UPCOMING
Writers' League of Texas Summer Writing Retreat
“The Joy and Discovery of Revision: A Step-by-Step Approach”
July 13 2022 - August 3 2022 - Four Wednesdays Evenings, 6:30-9:30 pm
Revision – that much talked about and often nerve-racking aspect of the writing life. Some of us love it, others dread it, and many have only a theoretical idea of what revision actually means. What we do know – when we’re in it, it can be overwhelming. We can feel like giving up. How do we stay connected to our original vision while also improving what is on the page? How do we honor the work we’ve already done while also taking it to the next level?
In this class, we’ll break down the revision process into specific stages, empowering ourselves with strategic approaches to gain the required objectivity. We will connect with our original vision, name our strengths and barriers, and tease out techniques for improving the work overall. We will also build community and highlight methods for celebrating our creativity and dedication throughout the revision process and beyond.
Students will be asked to read a few articles/ excerpts ahead of the first class, as well as do a minimum of four writing / revision exercises in-between the four class sessions. The class sessions will combine lecture, breakout groups, writing exercises, and opportunities for sharing.
About each session:
Week 1 (July 13): Honoring the Work: In this first session, we will examine our influences and aspirations, honing in on why we started the project in the first place. We will identify our best practices and we’ll consider what we have versus what we need in order to refine our work. We will also discuss common challenges within the revision process.
Week 2 (July 20): Action, Tension, Character Change: This second session will focus on strategies to improve action, tension, and character development. We’ll dive into why a compelling plot is essential in both fiction and nonfiction and we’ll do exercises to deepen the impact of our existing drafts.
Week 3 (July 27): Setting & Sound, Analogy & Rhythm: In the third week, we’ll examine the potent role of setting, dialogue, analogy, and rhythm. We will do an inventory of our drafts with regards to existing settings and in scene dialogue and explore how we might more effectively use both to increase the impact of our work. We’ll also play around with imagery and pacing.
Week 4 (August 3): Creating a Game Plan: After three weeks of exploration, we’ll spend time in this final session mapping out next steps in our revision plan. We’ll decide on our priorities, clarify time commitments, and identify an accountability partner or partners who can help us both keep the faith and affirm our resolve.
Take this class if…:
This class is appropriate for writers who have completed a first draft of a project – short or long, fiction or nonfiction.
Registration information here: https://writersleague.org/calendar/summer-writing-retreat-2022-the-joy-and-discovery-of-revision-a-step-by-step-approach-with-charlotte-gullick/writersleague.org/calendar/summer-writing-retreat-2022-the-joy-and-discovery-of-revision-a-step-by-step-approach-with-charlotte-gullick/
“The Joy and Discovery of Revision: A Step-by-Step Approach”
July 13 2022 - August 3 2022 - Four Wednesdays Evenings, 6:30-9:30 pm
Revision – that much talked about and often nerve-racking aspect of the writing life. Some of us love it, others dread it, and many have only a theoretical idea of what revision actually means. What we do know – when we’re in it, it can be overwhelming. We can feel like giving up. How do we stay connected to our original vision while also improving what is on the page? How do we honor the work we’ve already done while also taking it to the next level?
In this class, we’ll break down the revision process into specific stages, empowering ourselves with strategic approaches to gain the required objectivity. We will connect with our original vision, name our strengths and barriers, and tease out techniques for improving the work overall. We will also build community and highlight methods for celebrating our creativity and dedication throughout the revision process and beyond.
Students will be asked to read a few articles/ excerpts ahead of the first class, as well as do a minimum of four writing / revision exercises in-between the four class sessions. The class sessions will combine lecture, breakout groups, writing exercises, and opportunities for sharing.
About each session:
Week 1 (July 13): Honoring the Work: In this first session, we will examine our influences and aspirations, honing in on why we started the project in the first place. We will identify our best practices and we’ll consider what we have versus what we need in order to refine our work. We will also discuss common challenges within the revision process.
