Good Readers, Good Writers: A Prose-in-Progress Workshop

Writers need readers, and writers need to be readers, too. In this prose-in-progress workshop, participants will bring draft stories, chapters, or essays/memoirs for the group to read and discuss.

Not a typical critique-based workshop, our responses to the manuscripts will be directed by each writer’s understanding of and intention for their own work. Participants will read one another’s drafts (4,000 words maximum) and—directed and facilitated by Patricia Ann McNair—will respond in writing and workshop  discussions. Each participant will leave the workshop with useful feedback in hand, as well as strategies and opportunities discovered throughout our meetings to help move forward with future drafts and further revision and exploration. Each participant has the option to meet with instructor for a 25-minute manuscript consultation
about the workshop submission. 

Online Course Date: Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022 (via Zoom)
In-Person Course Dates: Friday, Sept. 16 - Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022
Registration Fee: $300
Registration Deadline: Sept. 5, 2022

Register Here 

Post-Registration Requirements:
4,000-word maximum drafts must be sent to Interlochen College of Creative Arts at college@interlochen.org by Sept. 5, 2022. Manuscripts that do not follow the following formatting guidelines specifically will not be accepted:

• Put your name and word count at the top of the first page (anything over the word count will not be read by workshop leader or participants, and the entire manuscript may be returned to you to reconsider).
• Make sure your name and a page number are on each subsequent page.
• Double-spaced, 12-point font. Standard margins.

How to select your manuscript:

1. Choose something that you would like to continue to work on. If you select something you think is perfect, the workshop process will be frustrating for you and your fellow writers.
2. Please submit just one piece OR a section from a longer work in progress. You may have 4,000 continuous words that comprise more than one chapter from a longer work, but do not submit more than one short story or essay.
3. If your piece is part of a longer work, please provide a brief synopsis/description of the work (250 words maximum).
4. Do not cut all the description and detail from your piece to meet word count. It is better to submit a fully-told excerpt than a skeleton of your story/chapter.

What else to include with your submission:

Please write a brief letter (500 words maximum) to your readers that tells us:

• Your inspiration/intention for this piece (for example: “This story is based on a found letter I got from a thrift store,” or “I am writing this so my daughter knows about her grandparents,” or “I am trying to write my first science fiction story,” etc.)
• What we might need to know that is not in these pages
• What you would like us to pay close attention to, what questions you have about the work as it stands, what you are struggling with
• Anything else that might be helpful to you