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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251201T174500
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SUMMARY:Deep Story Design: Story-Craft Essentials for Longer Form Narratives
DESCRIPTION:Ten Mondays\, Oct 6-Dec 15\, 5:45-7:45pm (No session on October 13)        Open to allLimited to 12 participantsOnline Workshop* \n\n\n\nThis workshop delves into the five fundamental elements of story-making—structure\, plot\, character\, theme\, and scene building. Whether you’re writing a novella\, novel\, screenplay\, or memoir\, the skillful use of these elements allows all writers to create powerful stories that are meaningful and satisfying. \n\n\n\nAfter introducing a basic three-act story structure that’s foundational for most stories\, the workshop will progress through aspects of character\, theme\, and plot so that you can feel confident about completing fiction or nonfiction of any kind or length. We also touch on scene construction so your stories feel dynamic and alive on the page. \n\n\n\nWeekly homework exercises help writers at different stages of your story-making process\, whether you’re gathering material for a new story\, drafting an existing work\, or revising a project that is nearly ready to share with others. (Completed homework will receive instructor feedback and some in-class discussion.) \n\n\n\nIn addition to the focus on craft essentials\, this workshop invites writers to make personal discoveries about what matters most deeply to them and how this connects with their writing. This connection between self and story is integral to Deep Story Design\, because writers who know who they are\, and what they care about most\, are better able to access their unique creative voice. \n\n\n\nWeekly meetings will look something like this: \n\n\n\n\na 90-minute lesson\, including 15-30 mins of in-class exercises\n\n\n\na 10-minute break\n\n\n\n20 minutes for Q&A/homework discussion\n\n\n\n\nCompleted homework assignments will be due 4 days after the meeting at which they are assigned. \n\n\n\n*This workshop will take place online via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants a week or so prior to the first session.  \n\n\n\nApril Bosshard is a respected workshop facilitator and story coach who’s helped hundreds of writers develop and complete their projects. Sometimes called a “story whisperer” or “story genie\,” she has a background in film and television and has written fiction and non-fiction for traditional and independent markets\, which include publications in the US\, UK\, and Canada. April teaches at conferences and leads workshops internationally and online\, while also working with individual clients as a story coach and developmental editor.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/deep-story-design-story-craft-essentials-for-longer-form-narratives/2025-12-01/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251203T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251203T194500
DTSTAMP:20260429T021959
CREATED:20250827T174338Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250827T175103Z
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SUMMARY:Deep Story Design: Story-Craft Essentials for Longer Form Narratives (Wednesday Cohort)
DESCRIPTION:Ten Wednesdays\, Oct 8-Dec 17\, 5:45-7:45pm (No session on October 15)        Open to allLimited to 12 participantsOnline Workshop* \n\n\n\nThis workshop delves into the five fundamental elements of story-making—structure\, plot\, character\, theme\, and scene building. Whether you’re writing a novella\, novel\, screenplay\, or memoir\, the skillful use of these elements allows all writers to create powerful stories that are meaningful and satisfying. \n\n\n\nAfter introducing a basic three-act story structure that’s foundational for most stories\, the workshop will progress through aspects of character\, theme\, and plot so that you can feel confident about completing fiction or nonfiction of any kind or length. We also touch on scene construction so your stories feel dynamic and alive on the page. \n\n\n\nWeekly homework exercises help writers at different stages of your story-making process\, whether you’re gathering material for a new story\, drafting an existing work\, or revising a project that is nearly ready to share with others. Completed homework will receive instructor feedback and some in-class discussion. \n\n\n\nIn addition to the focus on craft essentials\, this workshop invites writers to make personal discoveries about what matters most deeply to them and how this connects with their writing. This connection between self and story is integral to Deep Story Design\, because writers who know who they are\, and what they care about most\, are better able to access their unique creative voice. \n\n\n\nWeekly meetings will look something like this: \n\n\n\n\na 90-minute lesson\, including 15-30 mins of in-class exercises\n\n\n\na 10-minute break\n\n\n\n20 minutes for Q&A/homework discussion\n\n\n\n\nCompleted homework assignments will be due 4 days after the meeting at which they are assigned. \n\n\n\n*This workshop will take place online via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants a week or so prior to the first session. Please note that this is the Wednesday iteration of the workshop; there is also a group meeting on Mondays. The material covered will be the same\, but note that due to limited spots\, we cannot facilitate transfers between groups.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/deep-story-design-story-craft-essentials-for-longer-form-narratives-wednesday-cohort/2025-12-03/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251203T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251203T220000
