An online writing workshop with Jensen Heike

On online writing workshop with Jensen Heike
Three workshop sessions May 9, 16, 23
5:00 – 6:30pm Pacific Time
Registration $150 ($135 for Fishtrappers)

“I don’t have a very clear idea of who the characters are until they start talking.”
Joan Didion

Ever feel stuck when it comes to character conversations? Struggling with unnatural-sounding dialogue, or too much/too little dialogue? Come explore the art of natural dialogue—dialogue as conflict, dialogue as revelation, dialogue as resolution! In this workshop we will examine excerpts of conversations between characters in varied relationships (romantic, familial, friend, foe, and more.) to consider how dialogue functions successfully in both fiction and nonfiction stories, and determine techniques for writing authentic dialogue. Sample texts we will read and discuss include excerpts from the novel Less by Andrew Sean Greer, as well as short stories “At the Clinic” by Sally Rooney and “Eula” by Deesha Philyaw. The class will include inspiring prompts that encourage eavesdropping and transcribing gossip. You will leave this three session workshop with new tools for approaching both dialogue itself and how to balance dialogue, description, and character movement within a scene.  

Jensen Heike is a writer and freelance editor based in Bellingham, Washington where she lives with her partner, cat, and dog. Her work has appeared in Sweet Tree Review and The Wire’s Dream Magazine, among others. She is a current MFA student at Eastern Oregon University, and is working on her first novel.