Writing Workshops at Emerald City Comic Con

New this year, Emerald City Comic Con will offer writing workshops in partnership with Clarion West. You will explore techniques on world building, character creation, and much more in these workshops that will help you focus on turning the next page and start your story from the very beginning.  Join us as we dive into what makes good writing and discover a new spark inside yourself!

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”  - Maya Angelou

Workshops will take place at the Sheraton Grand Seattle Hotel, in the Ravenna Room.

Friday Workshop: Writing In Scenes

Instructor: Nancy Kress

Description: Is your story dramatic?  Not melodramatic, but constructed and written to best capture readers’ (and editors’!) interest.  Often, the critical difference between salable fiction and the almost-but-not-quite-there manuscript is dramatization—and dramatization, for the fiction writer no less than for the playwright, means constructing successful scenes.  This workshop will use a combination of lecture, hand-outs, and brief writing sessions to cover scene construction, effective description within a scene, use of dialogue, different types of scenes, scene order,  and that eternal problem, exposition.  Learn how to give your story page-turning appeal.

Saturday Workshop:  The Action at the Heart of Your Character

Instructor: Jasmine Silvera

Description: It’s great to know what your characters look like, but more important is how they will act and react to events in your story. Explore three strategies to help determine what motivates your characters from the inside out, and how to use those motivations to drive your plot.

Sunday Workshop: 3 WAYS TO MAKE AN IDEA INTO A STORY

Instructor: Curtis Chen

Description: For many writers, the big question isn't where to get ideas--it's how to turn an idea into a story. We'll talk about three approaches--starting with context, character, or conflict--and use exercises to help you start writing with purpose.

PLEASE NOTE: You must have a valid ticket to Emerald City Comic Con, on the respective day of each workshop, to participate in the workshop.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! https://www.emeraldcitycomiccon.com/Buy-Tickets/Tickets/

PLEASE NOTE: Any and all scalpers that are identified will have their order(s) cancelled and Ticket(s) voided.

ECCC Tickets are non-refundable, non-transferable, non-upgradeable and non-resellable.

Companions for those that require medical assistance need to buy a Ticket.

Clarion West (https://www.clarionwest.org) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 speculative fiction writer's workshop. Our mission is to support emerging and underrepresented voices by providing world-class instruction to empower the creation of wild and amazing worlds. Through conversation and public engagement, we bring those voices to an ever-expanding community.

Every summer, Clarion West holds an intensive six-week workshop in Seattle’s University District, geared to help students prepare for a professional career as a writer of speculative fiction. Each workshop is limited to 18 students, and each week features a different instructor, a highly regarded author or editor offering their unique perspective on the field. Short fiction is the workshop’s focus, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, and horror. In addition to the summer workshop, Clarion West hosts one-day, weekend, and online workshops year-round. As an extension of our primary mission Clarion West seeks to make speculative fiction available to the public, and thus holds readings and other events that bring speculative fiction writers and readers together.

Upcoming one-day workshops are listed on our website:

https://www.clarionwest.org/workshops/oneday/.

Applications are open for the 2020 Clarion West Six-Week Workshop

(https://www.clarionwest.org/workshops/summer/) through March 1, 2020.

Students from all over the world are invited to apply. Full and partial scholarships are available to qualifying students, including the World Builder Scholarship through the George R. R. Martin Literary Foundation; the Octavia Butler Memorial Scholarship through the Carl Brandon Society; and the Blue Corn Creations Scholarship for Native American Writers. More information on scholarships can be found here:

https://www.clarionwest.org/workshops/apply/scholarships/.