Tag Archives: online writing classes

Elements of the Writing Craft

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A Six-Week Multi-Media Series

Via Zoom

Independent study: Videos between classes

The craft of writing requires study and application. In this six-week workshop, Nancy McMillan and Tina Tocco team up to create a multi-media series, providing a deep dive into six central elements of the writing craft.

The weekly workshops include:

  • Setting: More Than Just a Backdrop!
  • Creating Character (and Its Buddy, Point of View)
  • Dynamic Dialogue: Say It Like You Mean It!
  • The Powerhouse Parts of Speech: Nouns/Adjectives/Verbs/Adverbs
  • Gritty Grammar and Comma Clarity
  • Story Openings: Beyond “Once Upon a Time”

This class is delivered in two parts. Each week, you’ll receive a short video (15 to 20 minutes) covering the basic concepts of each craft element. The video can be watched at your convenience and includes optional at-home exercises.

During our Friday class time, we’ll review and discuss the weekly craft element. Then, you’ll write to prompts to apply the new techniques you’re learning. Students can also apply these concepts to their own works-in-progress.

The fee for the six-week class is $240 and the class size is limited to seven.

Jumpstart Series: Writing for Children

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Via Zoom

Want to try writing for kids? Need something to spark your creativity? In this workshop, all you have to bring is your love of words. Each week, you’ll write to in-class exercises and receive positive feedback from a group of students who, like you, want to get their feet wet in children’s writing. You’ll also discuss the writing process and get tips and advice — all in a low-key environment. Plus, you’ll receive (optional) take-home exercises to keep your fingers flying during the week. Jumpstart your writing life in the new year! 

Returning Jumpstart students:  This session contains brand-new prompts, so it’s appropriate for Jumpstart returnees.

The fee for this 4-week, 6-hour workshop is $120 Workshop is limited to 8 students.

Students must register by Tuesday, September 14th to receive the Zoom link.

About the Instructor:
Tina Tocco’s writing for children has appeared in Highlights, Highlights High Five, Cricket, AppleSeeds, Humpty Dumpty, Turtle Magazine for Preschool Kids, Pockets, and other children’s publications. She is the author of the children’s poetry collection The Hungry Snowman and Other Poems (Kelsay Books, 2019). Tina’s fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have also been published in various literary journals and anthologies, such as New Ohio Review, Crab Creek Review, Potomac Review, River Styx, Harpur Palate, Ovunque Siamo, Best Small Fictions 2019, and Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana. In 2019, she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in fiction. Tina earned her MFA in creative writing from Manhattanville College, where she was editor-in-chief of Inkwell, the college’s national literary journal.