Week 2 (July 20): Action, Tension, Character Change: This second session will focus on strategies to improve action, tension, and character development. We’ll dive into why a compelling plot is essential in both fiction and nonfiction and we’ll do exercises to deepen the impact of our existing drafts.
Week 3 (July 27): Setting & Sound, Analogy & Rhythm: In the third week, we’ll examine the potent role of setting, dialogue, analogy, and rhythm. We will do an inventory of our drafts with regards to existing settings and in scene dialogue and explore how we might more effectively use both to increase the impact of our work. We’ll also play around with imagery and pacing.
Week 4 (August 3): Creating a Game Plan: After three weeks of exploration, we’ll spend time in this final session mapping out next steps in our revision plan. We’ll decide on our priorities, clarify time commitments, and identify an accountability partner or partners who can help us both keep the faith and affirm our resolve.
Take this class if…:
This class is appropriate for writers who have completed a first draft of a project – short or long, fiction or nonfiction.
Registration information here: https://writersleague.org/calendar/summer-writing-retreat-2022-the-joy-and-discovery-of-revision-a-step-by-step-approach-with-charlotte-gullick/writersleague.org/calendar/summer-writing-retreat-2022-the-joy-and-discovery-of-revision-a-step-by-step-approach-with-charlotte-gullick/
PAST EVENTS
"Character Development in Memoir: How to Deepen the Story"
Saturday, April 30th, 10:00am-1:00 pm
Online
When writing memoir, it’s essential to explore how character development contributes to a compelling narrative.
This class will provide multiple opportunities for participants to consider how change and curiosity relate to character development for the narrator as well as the other individuals in the story. We will explore the roles of research, rumination, and empathy as they add meaning and layers to our personal journeys. We will read, write, discuss, imagine, connect, and grow. Instruction will include lecture, writing prompts, conversation, reflection, and confidence-building exercises.
Registration information here: https://writersleague.org/calendar/character-memoir-gullick-2022/
Syncreate Six-Week Creativity Coaching Group
Wednesday Evenings, May 25 - June 29, 2022
6:30-8:30 pm Central Time
This group will meet online via Zoom
Cost: $195 Early Bird by April 30th / $225 Regular Price
(Registration Closes May 15th)
Ignite your creativity in 2022! This six-week coaching group will guide you through the journey of creativity in order to move from start to finish on a creative project. As detailed in our new book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Communities, and Teams, Charlotte and Melinda will offer an in-depth exploration of Play, Plan, and Produce, the stages of creative ideation, project planning, and fruition. Weekly meetings will include experiential exercises and discussion to stimulate your creativity, identify your own best practices, and provide accountability for your creative goals and milestones.
Click Here to Register: (this link will take you to the Syncreate website)
https://www.syncreate.org/upcoming-events.html
Flash Nonfiction: The Charm of the Focused Essay
September 4, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Online
How do you tell a story in a page? How do you condense all the necessary elements into 1,000 words or less?
Effective flash nonfiction renders a pivotal moment or theme from our lives with precise language, vivid sensory details, and lyricism. This kind of writing is distilled and focused, exploring the power of the haunted and the harrowing, the joyful and the generous. This workshop will help participants identify potential flash topics and empower them with the tools to grab a reader from the first word and not let them go. We will write at least three drafts of flash pieces during the course of the class as well as generate a list of possible future essays.
Want to read an example of flash nonfiction: https://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/the-salmon/brevitymag.com/nonfiction/the-salmon/
TAKE THIS CLASS IF
To register: https://writersleague.org/calendar/flash-nonfiction-the-charm-of-the-focused-essay-with-charlotte-gullick/
September 4, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Online
How do you tell a story in a page? How do you condense all the necessary elements into 1,000 words or less?
Effective flash nonfiction renders a pivotal moment or theme from our lives with precise language, vivid sensory details, and lyricism. This kind of writing is distilled and focused, exploring the power of the haunted and the harrowing, the joyful and the generous. This workshop will help participants identify potential flash topics and empower them with the tools to grab a reader from the first word and not let them go. We will write at least three drafts of flash pieces during the course of the class as well as generate a list of possible future essays.
Want to read an example of flash nonfiction: https://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/the-salmon/brevitymag.com/nonfiction/the-salmon/
TAKE THIS CLASS IF
- You’d like to learn how to write flash nonfiction.
- You’re an essay or memoir writer who wants to hone your skills.
- You want to reenergize your writing.
- You write flash nonfiction and want to learn more about the craft that makes a good piece.
To register: https://writersleague.org/calendar/flash-nonfiction-the-charm-of-the-focused-essay-with-charlotte-gullick/
Writers' League of Texas Summer Writing Retreat
July 2021
FICTION: “Exploration & Generation: Playing with Fiction Fundamentals” every Tuesday of the month (July 6, 13, 20, 27) on Zoom from 6:30 PM CDT to 9:30 PM CDT. You can find the full class description and registration options here.
July 2021
FICTION: “Exploration & Generation: Playing with Fiction Fundamentals” every Tuesday of the month (July 6, 13, 20, 27) on Zoom from 6:30 PM CDT to 9:30 PM CDT. You can find the full class description and registration options here.
Virtual Reading with Scott Semegran
Saturday, October 3, 7 pm
In partnership with Malvern Books
Join us to help celebrate the release of Scott's newest novel, The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island.
Saturday, October 3, 7 pm
In partnership with Malvern Books
Join us to help celebrate the release of Scott's newest novel, The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island.
Better Prose Through Poetry: Using Rhythm, Repetition and Other Poetic Tools in Your Writing
Poetry's economy of language and use of powerful images offers creative, succinct points of divergence for writers of all genres. This workshop will focus on specific poetic tools such as rhythm, repetition and alliteration to seed, deepen, and refine new and in-progress writing. We will study 3-5 poems and essays that engage poetic techniques and generate new material to incorporate into a current project or begin a new one.
Saturday, April 18, 9:00 am - noon
Saturday, April 18, 9:00 am - noon
Writers' League of Texas Texas Writes Program
Join Charlotte for a discussion about craft.
Quitman Public Library
Saturday, May 16, 1:00 pm
Featured Panelist, Writers' League of Texas, Third Thursday
Thursday, August 15, 2019 7:00 pm start
BookPeople (Third Floor) 603 North Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78703
Free and Open to the Public
"The Art of Personal Essays"
Mendocino Coast Writers' Conference
Emerging Writers’ Workshop: The Next Level
For many of us, the writing life means accepting that we learn and plateau, learn and plateau. If this your current experience, then this workshop is for you. We will broaden our writers’ toolkits to grow and deepen our work, and we’ll have a clearer sense of how to take our writing to the next level. In this highly interactive session, we will discuss ways to close the gap between ability and aspiration, cultivate a more playful relationship to process, see current work through new lenses, and build community. Format will include peer critique, writing exercises, and craft discussion.
August 1-3, 2019
Mendocino, California
Emerging Writers’ Workshop: The Next Level
For many of us, the writing life means accepting that we learn and plateau, learn and plateau. If this your current experience, then this workshop is for you. We will broaden our writers’ toolkits to grow and deepen our work, and we’ll have a clearer sense of how to take our writing to the next level. In this highly interactive session, we will discuss ways to close the gap between ability and aspiration, cultivate a more playful relationship to process, see current work through new lenses, and build community. Format will include peer critique, writing exercises, and craft discussion.
