Register for the Zurich Writers Workshop

As the co-founder of the Zurich Writers Workshop, I wanted to let you know that registration for the October 1-3, 2010 event is now open. To ensure individual attention, space is limited to about 24 participants (12 in fiction and 12 in non-fiction). To reserve your spot before it's too late, register now! Below are descriptions of the two workshops that are being offered:

Memoir/Creative Non-Fiction

Instructor: Susan Jane Gilman

Do you have a personal story you’re dying to tell? Do people often say, “You should write a book”? This intensive, two-day workshop is designed as an informative and inspiring introduction to memoir-writing. Susan Jane Gilman will illuminate how to best put your experiences into words. She’ll address practical issues – such as how to structure a story, make a narrative compelling, and deploy imagery and humor to full advantage. She’ll also highlight what not to do as a writer. She’ll talk about editing and criticism, hold a workshop of student writing, and discuss the practical aspects to publishing, such as getting an agent, landing a book deal, and generating publicity. As an expat, Gilman will also touch upon the benefits – and challenges – of being a writer abroad.

This course will be led by New York Times Bestselling Author and NPR Contributor Susan Jane Gilman. The course will include over 8 hours of instruction, writing exercises, reading assignments, and critiques of students’ work, as well as a literary tour of Zurich. Participants should come with enthusiasm, an open mind, and a willingness to take creative risks. Ideally, workshop participants will be in the process of writing a personal essay or memoir.

Fiction

Instructor: Amal Chatterjee

Themes, plots, conflict, character, details: how can a writer convey these? And, how can they be blended into a satisfying narrative? This day and a half course will explore each of these elements and how they can be balanced, leading up to a detailed outline, a short story or an extract from a novel to be shared and discussed in the group and with the course leader.

The course will be led by Amal Chatterjee, author of Across the Lakes and University of Oxford Fiction Tutor. Participants in the fiction section will receive over 8 hours of class instruction as well as a literary tour of Zurich. Ideally, workshop participants will be in the process of writing a short story or novel.