A 10-Week Online Novel-Writing Workshop
Mondays: January 20th - March 24th, 6-9 PM
Anyone can start a novel; that's when it's fun, exciting, all possibility and no problems. For about fifty pages the thing practically writes itself—and then something happens. Narrative difficulties emerge and accumulate. Doubt creeps in. You falter, or quit altogether.
This is not merely a common experience among novelists of all levels of experience and accomplishment; it's a universal one. The writers who succeed and bring their books in for a landing share two things in common: they prioritize their work over everything else, and they utilize common strategies for dealing with the roadblocks all writers encounter, such as protecting one’s writing time, writing what one wants to regardless of how it might be received, overcoming fear of making one’s writing public, etc.
In this course, participants will discuss and practice these strategies, as well as study John Gardner’s seminal text On Becoming a Novelist. In addition, the class will workshop early chapters from participants' own novels.
+ SUBMIT After registering, participants are asked to submit a manuscript (a novel excerpt) of up to 5,000 words by no later than 9:00 a.m. on January 10. Please email the manuscript as an attachment (Word files are preferred, but PDFs are acceptable) to programs@mainewriters.org with the subject line: “CURRIE WORKSHOP MSS.” Please help MWPA conserve paper by using standard formatting (1” margins, double-spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman) and keeping spacing between sections to a minimum (e.g. no title page).
$475 Members/$675 Nonmembers
Ron Currie is the author of four novels. His work has won the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award, the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Alex Award from the American Library Association, and the Pushcart Prize. His books have been translated into fifteen languages, and his short fiction and nonfiction have received recognition in the Best American Sports Writing, Best American Essays, and Best American Nonrequired Reading anthologies. As a screenwriter he worked most recently on the Apple TV+ series EXTRAPOLATIONS and has developed projects with AMC Studios, Amblin Television, and ITV America. His next novel, the first in a trilogy about a Franco-American family in central Maine, will be published by Putnam in 2025. He lives in Portland, Maine and teaches in the University of Southern Maine Stonecoast MFA program.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-200-7180 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due by October 22nd at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION