New Year’s Resolution #1: Attend a Writing Class
Okay, okay. I know that New Year’s Resolutions are a terrible way to talk yourself into doing anything. Each year, people around the globe make a list of all their resolutions for the New Year. List makers sign up for expensive packages at the gym and by mid-January, the number of trips to the gym have slowly trickled down to zero. Unfortunately for them, contracts with the gym are unbreakable unless you have moved out of the country or have left this world entirely.
So, it is with a slight wariness that I make this year’s list. I skipped resolutions entirely the past few years, but I think I’m going to give it a whirl this time around. I believe that if I focus on my goals, and make them realistic goals, I can accomplish something. For the next few days, I will be posting each of my resolutions related to literature and writing.
First on my list is to attend a writing class. I have several options here. There are writing classes that range from one day to 12 weeks. With my busy schedule, I believe I am going to opt for a one day course for now. I can test the waters and see if I even like taking writing classes. Another plus to this is that the tuition is the lowest for these one-day intensives.
Gotham Writers Workshop is offering several one-day intensives on Saturday, January 5.
- Article Writing
- Fiction Writing
- Travel Writing
- Children’s Book Writing
- Dialogue Writing
- Screenwriting
- Memoir Writing
- Writing Documentary Films
So, whether I am an aspiring to be the next J.K. Rowling or Al Gore, there are plenty of options here for me to get a feel for these types of classes without making a weekly commitment. If one of your resolutions is to attend a writing class, this could be a good choice for you as well if you will be in the New York City area to attend. Gotham Writers Workshops also offers online versions of courses, but the one-day intensives are on-campus only.
In these one-day courses, there will be lectures, exercises and feedback. If I do this, I am going to have to accept the fact that someone might read my rough draft writing. That’s kind of a scary thought. However, I do believe feedback is important, and in the end, it will make me a better writer. Or at least I hope so.
Filed under: resolutions, writing, writing tools
Can’t wait to hear what you end up taking! I’m doing a screenwriting workshop at UCLA extension next month. I’m jealous that you’re in New York, close to the Gotham School, where they have so many options for classes. I know they have online classes, but my experience with those is that they’re very “safe” and ignorable. I know how you feel about being scared to show people your writing, but at the end of the day I’m sure the feeling will turn to “Man, I’m pretty good!”