The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College Introduces Online Courses

The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville will introduce two online courses in April, 2016 called “Self-Edit Your Fiction” and “Jump-Start Your Memoir.”

“Here is your chance to grow as a writer wherever you are in the world from the comfort of your own home,” said Patricia Dunn, Director of The Writing Institute and Assistant Dean, Graduate and Professional Studies at the college. The courses are:

Self-Edit Your Fiction. A five-session $400 course conducted by Caitlin Alexander and planned for April 6, 2016 at 9 a.m. until May 4, 2016 at 5 p.m.

Jump Start Your Memoir. A five-session $400 course taught by Alexandria Soiseth and planned for April 7, 2016 at 9 a.m. until May 5, 2016 at 5 p.m.

"Revision is an exhausting, maddening, utterly transformative, and essential part of the writing process," said instructor Alexander. "In the five-week Self-Edit Your Fiction online workshop, the student will learn how to revise smarter.”

“An emphasis will be placed on self-editing your own work in progress,” she said. “We’ll delve into the keys to plot and structure; the nuances of character development and dialogue; how to engage readers with voice and point of view; must-know grammar, and simple ways to sharpen your prose; as well as mastering the process of revision."

Students will end the workshop with the skills in hand to take their fiction writing to the next level, and a head start on making their manuscripts the best they can be before submitting them to agents and publishers, Alexander said.

Caitlin Alexander spent eleven years at Random House where she edited New York Times bestsellers such as The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond, Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper, and the Nina Wilde/Eddie Chase series by Andy McDermott, as well as RITA Award winners, Thriller Award winners, and Edgar Award nominees. She edited bestselling and award-winning books as a freelance editor and can be reached at www.editedbycaitlin.com.

Jump-Start Your Memoir is a five-session $400 course that combines the use of on-line multi-media resources, real-time meetings, and group work to inspire and guide students through the starting of a memoir. Initially they write toward the discovery of the material of their stories, then find and practice the elements of personal storytelling to maximize the potential of the story. They will learn the essentials of peer critique and use them during weekly meetings on-line. Between class meetings, students will work with the on-line resources assembled for this class, and build their stories scene by scene.

By the end of the five-week program, students should have a draft of the initial chapters of their memoirs.

Alexandra Soiseth has been teaching personal writing and memoir for more than 15 years. She is the author of the memoir Choosing You, published by Seal Press in 2008. She is the recipient of a Canada Arts Council grant, an Ontario Arts Council grant, and is the former managing editor of and communications director for Global City Review, a New York City based literary magazine. Her work has appeared on babycenter.com, literarymama.com, and in McGill Street Magazine, The Ryersonian, and on the radio program LifeRattle.

Dunn said, "Don’t miss this opportunity to work with award-winning, top-of-their-field professionals who bring their passion and creativity and talent to the students of The Writing Institute. Our classes are small which allows participants the chance for both group interaction as well as one-to-one time with our teachers. Now, The Writing Institute opens its whole world to writers who are but a click or a computer away.”

For more information, click here, call 914-395-2205 or send an email to sorefice@sarahlawrence.edu.