August 1-3, 2019
Mendocino, California
Austin Liti Limits - Featured Readers Charlotte Gullick & James L. Haley
Tuesday, July 9, 7 pm
The Brewtorium Brewery & Kitchen
6015 Dillard Circle, Suite A, Austin, Texas 78752
Writers' League of Texas - Summer Writing Retreat
Setting the Stage for Your Next Fiction Project: Generation and Exploration
Monday through Friday, July 15-19: 9:00am to 12pm (class instruction), 1pm to 4 pm (writing time)
Have you been thinking about a new writing project but aren’t sure where to begin? Do you have big ideas but become overwhelmed with all that needs to be done? In this class, participants will dive into their ideas, explore the possibilities, and emerge with a game plan and a set of writings under their belt that will set the stage for making meaningful progress. Through lecture, writing exercises, and craft discussion, the class will look at the key elements to crafting a story - including characters, settings, and primary tensions - that make for compelling fiction.
All class participants will have a 20-minute one-on-one consultation with the instructor during the retreat and will have the opportunity to share a selection from their work in progress with the instructor ahead of the retreat. Details on the consultation and instructions for submitting material will be shared with registrants in May.
July 14-July 19
Kerrville, Texas
This class is appropriate for both short story and novel writers. For registration information, click here.
Setting the Stage for Your Next Fiction Project: Generation and Exploration
Monday through Friday, July 15-19: 9:00am to 12pm (class instruction), 1pm to 4 pm (writing time)
Have you been thinking about a new writing project but aren’t sure where to begin? Do you have big ideas but become overwhelmed with all that needs to be done? In this class, participants will dive into their ideas, explore the possibilities, and emerge with a game plan and a set of writings under their belt that will set the stage for making meaningful progress. Through lecture, writing exercises, and craft discussion, the class will look at the key elements to crafting a story - including characters, settings, and primary tensions - that make for compelling fiction.
All class participants will have a 20-minute one-on-one consultation with the instructor during the retreat and will have the opportunity to share a selection from their work in progress with the instructor ahead of the retreat. Details on the consultation and instructions for submitting material will be shared with registrants in May.
July 14-July 19
Kerrville, Texas
This class is appropriate for both short story and novel writers. For registration information, click here.
East Austin Studio Tour
This show also features poetry and prose by literary writers on the theme of interconnectedness. Writers include Lize Burr, Dreux Carpenter, Desiree Evans, Charlotte Gullick, Donna Johnson, Emmy Pérez, Naomi Shihab Nye, Rose Smith, Robin Storey Dunn, Natalia Sylvester and Kirk Wilson.
What: Karrie Hovey: Endangered / In Danger
Where: Prizer Arts & Letters, 2023 E. Cesar Chavez St.
When: Nov. 10-11 & Nov. 17-18, 11am to 6pm
This show also features poetry and prose by literary writers on the theme of interconnectedness. Writers include Lize Burr, Dreux Carpenter, Desiree Evans, Charlotte Gullick, Donna Johnson, Emmy Pérez, Naomi Shihab Nye, Rose Smith, Robin Storey Dunn, Natalia Sylvester and Kirk Wilson.
What: Karrie Hovey: Endangered / In Danger
Where: Prizer Arts & Letters, 2023 E. Cesar Chavez St.
When: Nov. 10-11 & Nov. 17-18, 11am to 6pm
Minor Characters, Major Insights: Creating a More Compelling Narrative with Secondary Characters
Students will examine how an understanding of the conflicting desires, fates, and vulnerabilities of secondary characters can ratchet up and refine the overall story tension, whether for the novel, the memoir, or short fiction.
October 16, 6:30-9:30
ONLINE
Students will examine how an understanding of the conflicting desires, fates, and vulnerabilities of secondary characters can ratchet up and refine the overall story tension, whether for the novel, the memoir, or short fiction.
