2023 Draft Schedule

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Thursday

9:00 – 10:15       Welcome & introductions

10:30–12:00       Small group critiques
We will meet in small groups led by a faculty member. Each person will receive a 30-40 minute critique of their 25 pages.

12:00 – 1:00        Lunch

1:00 – 3:30          Small group critiques continued

3:30 – 6:00         On your own (write, visit, take a walk)

6:00 – 7:00         Dinner
Followed by free time or informal “get to know you” session and “open mic” to share first pages.

Friday

8:00 –  8:45       Breakfast

9:00 –10:15        Alexandra Aceves: Taking a “Character-First” Approach to Storytelling

10:30 – 12:00     Mary Kole: Approaching Revision: Reimagining Plot, Character, and Logic

12:00 –  1:00       Lunch

1:00 –  4:00         On your own (write, visit, take a walk)

4:00 –  6:00        Erin Clyburn: Strategies for Strengthening Your Voice

6:00 –  7:00         Dinner and Night at the Movies
After dinner we’ll all watch a movie, followed by a discussion of the book and its adaption.

Saturday

8:00 –  9:00         Breakfast

9:00 – 10:30        Faculty: Favorite Scenes
This session will focus on great scenes. Faculty members will present favorite scenes and explain why they like them. We will talk about what constitutes a scene and how to transition from one scene to another.

10:45 – 12:00      Feather Flores: Circling Back: Using Theme and Motif to Shape Emotional Arcs
This session will guide participants in thinking about narrative structure, plot, and momentum alongside deeper layers of emotion, theme, and “heart”— how the former is fundamentally shaped by the latter, and concrete steps for revisions that work on strengthening emotional arcs. 

12:00 – 1:00         Lunch

1:15 – 2:45            Faculty: Editing
Faculty will edit first and last pages before our very eyes and discuss the editing process.

3:00 – 6:00           On your own (write, visit, take a walk) (Yoga 3-4)

6:00 – 7:00           Dinner  
Followed by free time or informal get together – Speed Scrabble? Wine? Chocolate?

Sunday

8:00 –  9:00         Breakfast

9:15 – 11:00         Check back with critiques
Time to check back with your small groups and talk about lessons learned and next steps.

11:15 – 11:30       Last words
Inspirations from faculty and reflections from participants, naming goals, thank yous, and goodbyes.