Overview

    Residencies are an eight-week course or as intensive week-long program. If you desire a week-long program, Weeks Two and Three from the eight-week course will be combined, as will Weeks Four and Five, and fewer hands-on exercises will be given. Some information from Weeks One and Eight will be covered during the other classes.
    Residencies are designed to help beginning fiction writers develop and hone their writing skills. Each class will cover new information, have a question and answer period, and include a writing exercise that students will share with the class. Participants will also work on a work of their choosing to be discussed and reviewed in class as well as critiqued by Ms. Miller.
    Class size is limited to twelve students to ensure individual attention for all participants. Class duration should ideally be at least an hour. A minimum of forty-five minutes should be allowed.
    Students should be motivated to write and have already covered basic writing skills with their teacher.


Eight-Week Residency Schedule

Week One: Introduction
A brief discussion of the participants’ genre interests followed by the basics of good writing and the rules for successful critiquing of other writers’ work. A short writing exercise will give Mary Beth a general idea of the strengths and weaknesses of the participants so that future classes may more accurately help students.

Week Two: Inspiration and Research
Sources for fiction ideas will be discussed. Unlikely sources for ideas, as well as more typical ones; the use of writing prompts; journals; and free writing will be covered, as will how to develop an idea into a complete novel or story. Research, both its value and its drawbacks, will be covered.

Week Three: Characterization
How to build a character that readers accept as a “real.”

Week Four: Plot
Tension, story arc, and structure (i.e., a strong beginning, interesting middle, and satisfying ending) will be covered.

Week Five: Dialogue, Setting, and Description
How to capture a conversation without including boring fillers, setting a novel or story without wasting pages on description, and the “show, don’t tell” rule will be covered.

Week Six: Voice
How to find an individual writing voice—perhaps the most difficult skill of all.

Week Seven: Revision
The first draft is just that—the first of many. How to identify common writing errors and errors common to your writing.

Week Eight: Publication
Purposefully covered last because many people want or expect to achieve publication without working on their writing. The ins and outs of the publishing world; how to find an agent and submit a manuscript to a publisher; what to look for in a writing conference; and other, less celebrated “joys” of publishing, such as reviews, rejections, long delays, and going out of print will be discussed.


Fees

Week-long Residency: $1000 plus travel expenses.
Eight-Week Residency: $1200 plus travel expenses.


Etceteras

    Week-long Residencies taking place more than one hour from Ms. Miller’s home will require hotel accommodations. All Residency programs are limited to twelve participants per class. Multiple classes can be scheduled during the same week. It’s helpful if students read Aimee and On the Head of a Pin prior to the class. Chapters of other books may be assigned for those classes with limited class time (less than one hour).
    Residencies are limited in number and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment is expected at the time of the visit unless prior arrangements are made.

From left: Mary Beth, Terry Trueman, Alex Flinn, Ellen Wittlinger, Brent Hartinger, and Laurie Halse Anderson relaxing before the Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival, April 28, 2006. The Festival was great. Make sure you go next year!