Classes/Workshops/Conferences

Ongoing Opportunity (Spring/Summer/Fall 2026):

Mentorship in Creative Writing, UCLA Extension, Online

Work with me on-on-one through UCLA Extension

Mentorships provide individualized support to advanced writers who seek specific and focused guidance in their work. Students select a mentorship focus from a predetermined list of options provided by the instructor as part of their application process. Instructors review applications to determine student readiness for intensive personalized instruction and to ensure the student’s writing goals are achievable within the mentorship period. Students and instructors develop a Mentorship Agreement to guide their interactions over six contact hours during the ten-week mentorship period. By the end of the mentorship, students have received advice, input, and support to help them reach their short-term goals.

April 1, 2026-June 9, 2026.. UCLA Extension, Online

Novel Writing Three

For those with a minimum of 50 pages of a novel-in-progress, this workshop guides you to generate at least 50 new pages, as well as learn essential self-editing techniques with the instructor and peers reviewing each participant's project in detail. Refinements of character, structure, emotional content and the development of the writer's voice are also explored. The goal is to produce a substantial portion of your novel.

April 20, 2026-June 28, 2026. SNHU MFA Online

MFA 625--Romance Fiction Writing II

Continue to explore the conventions, tools, and skills required for writing a successful romance fiction novel, with emphasis on implementing world building and setting, dialogue, voice, style, and pacing. Compose, workshop, and revise an original scene intended for a novel. Examine ideas that tie scenes together, such as foreshadowing, backstory, flashback, and subplot.

April 20, 2026-June 28, 2026. SNHU MFA Online

MFA 602--Finding and Reaching an Audience

Writing a novel can be incredibly fulfilling in itself, even if it never finds a single reader. But for most writers, including our students, finishing a novel is only the start of the journey. And this is especially the case if you want to build a successful career that allows you to write for a living. To do that, you have to be able to identify, connect with, and grow a readership. In MFA-604, students will learn an array of practical skills and tools to do just that, gaining knowledge and experience in personal branding, platform building, website design, the importance of social media, and more.

June 24, 2026- September 1, 2026.. UCLA Extension, Online

Novel Writing Two

Armed with your overall concept and first chapter, you continue to develop your knowledge of craft by writing scenes using characters and situations from the projected novel and workshopping your in-progress work. Mini-lectures on the art of the novel, intuitive creative process and conventional vs. non-conventional approaches to novel structure also are covered. The goal is to complete 50 pages of your novel.

July 6, 2026 to September 13, 2026. SNHU MFA Online

MFA 505--Introduction to the Online MFA

This is where the fun begins! In MFA-505, students learn the basics of SNHU’s program, are given tools to overcome Imposter Syndrome, get a chance to flex their creative-writing muscles, and practice the workshopping skills they will use throughout the program.

September 23, 2026-December 1, 2026. UCLA Extension, Online

Novel Writing One

That novel is inside you waiting to emerge but knowing how and where to start can be daunting. This course provides you with weekly assignments, group interaction and instructor feedback to help you explore various methods of writing your first novel while learning the key craft points of plot, structure, characterization, point-of-view, sense of place and voice. The goal is to complete the first chapter of your novel by establishing an intimacy with your characters as you artfully shape their journey and to develop an overall concept to guide you through your story. Required for students considering the long-fiction sequence.