Writing Classes and Schools

 

I’ve studied writing at The New School; Vermont College; Antioch University; with Shannon Gilligan at Coaching for Writers; with Kim Moritsugu at Humber College; and at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of the teachers and classes were outstanding.

Sydney Offitt’s fiction writing class at The New School in New York is terrific. He’s a marvelous teacher, and a truly fine person. The New School used to have one- day Saturday writing programs, including a class on suspense and, long ago, Renni Browne’s lecture on Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. Unfortunately, they rarely offer those one-day workshops these days.

What about on-line classes? I’ve been disappointed by some of the other students in on-line classes. Typically, there’s no screening of students, so you encounter all levels of writing and education in a class.

 
 

 
    Some students have uninformed opinions they don’t hesitate to express. For example, in an on-line class at Gotham Writer’s Workshop, where you post sections of your manuscript for classmates’ comments, a woman insisted that the Chanel suit one of my characters wears should be spelled ‘Channel.’ (I don’t object to anyone correcting my spelling, but those doing the correcting should make sure they’re right.)

Some distance learning courses require the student to send the instructor a certain number of pages of a novel at specific intervals, such as 45-50 pages a month. Problems can arise if the instructor doesn’t keep copies of earlier chapters. I’ve had instructors tell me to put material in a chapter that had already appeared, but had been forgotten by the instructor. (The instructor can be surly when this error is brought to his/her attention.)

Size of class is important. I found an on-line Vermont College class taught by Shawn Merwin useful. Shawn was a good teacher, and there was only one other student in the class, so it was more efficient than other on-line courses I’ve taken. A big on-line course can be a nightmare, with everyone scrambling to express him or herself.

Antioch University used to have a distance learning program with a novel twist: the student designed his/her own curriculum, and found his/her own faculty. (This program may or may not still exist; the University has undergone a major restructuring.) I learned a lot from my experience with this program. I arranged courses (each with a faculty member I knew in New York) on Mysteries Set in the Art World; Books and Films Set in the Business World; Mysteries Set in Closed Societies (schools, hospitals, etc.); and Golden Age Mysteries. I also wanted to study technique, so I set up courses on Creating Suspense; Authentic Settings; Character Development; and Writing Effective Dialogue. I tried to identify the best books of the types I wanted to write, the best writers of dialogue, the most successful plotters, the most brilliant builders of suspense, and the most creative designers of settings. I set out to learn from each of them. The experience was useful and made me long for more.

When I searched for other writing classes, I learned that some colleges with distance learning programs allow non-enrolled individuals to attend their residences. When we read about Spalding’s 2008 residency in Bath and London, we signed up. It was a great learning experience, and we decided to apply for enrollment at Spalding. We were accepted, and for two years, we were full-time (distance learning) students. Reba had a great learning experience with Kenny Cook, her mentor, as teachers are designated at Spalding, who challenged her to write some of the essays on this website. Dave, studying nonfiction, enjoyed working with his mentors—Bob Finch, Roy Hoffman, and Richard Goodman.

We remain on the lookout for new classes and teachers who can help us improve our writing.