October 16, 6:30-9:30
ONLINE
Developing Your Perspective in Memoir
Saturday, November 3, 2018
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
St. Edward's University, Austin, TX
Saturday, November 3, 2018
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
St. Edward's University, Austin, TX
Austin Community College's Literary Coffeehouse
Featured Reader
Monday, September 10, 7 pm
Malvern Books 613 W 29th St, Austin, TX
Featured Reader
Monday, September 10, 7 pm
Malvern Books 613 W 29th St, Austin, TX
Creatives Meet Business Experience
Exploring Constraints and Creativity: Shifting the Narrative
Limitations are everywhere, and they often feel like barriers. This workshop will dive into the power of embracing limitations as a source of creativity and inspiration. We will play with divergent and convergent thinking, learn to toggle between them, and see limitations in a new light.
Saturday, September 22, 2:45-4:00 pm
Exploring Constraints and Creativity: Shifting the Narrative
Limitations are everywhere, and they often feel like barriers. This workshop will dive into the power of embracing limitations as a source of creativity and inspiration. We will play with divergent and convergent thinking, learn to toggle between them, and see limitations in a new light.
Saturday, September 22, 2:45-4:00 pm
Writers' League of Texas Texas Writes Program
Join Charlotte for a discussion about craft.
Kaufman Public Library
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Join Charlotte for a discussion about craft.
Kaufman Public Library
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Writers' League of Texas - Summer Writing Retreat
The Defined Draft: Turning What You Have into What You Need
Once we have a certain critical mass of material in our fiction, we reach a point where we must ask hard questions of ourselves: What more is needed? What needs to go? How much of this draft was necessary for me to write in order to get to know the story but isn’t actually part of the streamlined narrative?
July 29-August 3, Nacogdoches, Texas
The Defined Draft: Turning What You Have into What You Need
Once we have a certain critical mass of material in our fiction, we reach a point where we must ask hard questions of ourselves: What more is needed? What needs to go? How much of this draft was necessary for me to write in order to get to know the story but isn’t actually part of the streamlined narrative?
July 29-August 3, Nacogdoches, Texas
One Page Salon
Featured Readers: Meg Gardiner, Chaitali Sen, Christina Soontornvat & Charlotte Gullick
Tuesday, June 5, 7:30pm
Featured Readers: Meg Gardiner, Chaitali Sen, Christina Soontornvat & Charlotte Gullick
Tuesday, June 5, 7:30pm
Pastoral Writing for Public Life
In partnership with the Collegeville Institute
Monday, May 14, 4:00 pm to noon Friday, May 17
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
100 E. 27th Street, Austin, Texas
In partnership with the Collegeville Institute
Monday, May 14, 4:00 pm to noon Friday, May 17
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
100 E. 27th Street, Austin, Texas
Better Prose Through Poetry: Using Rhythm, Repetition and Other Poetic Tools in Your Writing
May 9, 2018, 6:30-9:30 pm
ONLINE
May 9, 2018, 6:30-9:30 pm
ONLINE
Writers' League of Texas Texas Writes Program
Join Charlotte and Antonio Ruiz-Camacho for an afternoon discussion about craft.
Penitas Public Library
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Join Charlotte and Antonio Ruiz-Camacho for an afternoon discussion about craft.
Penitas Public Library
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Learn All the Time Conference
Conference Keynote: “The Power of Storytelling”
Saturday, March 3rd, 2018
Conference Keynote: “The Power of Storytelling”
Saturday, March 3rd, 2018
Honing the Spark and Mapping Out Your Revision
As writers revise, it's useful to create a roadmap for what is needed to revise a current book-length draft into an engaging manuscript.
Saturday, December 9
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
St. Edward's University, Trustee Hall 303, 3001 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX
As writers revise, it's useful to create a roadmap for what is needed to revise a current book-length draft into an engaging manuscript.
