"Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This day-long workshop on writing novel-length fiction will focus on finding your true voice, enriching your story through the depths of your unconscious, and identifying structural problems and character motivations. Participants should be familiar with long-form fiction-writing, have started or completed a substantial portion of a novel, and bring questions and problems to discuss at the workshop.

The workshop begins at 9 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m. It includes a box lunch. Cost is $150.
For more information write to info [at] lisemcclendon.com

In the morning we will discuss developing ideas for a novel and how to evaluate and improve them. Character building and motivation will be explored, as well as the importance of conflict. We will then practice some guided meditation to relax and explore our unconscious minds, followed by a writing exercise called Using Memory and Desire. Participants will write a short fictional piece in the workshop, followed by reading and discussion.

After the lunch break the structure of the novel will be explored, to find the pacing and plot that immerse the reader in your characters and their motivations. We will explore the different ways to drive your narrative forward, the use of detail, dialogue, and setting, what is necessary for a reader's continued interest, and how to push on to the finish line.

There are hundreds of ways to write a novel, each one unique. But you can learn from storytellers and teachers how to craft a better novel. Find what's personal in your novel and make it universal; build on action in the novel to reach a satisfying conclusion.

Workshop leaders are long-time faculty members of the Jackson Hole Writers Conference. Lise McClendon has published seven novels since 1994, when The Bluejay Shaman was released. She has written a mystery series set in Jackson Hole and another in World War II-era Kansas City. Her latest is a suspense novel, Blackbird Fly. Deborah Turrell Atkinson lives in Honolulu and writes a crime fiction series that weaves the legends and folklore of Hawaii into suspense novels. Her fourth book, Pleasing the Dead, came out March 2009. She is on the board of SoCal MWA and president of Sisters in Crime/Hawaii.