what you're hoping to gain from our time together. Depending on the type of consultation, I might also ask for a writing sample to get a better sense of the writer.
SERVICES OFFERED
Essay identification ($40 per half hour): Or, finding the essay within the experience. Our time together will be spent cracking open the experience(s) you'd like to write about to reveal the essay within it as well as your unique perspective.
Developmental editing ($80 per essay, up to 8 pages double spaced; $45 per half hour, one-on-one consultation to discuss feedback): Rates are flexible depending on needs. This consultation is for those with a work in progress, whatever stage it may be in. I will provide comments throughout your draft, a letter of feedback on the overall work, and if you'd like to add it, the half hour, one-on-one meeting.
Pitching and submission guidance ($35 per pitch; $40 per half hour, one-on-one consultation): Help with identifying publications and pitching your proposed or completed piece. We'll go over best practices, strategies, and how to write about your work.
Career advice/motivation/accountability ($40 per half hour): This consultation is for writers of all levels and can involve anything from how to write through a rut, how to break into publishing, general accountability work, reformatting your essay for different publications, maintaining motivation, etc.
Connecting with a writer and their work is essential to a consultation. Before committing to a project, I will ask you a few questions to find out more about you, your work, and what you're hoping to gain from our time together. Depending on the type of consultation, I might also ask for a writing sample to get a better sense of the writer.
SERVICES OFFERED
- Essay identification
- Developmental editing
- Pitching and submission guidance
- Career advice/motivation/accountability
Essay identification ($40 per half hour): Or, finding the essay within the experience. Our time together will be spent cracking open the experience(s) you'd like to write about to reveal the essay within it as well as your unique perspective.
Developmental editing ($80 per essay, up to 8 pages double spaced; $45 per half hour, one-on-one consultation to discuss feedback): Rates are flexible depending on needs. This consultation is for those with a work in progress, whatever stage it may be in. I will provide comments throughout your draft, a letter of feedback on the overall work, and if you'd like to add it, the half hour, one-on-one meeting.
Pitching and submission guidance ($35 per pitch; $40 per half hour, one-on-one consultation): Help with identifying publications and pitching your proposed or completed piece. We'll go over best practices, strategies, and how to write about your work.
Career advice/motivation/accountability ($40 per half hour): This consultation is for writers of all levels and can involve anything from how to write through a rut, how to break into publishing, general accountability work, reformatting your essay for different publications, maintaining motivation, etc.
Testimonials
"Sam brings a genuine curiosity and openness to different writing styles and creative goals. She really thinks about her students as individuals, and tries to understand where each is with their work and what they are needing in order to continue and develop. She works to meet them there, sharing her expertise and perspective, but steering clear of applying her own agenda or preferences on their writing." -- Student
"Samantha is a confident teacher, and deftly and respectfully manages group classes. She's supportive of her students’ writing. She has a gift for editorial insight and feedback—she just sees things, and very quickly, and couches her critiques positively in terms of possibility and growth. She’s helped create a sense of community with her students." -- Student