Meredith Sue Willis
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Today is
(Updated 5-6-09)
Featured MSW Book
Film Techniques
for Fiction Writers
June and July 2009
This is a class for writers of prose narrative (novels, stories, memoir, and more) that uses the movies as a source of techniques for ideas and sharpening prose-- then explores the techniques that prose narrative does best of all. The class is appropriate for intermediate writers or for anyone who is looking for feedback on their writing.
Four Sessions:
June 22, 2009
June 29, 2009
July 6, 2009
July 13, 2009
The course costs $200, payable in advance. To apply, read the information below, then email Meredith Sue Willis explaining why you think this class would be a good match for you. If you are accepted, she will send you the next steps.
You must apply, be admitted, and have your payment arrive by Monday, June 15, 2009.
The Class will close early with no notice if it fills. There are no cash refunds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an online writing class with Meredith Sue Willis?
Online Writing Classes with Meredith Sue Willis are creative writing classes taught by Meredith Sue Willis through e-mail and the Internet. The classes include written lectures, writing assignments, and one-on-one responses to homework. The sessions are e-mailed to the students. The students may also, if they prefer, read the sessions online. The students then e-mail passages of their writing to the teacher who e-mails back her comments.
Who is Meredith Sue Willis?
Meredith Sue Willis is a writer and veteran teacher of writing with experience that includes everything from university level to small children. For information about her teaching career and her publications, see her biography, her publication page, and her resumé,
What is the format?
The classes are asynchronous: that is, everything will be done by email with some materials posted on the Internet. E-mail is required; Internet access is not required, but is recommended. You work at your own pace, at any hour that suits you.
What are the writing assignments like?
For a variety of free sample writing exercises--not necessarily from the online writing classes--go to Writing Exercises.
How much do these online writing classes cost?
Cost is $50 a session. Thus, a three session course would be $150, a four session course $200, a five session course $250, etc. Payment is by personal check or money order in advance. Payment in full must be received before you are officially enrolled in the class. There are no cash refunds.
When does the next class begin?
The classes happen irregularly, but are often scheduled for the summer, early fall, or in January. If you are interested, check back at this page for announcements and at Meredith Sue Willis's home page. If you want to be notified directly, send an email request for notification to Meredith Sue Willis.
What do students say about these online writing classes with Meredith Sue Willis?
Go to testimonials above to see comments by students.
How do I enroll?
Enrollment is limited and will close early if the class fills. Go to the page for the specific class and follow instructions there after the class has been announced.
For more information:
Bookmark this page to see when the next class will start and what type of class it will be.
If you want to get on Meredith Sue Willis's mailing list, send a blank e-mail to Readerbooks-subscribe@topica.com. You'll receive MSW's free newsletter for readers and writers and notice of all online classes. You may also send e-mail to MeredithSueWillis@gmail.com .
Testimonials
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.
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
More testimonials
More Testimonials
.
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 challlenging 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
Featured Books
If you order this month's featured book by direct mail, you may take 10% off your entire order. Go to the Order-by-Mail page.
Written
by a prize-winning member of the Appalachian Renaissance..., Dwight's House & Other Stories is an anthology of short stories
by critically acclaimed author Meredith Sue Willis. Focusing on
believable characters put in paralyzing dilemmas, these tales examine
the troubling paradoxes of the human condition with sympathy and
synchronicity.... Highly recommended.
-- Midwest
Book Review
The title story
in Meredith Sue Willis' second collection is set during a year of
explosions: the first space shuttle; the nuclear power plant at
Chernobyl; the rundown little cottage at the lake. In this new collection
of stories and a novella set at summer houses and around lakes,
Meredith Sue Willis explores the places where we are most exposed.
-- New
Pages.com: Alternatives in Print & Media
In
superbly piercing, almost brittle prose, the story [Dwight's House] ultimately manages
to portray class conflict, the roots of anti-Semitism, the consequences
of adultery, as well as render a family's free fall.
-- Nathan
Leslie, Main Street Rag
Willis breaks
out of the narrow borders of the short story by switching among
the points of view of Dwight, Elaine, frazzled Susan, and obdurate
Fern. She develops the four corners of this stubborn rectangle
with equal care. Although Dwight is the obvious candidate for
the villain of the piece, even he is not a totally unsympathetic
character. Willis nicely balances empathy with implicitly moral
judgment....Willis regards
all of her characters with unsentimental compassion. Her fiction
leads us by the hand into dark places, and then leaves us on our
own to find our way out.
–
Margaret Quamme, "Stories in the Dark," American
Book Review,
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