Starting and Sustaining Your Novel
Part I & Part II

These two 5 Session classes, taught by Zoom, took place on 5 Wednesdays in Fall 2022 and in the Spring of 2023. The class included general information on novel writing plus up to 40 pages critiqued by the teacher. It was aimed at helping writers with a novel underway to expand and keep going, and to give beginners basic information and a good start on a novel.

 

 

 

The Big Picture: A Half-Day Workshop on
Structuring the Long Prose Narrative

The Moynihan Hall of Penn Station in New York City 2021

This workshop took place by zoom on August 13, 2022. Topics included plot versus story; whether outlining is the best way of establishing this; how to find an ending; about how to sustain momentum in the writing; and more. There were be mini-lectures, in-class writing, discussion. Included in the fee was a critique of up to 1,000 words from your project by the teacher.

  

 The Scene in Narrative Prose  

This workshop by Zoom took place 1-15-22. It focused on the centrality of the scene in building prose narrative, and how a novel or memoir can be planned and drafted through scenes. There were also discussions and experiments with heart of the scene--dialogue. 

 

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Testimonials for MSW's online classes

I have taken several of Meredith Sue Willis's online classes and I treasure all of them. Each of her lessons brought me into her deep understanding of the imagination and the creative process. Not only have I finished a first draft of a novel through her classes, but in this last class I began to grapple with more looming problems of revision. Always her teaching and feedback is clear-eyed. It invites you to keep writing at your best. I look forward to the next class.

                                                             —Dreama Frisk

 

 

You have given me confidence to do something I never thought I could do – write scenes and dialogue rather than just description.
                                                   —William Jarvis

 

My novel needed major revisions. Meredith Sue Willis' Summer Solstice Master Class had me soon writing with a fresh approach, opened creative ways of expressing my ideas and set aside some doubts. I made real progress. To anyone who is looking for assistance in making your writing reflect more of what you can imagine, I encourage you to take this online class.
                                                         — Jean Prendergast

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I'd recommend MSW's on-line writing classes to any writer at any level. She has deeply considered the best components for such a course, keeping them simple to manage yet very likely to get quality writing from each participant. The exercises are numerous, original, challenging and, best of all, fun. Instructor feedback is fast and useful. Not only did I have a blast, but I feel quite positive about the story I got a good running start on. I'd take another class without hesitation.
                                                    — Ed Davis

 

I found the exercises and the way they were positioned helpful and informative on a variety of levels. I liked how some got us thinking about our characters, some pulled us forward to stretch and see our novels as having length, and others asked us to think about structure. I found these last ones most fruitful, and I think that’s because I’ve been wanting to ask myself where I’m headed.
                                                               —Chris Echaurre

 

 

If you're looking for a concise, insightful, personal writing class, look no further. Meredith Sue Willis' on-line writing class is well worth it! She'll challenge you, make you stretch, make you think.
                                                                  —Carter Seaton

 

The guidance provided by Meredith Sue not only encouraged me to continue with my project, it taught me to review my material from a more professional standpoint. Her comments were insightful; her suggestions stimulating, provocative and very much on-target. I have participated in many workshops and groups. I found Meredith Sue’s on-line course to be a significantly positive influence on my writing. I am eager to sign up for the next course with her.
                                             — Savannah Gill

 

The January Plan for Novel and Memoir Writers offered on-line by Meredith Sue Willis was truly a gem of a course. Although a professional writer all of my life, I felt I needed a shot in the arm, as well as some good advice as I pursued a genre unfamiliar to me as a writer, the novel. The assignments, both major and minor, as well as the pacing of these exercises all seemed just right – hard enough to push me into new places and yet always easily understandable and somehow accessible. I appreciated, as well, the flexibility built into the overall course which allowed me to stray from the letter of the assignment if I felt I needed to do so. Quite frankly, however, I found the assignments so compelling that even when they didn’t 'fit' the particular needs of my project, I pursued them anyway. Furthermore, and of equal value were Ms. Willis’s comments upon my submitted work. Every word of advice, every critical observation I felt had been weighed carefully and meted out with just the right admixture of encouragement and suggestion. I simply can not recommend her instructional skills too highly and envy those students who count her as their teacher.
                                                                —Marc Harshman

 

Just wanted to say what a great get-back-to-work kick in the pants this session has been. That sounds a bit too harsh though, since the most wonderful aspect of it was how supported and encouraged I felt by your thoughtful and insightful reading and response. Each session was chock full of ideas for getting going with writing, and I felt very cared for by the generosity of the assignments both in their number and originality. I especially thought the last one, to write a dream for a character, or write about a dream you yourself had was great. I know I'll be responding to that one and the one on the weather again and again. I appreciated reading the other students' work, though right now I'm in such a private kind of space, that I didn't make comments or join in the on-line community, though I think it's another wonderful aspect of the course and I most likely would take part at another time.
                                           —Deedee Agee

 

I'd recommend your workshops to anyone who wants coherent, polished writing. The exercises are extremely valuable, and the editing techniques you pass on turn a good idea into something worth reading....I've enjoyed the sessions, and it was good to keep my fingers moving over the keys while traveling. Just enough work, and lots to occupy my thoughts while driving.
                                                                    —Lynne Gleason

 

Meredith Sue Willis's class, guaranteed to jump-start my writing, did more than that. One of the characters in my novel may not be dead after all and the others have more definition. Meredith Sue's careful editing and comments helped me feel like I am on the right track and gave me more tools to help me get where I want to go. Her warmth and humor shows through with each interaction, an incredible gift in a teacher, particularly when one is interacting through cyberspace.
                                                 — Jamie Rhein

 

Helped me to stretch my imagination by using challenging exercises. I came away feeling I really am a writer as a result of her positive supporting comments and suggestions. 
                                               — Suzanne Gluck

 

The experience of Meredith Sue is well worth your time and money    
                                                                      —Martha Jo Goff

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