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Study Along Workshops

A Brand New Form of Workshop for WMG Publishing…

Study Along Workshops will allow writers to follow part of the intense craft workshops being held in Las Vegas, only online.

We have been wanting to do this for a few years now, and finally the move to Las Vegas of the in-person workshops and the nifty features of Teachable have allowed it to finally happen.

This is a hybrid new form of workshop. Give me a second to explain.

Vegas Craft Workshops…

For those of you who do not know, Kristine Kathryn Rusch teaches the craft workshops. Those of you who have been through one or two can tell everyone what they are like in the comments. But to put it lightly, they are intense. (grin)

And we screen who we let in to make sure the intense work and pressure will not hurt anyone, but instead help them learn and advance their writing.

In 2019 we have four craft workshops scheduled and two planned already in 2020. (All are at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, NV.)

Series Craft Workshop… January 25th-29th. Cost $750. (only 3 spots left)
Mystery Craft Workshop… April 12th-16th. Cost $750. (only 2 spots left)
Creating Memorable Characters Workshop… May 17th-21st. Cost $750. (6 spots)
Romance Craft Workshop… Sept 20th-24th. Cost $750. (only 3 spots left)

Coming in 2020 are Fantasy Craft Workshop and Science Fiction Craft Workshop, plus two others, details to be announced in the winter.

What happens, in general, at these workshops is that there is a reading list about five months ahead that Kris sends everyone. Everyone must have it all read by the workshop. It is not a small list and Kris has reasons for each story and book on the list. Just the reading list in a learning experience.

Then two weeks ahead of the workshop or so you get a story assignment to a specific topic to write and bring with you to the workshop.

Then over the five days in Las Vegas you write two or three more short stories, do a bunch of exercises and craft things focused on helping you get better at the topic of the workshop. Kris talks about the books you read in depth, also about the assignments and the stories in the two sessions a day of meetings. And she has lectures about the topics to help the writers move forward.

As I said, these are intense and will jump your writing ahead. (If interested in any of the Vegas Workshops, write me.)

Study Along Workshops

Brand new!!! Since the in-person Vegas workshops with Kris are very limited and also you must qualify and be in the right place, many writers either don’t qualify yet or can’t make the trip to Vegas for one reason or another.

So Kris and I have come up with a way to allow writers of any skill level to study along. It won’t be the full workshop by a long ways, but it will still be pretty nifty.

First, you will get the same reading list that Kris sends out five months ahead. Same deadline to get it all read.

You will get the first story assignment. It must be turned it at exactly the same time Kris’s writers in Vegas will turn their stories in.

Kris will do short videos about the reading books that will be released a little each day. (Writers in Vegas will also have access to all this as well for review later.)

I will do a series of recorded videos that will be opened up each day talking about learning the topic of the workshop, similar to regular online workshops.

You will get the short story assignments and deadlines at exactly the same as the Vegas writers. I will respond to your short stories. Kris will not read them, but I will. Then I will do a short webinar for each short story assignment where I talk about the stories and the reason for the assignment.

Only the Vegas writers will get all the other craft assignments and hear Kris’s lectures and how that all builds. But the Study Along students will get her comments recorded about each book in the reading list and my lectures on the topics plus comments on the stories and a webinar about the stories.

Of course, all the writers attending Vegas will automatically be on this online form as well. A bonus for them to have both for their record besides their notes. Not only will they get Kris’s fantastic lectures on the topic, but my lectures as well. So you want to go to Vegas so you can get both.

Again, except for the short recorded comments about the reading list, Kris will not take part in the Study Along Workshops. That part goes to me.

Cost of a Study Along workshop is $300. Sign up on Teachable.com

NOTE!! Because of the fact that I have to read the stories and do the webinars, these Study Along Workshops will also be very limited. So don’t hesitate in getting signed up on Teachable, even if the workshop is a ways out. 

NOTE!! Reading list for the first workshop will go out in about a month, with the reading list for April in November and the reading list for May workshop in December, so don’t delay on signing up. The workshop starts are closer than they seem.

NOTE!! This is a brand new form of workshop, a combination of in-person and online, so they are held separately, so the Lifetime Regular Workshop Subscribers will not get these automatically, just as they don’t get the lectures.

But we will offer a $1,200 Lifetime Subscription to the Study Along workshops, and since we have four in 2019 and two already planned in 2020. A good deal.

IF YOU ARE A REGULAR WORKSHOP LIFETIME SUBSCRIBER, you can add on the lifetime to the Study Along for half price of $600. Write me if interested in adding them into your other lifetime subscription. 

Any questions about anything, please write me.

And feel free to start signing up on Teachable.com.

We are excited that we finally have this off the ground.

 

 

3 Comments

  • Topaz

    Hello Dean,
    another great offer. Wow.

    If I get the liftime subscription, do I always get a place in the study along courses, or do I have to apply separately for a place in each?

    I am a bit confused about what will be in the study along workshop and what not.

    You wrote: Then over the five days in Las Vegas you write two or three more short stories, do a bunch of exercises and craft things focused on helping you get better at the topic of the workshop. 
    You wrote: I will do a series of recorded videos that will be opened up each day talking about learning the topic of the workshop
    You wrote: Only the Vegas writers will get all the other craft assignments and hear Kris’s lectures and how that all builds. 

    So, as far as I do understand, the study along Partizipation does:
    – write one short story ahead, and two more during the week, read and commented by you
    – don’t get the exercises Kris is doing
    – What will be the difference between the content/topic of your videos and her live lectures?

    What workload does you estimate during the week? Should one take some days off from work, like the writers coming to Las Vegas do?

    Thanks for your answer already.

    • dwsmith

      Yes, lifetime subscriptions automatically get in to any workshop they want. No need to sign up. I will send out the reading list to everyone signed up and all lifetime subscribers with each workshop. And first assignment. You can decide with each workshop (as a lifetime subscriber) if you want to participate fully, or only watch the videos, or whatever. Lifetime subscription gives you complete options.

      You have it right on what is included, but missed a few things.

      Study Along Participants get…
      — Reading List
      — Taped comments by Kris about the reading list books.
      — Story Assignments
      — Feedback on the stories from me.
      — Videos by me about the topic being covered, sort of like a regular workshop. Videos release each day of the workshop.
      — Webinar after each story deadline and I have read them about the reason for the story.

      Read Along Participants do not get Kris’s lectures she will do in Vegas or any of the craft assignments they do there or any comments from Kris on the stories. The Vegas workshop attendees get everything the Study Along writers do, but a ton more and Kris’s feedback and exercises and lectures instead of just mine.

      Do you need to take time off for Study Along? Up to you, actually. You will be writing short stories, listening to videos each day, and attending a webinar. So if you chose to participate fully, it will take some time, but the workshop is Friday to Tuesday, so most everything will be over the weekend and Monday and Tuesday. So it won’t be too bad.