Classes & Seminars
The JB Dryden Company is pleased to offer a variety of classes for creative writing. If you are a Paid Member of The Milwaukee Writers Workshop, you are able to partake of the discount available for any of the courses that The JB Dryden Company offers.
Mechanics of a Short Story: This class will meet once a week (three times will be offered) and will be an extensive 12-week course with reading assignments, writing assignments, discussion, and some lecture. This class is designed to help those interested in learning learn the process that goes into writing a piece of short fiction.
Each class will be $30 per person, per class. You can pay in part each class or in full at a discount of $300.
Classes will be limited to 15 people per session. All materials will be provided - i.e., stories, essays, etc.; you only need to bring a notebook and writing utensil (or your laptop).
| One Class |
Syllabus:
Week One -- About Writing Short Stories
Week Two -- Plot
Week Three -- Characterization (part 1)
Week Four -- Setting the Scene (part 1)
Week Five -- Point of View
Week Six -- Characterization (part 2)
Week Seven -- Theme
Week Eight -- Genre
Week Nine -- Setting the Scene (part 2)
Week Ten -- Narrative Time
Week Eleven -- Critique
Week Twelve -- Submissions
Creating Non-fiction:
Grammar & Syntax: Need to brush up on your proper comma use? Want to improve your knowledge of grammar in order write more eloquent prose? This is the class for you.
Over the course of 12 weeks, we will go over the very basic elements of grammar and syntax to improve your writing, grammar, and communication skills.
Each class will be $20 per person, per class. You can pay in part each class or in full at a discount of $225.
Classes will be limited to 15 people per session. All materials will be provided.
| One Class |
Self-polishing basics:
The Art of Tactful Critique: There comes a time in the life of every writer when he or she is ready to let loose their creation into the world. It's a scary time, but it helps to have people you can trust to read that work and help bring it from infancy to maturity. A good critique is the key to that process: and good critique takes tact.
The Art of Tactful Critique is a workshop designed to go through the tips and tools every writer needs to be a part of lead their own critique group. Run by James Boone Dryden -- the Director of the Milwaukee Writers Workshop and Founder of WriteCamp Milwaukee -- this workshop will go through these tips and then demonstrate the way in which an effective critique can be held.
Building a Platform for Your Work:
Pitfalls of Self-publishing:
Building a Website:
Marketing Your Work:
Personal Courses:
The JB Dryden Company is also available for personal classes, through our Tutoring and Coaching services. These classes are designed for one-on-one teaching or coaching.
