In this three-day intensive fiction course, intermediate to advanced fiction writers will be reintroduced to some of the fundamental elements of fiction, including point of view, character, setting, dialogue, voice and style, plot, structure, and a story’s architecture and form. These topics will be covered in craft talks, then applied via a series of exercises…

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, discovering the full breadth of a character is an important process. Moreover, we can use plot to discover characters as writers and to characterize more deftly for readers. This workshop focuses on using cyclical plot events as a useful device which may create unique characterizations, create more inventive prose…

What a perfect book format to illustrate the benefits and ramifications of one’s decisions than a Choose Your Own Adventure book or, as Laura Paisley Beck coined, an Interchangeable Action Novel© (IAN). Weave your own book of multiple endings with Beck’s tips, tricks, and super-secret codes in this fun, interactive workshop. Bring your wild imagination,…

Join us for our annual celebration of writers and readers on beautiful Washington Island. This year’s theme is Come This Far. Presenters include Wisconsin Poet Laureate Nicholas Gulig, graphic memoirist Kelcey Ervick, and novelists Leif Enger, Maggie Ginsberg, and Julie Schumacher. Thursday, September 19: Free Community Creative Lab, noon – 3 pm Friday, September 20:…

Embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth by joining this writing intensive dedicated to crafting one’s own spiritual memoir. Writing Your Spiritual Memoir is an unparalleled opportunity to delve deeply and unearth the profound experiences that shaped you and your spiritual beliefs, then weave them into a compelling written narrative. Our facilitators…

We don’t need to wait for “special” experiences in order to write poems. Beautiful, resonant poetry can—and so often does—spring from our everyday lives: the objects we live with and love, the more-than-human beings we encounter in our backyards or neighborhoods. In this class, we’ll explore poems, and poem-making, based in the ordinary and daily.…

Words, pictures, and objects will poke and prod the subconscious and inspire participants to write whatever they choose. Writing under a time constraint applies more pressure, which keeps us from thinking too hard. Our brains can be our enemy in the drafting stage. Trust your subconscious to surprise you! Who knows what will flow from…

Quality fiction combines the fine art of storytelling with the craft of good writing. In this course, we’ll explore both of these essential elements and show how you can apply them to your own work. You’ll learn new ways to think about your novel–either the one in progress or the one you want to write–and…

 Join us at the Landmark Resort in Egg Harbor for the 2024 Writing On The Door conference: Your Writing Life. How can you make writing a regular part of your life? If you are working full-time, raising kids, taking care of elderly parents, how can you find time to write? If you have been writing…

For centuries, travel has been inspiring writers – from Ernest Hemingway to Jane Austen to Elizabeth Strout. What can we learn from our travels to motivate and enhance our creative writing? How do we capture and translate observed details and experiences in writing that is compelling, authentic, and new? In this workshop, we will discuss…