When: Friday, October 25th, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Saturday, October 26th, 9:30am-3:30pm (Lunch break at noon)
Sunday, October 27th, 9:30am-3:30pm (Lunch break at noon)
Where: Iowa Writers' House, 332 East Davenport St
Cost: $265
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Willa Cather said it most eloquently: “Let your fiction grow out of the land beneath your feet.” Setting is one of the most powerful tools we have as storytellers. How we select and arrange the details of the worlds we create should speak to the senses and imagination of our readers.
In this weekend experience, New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf will help us explore how to tap into the land beneath our feet. We will discuss how to use the senses in order to create detailed, sharply drawn settings that transport readers into the worlds in which our characters live and breathe. We will also examine how setting impacts all aspects of a story including voice, plot, mood and tone. We will look at the origins of our characters, where they are born and raised and where they decide to put down roots. Our characters, as we do, wear the lasting imprint of the streets they walk upon, the backroads they stroll, the moon they sleep beneath resulting in unique voices, complex relationships and family dynamics.
By using creative writing exercises we will deepen our own understanding so that readers are able to be swept away into the fictional worlds we have imagined for them.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of seven novels including The Weight of Silence and Before She Was Found. Gudenkauf’s debut novel, The Weight of Silence, was nominated for an Edgar award for Best First Novel by an American Author and spent 22 weeks on New York Time’s bestseller list. Heather is also an educator who has worked with children and adults of all ages. She lives in Iowa with her family.
For more information about Heather and her books visit www.heathergudenkauf.com
INSTRUCTOR INSPIRATION STATEMENT
I’ve lived in Iowa most of my life and in each of my novels I have steeped meaningful real-life locations into my fictional settings. Many, when they think of the Midwest, envision miles and miles of flat cornfields but there is so much more. Thick woods, craggy bluffs, muddy creek beds, dark caves, raging rivers and softly rolling hills – all part of the stunning Midwestern landscape. For me, there is nothing more energizing or restorative for my creativity than stepping outside and experiencing nature.
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