Saturday, December 9
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
St. Edward's University, Trustee Hall 303, 3001 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX
Austin Public Library's NaNoWriMo Events: Character Writing Workshop
Learn the art of the craft from published authors.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 6 pm
Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 6 pm
Learn the art of the craft from published authors.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 6 pm
Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 6 pm
Texas Book Festival
Moderator: Stories of Family, Stories of Self
Authors: Jose Antonio Rodriguez, Barbara Gonzalez Cigarroa, Carolyn Osborn
Sunday, November 5, 2017
11:00-11:45 PM
Capitol Extension 1.016
Moderator: Stories of Family, Stories of Self
Authors: Jose Antonio Rodriguez, Barbara Gonzalez Cigarroa, Carolyn Osborn
Sunday, November 5, 2017
11:00-11:45 PM
Capitol Extension 1.016
Writers' League of Texas Texas Writes Program
Join Charlotte and Donna Johnson for an afternoon discussion about craft. Charlotte will discuss A Character for All Seasons: Bringing a Story to Life in Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall
Lubbock Library
Saturday, September 30, 2018
Join Charlotte and Donna Johnson for an afternoon discussion about craft. Charlotte will discuss A Character for All Seasons: Bringing a Story to Life in Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall
Lubbock Library
Saturday, September 30, 2018
Creatives Meet Business Experience
In The Venn: Where Story, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Intersect
Friday, September 15th, 1:15 to 2:45 PM
In The Venn: Where Story, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Intersect
Friday, September 15th, 1:15 to 2:45 PM
Pastoral Writing for Public Life
In partnership with the Collegeville Institute
Monday, May 8, 4:00 pm to noon Friday, May 12
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
100 E. 27th Street, Austin, Texas
In partnership with the Collegeville Institute
Monday, May 8, 4:00 pm to noon Friday, May 12
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
100 E. 27th Street, Austin, Texas
Reading with David Hicks and Natalia Sylvester
Join us for an evening of fiction!
Tuesday, May 9, 7:00 pm
Malvern Books, 613 W 29th St, Austin, TX
Join us for an evening of fiction!
Tuesday, May 9, 7:00 pm
Malvern Books, 613 W 29th St, Austin, TX
Better Prose Through Poetry: Using Rhythm, Repetition and Other Poetic Tools in Your Writing
Poetry's economy of language and use of powerful images offers creative, succinct points of divergence for writers of all genres. This workshop will focus on specific poetic tools such as rhythm, repetition and alliteration to seed, deepen, and refine new and in-progress writing. We will study 3-5 poems and essays that engage poetic techniques and generate new material to incorporate into a current project or begin a new one.
February 22, 2017, 6:30-9:30 pm
ONLINE
Poetry's economy of language and use of powerful images offers creative, succinct points of divergence for writers of all genres. This workshop will focus on specific poetic tools such as rhythm, repetition and alliteration to seed, deepen, and refine new and in-progress writing. We will study 3-5 poems and essays that engage poetic techniques and generate new material to incorporate into a current project or begin a new one.
February 22, 2017, 6:30-9:30 pm
ONLINE
Writers' League of Texas Texas Writes Program
Join Charlotte for a discussion about craft.
Mount Enterprise Library
Saturday, February 4, 2018
Join Charlotte for a discussion about craft.
Mount Enterprise Library
Saturday, February 4, 2018
Writers' League of Texas Texas Writes Program
Join Charlotte and Suzy Spencer for an afternoon discussion about craft. Charlotte will discuss A Character for All Seasons: Bringing a Story to Life in Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall and Suzy will explore The Truth in Writing and Memory.
Livingston Municipal Library
Thursday, January 26, 1:00-4:00 pm
707 N Tyler Avenue, Livingston, TX
Join Charlotte and Suzy Spencer for an afternoon discussion about craft. Charlotte will discuss A Character for All Seasons: Bringing a Story to Life in Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall and Suzy will explore The Truth in Writing and Memory.
Livingston Municipal Library
Thursday, January 26, 1:00-4:00 pm
707 N Tyler Avenue, Livingston, TX
Radio Interview
If you didn't get to attend one of the recent events, perhaps you'd like to listen to the KOOP recent interview on Writing on the Air
If you didn't get to attend one of the recent events, perhaps you'd like to listen to the KOOP recent interview on Writing on the Air