DTSTAMP:20260429T021959
CREATED:20250819T160000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250813T202248Z
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SUMMARY:Short Fiction: Plot and the Inner Life
DESCRIPTION:Eight Wednesdays\, Oct 8- Dec 3\, 8-10pm (No session on October 29)                 Open to allLimited to 12 participantsHybrid Workshop* \n\n\n\nThis eight-week workshop will explore how deepening a character’s inner life can generate new possibilities for a short story’s plot. One premise of this workshop is that fiction’s power lies in its capacity to depict with a high degree of detail an individual’s consciousness: the realm of perceptions\, feelings\, desires\, memories\, and thoughts. How one consciousness bumps up against another—and against the external world of norms\, things\, economic and cultural forces\, etc.—is what makes a story possible. We will investigate story as\, in George Saunders’s words\, “a system for the transfer of energy.” \n\n\n\nPlot and interiority are broad categories that encompass other topics such as point of view\, dialogue\, backstory\, and deepening the role of setting and/or of the body\, all of which can be studied and discussed\, depending on the group’s interest and the story drafts that are submitted for workshopping. Note that the workshop leader’s focus is realist literary fiction\, but all genres are welcome. The larger goal of the workshop is to support writers in uncovering the best possible versions of their stories. \n\n\n\nMost of the workshop will be devoted to reading and discussing participants’ stories (two per week over seven weeks\, up to 5000 words each). However\, for the first meeting\, participants will discuss Yiyun Li’s story\, “Prison\,” a jarring tale about surrogate birth. Please read the first 23 pages before the first session\, but do not read farther than that. We will read the final 5 pages together\, tracking how the plot ultimately unfolds. \n\n\n\n*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3\, 4023 Tupper Street\, Westmount\, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default\, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you would like to request a virtual slot\, contact Riley at riley@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot\, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you. \n\n\n\nMichelle Syba is the author of the story collection End Times (Freehand Books\, 2023)\, a finalist for the QWF Concordia University First Book Prize. End Times explores the lives of people variously entangled with evangelical culture\, including immigrants\, the elderly\, the burned-out\, and the lonely\, examining our hidden anxieties and longings. Michelle’s shorter works have been published in The New Quarterly\, Cosmonauts Avenue\, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency\, and elsewhere. \n\n\n\nYou can find out more about her at www.michellesyba.com.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/short-fiction-plot-and-the-inner-life/2025-12-03/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251204T174500
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251204T194500
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SUMMARY:Writing the Personal Essay
DESCRIPTION:Eight Thursdays\, Oct 9-Dec 4\, 5:45-7:45pm (No session on October 30)        Open to allLimited to 12 participantsHybrid Workshop* \n\n\n\nHave you ever wanted to see your words on the pages of your favourite newspaper\, magazine\, or website? The personal essay is a subgenre of creative nonfiction that focuses on unique stories with universal appeal told from a first-person perspective. In this 8-week workshop\, you’ll learn everything from how to generate ideas to how to structure your first and second drafts to how to pitch your completed piece. \n\n\n\nThe workshop will consist of teacher-led instruction\, at-home readings\, generative in-class writing exercises\, and guided peer feedback. You will also be expected to work on your essay at home\, between classes. By the end of this session\, you will have one completed personal essay. \n\n\n\n*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Westmount\, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default\, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you would like to request a virtual slot\, contact Riley at riley@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot\, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you. \n\n\n\nJulie Matlin is a writer with several areas of concentration\, including screenwriting\, personal essays\, novels\, and reported articles. Previously\, Julie worked at the National Film Board of Canada as a writer and social media strategist. Prior to that\, she spent 15 years as a producer’s assistant and production coordinator in feature film.
URL:https://qwf.org/event/writing-the-personal-essay-2/2025-12-04/
LOCATION:QWF Office\, 1200 Atwater Avenue\, Room 3\, Westmount\, QC\, H3Z 1X4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:QWF Workshops,Workshops
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