April 18, 2014 at 3:34 p.m.
Bright to teach writing courses at SOA
Bright to teach writing courses at SOA
By By Daryl Youngstrum-
Now settled in Eagle River to concentrate on her writing, Bright will share her talents and experience by presenting three classes at the School of the Arts at Rhinelander July 19 to 23. Her efforts to produce a young adult historical fiction novel led her to the subject of her first class: Bringing Your World to Life.
Her developing novel, Renata, is set in 1703 in Venice.
"Renata follows the story of a shy but talented violinist growing up in the shadow of her best friend in the famed Ospedale della Pieta where (composer Antonio) Vivaldi taught," Bright said. "To write the book, I read about Venetian food, dress, music and lifestyle for that period. I learned to play the violin, and I was able to go to Venice to see the setting for myself. In the class Bringing Your World to Life, I'll offer the research tips and organizing system I developed for this novel, and we'll do lots of exercises that will help writers envision the settings of their stories more fully, no matter what that setting is."
"The 'world' of a story includes the setting, of course, but also the way that setting has influenced the characters. It's everything from the language the characters use to what they see out the window. The more deeply you imagine the world of the story, the better you can pick those few perfect details that will bring it to life."
"What excited me so much about this class is that it's useful for every genre of prose," she added. "Those who write fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction will find the class particularly useful because, when you write a story that's not set in the present time, your first task is to establish the world in which your characters live."
Bringing Your World to Life is recommended for intermediate-level writers.
Bright also offers two classes for beginning and intermediate writers interested in composing memoirs: Mini Memoirs: Writing Memoir Essays and Sharing Your Story: Traditional Memoir Writing. The subject and complexity of the memoir will often dictate its length, she said.
"Sometimes the stories we have to tell are shorter than book length; sometimes they take a few pages or a few dozen pages. I like to think of mini memoirs as akin to (true) short stories with a slightly different set of rules and techniques. Mini memoirs can be reflections on one thing in a person's life that is important, like a name, ethnicity, hobby, or occupation, or they can tell a specific story from one's life much in the way a classic short story would."
"The shorter space requires a writer to tell a smaller story with fewer people in it, but don't be deceived into thinking that those stories are less complex or just for beginners. If it turns out that the story you are telling is larger, a mini memoir can always be expanded or it can become a chapter in a memoir."
Bringing Your World to Life is a one-day class offered from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Saturday, July 19, and Mini Memoirs: Writing Memoir Essays is offered in one day Sunday, July 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Sharing Your Story: Traditional Memoir Writing is offered Monday through Wednesday, July 21 to 23, from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. Registration information for these and other classes at School of the Arts at Rhinelander is available at the University of Wisconsin-Continuing Studies website soawisconsin.org. Questions about registration may be referred to (608) 262-2451.
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