Plunge into emotion and emerge with heart-driven new writing!
When asked about her creative process, the writer Can Xue said: “Emotions are completely unleashed. I turn towards the dark abyss of consciousness and plunge in, and in the tension between those two forces, I build… my stories.” In this generative writing workshop, we’ll plunge into our deepest emotions and emerge with heart-driven new writing. Each week’s session will be structured around a single emotion: joy, anger, fear, surprise, excitement, disgust, love, hope, sadness. During the session, we’ll read from examples in various genres by authors who have channeled that emotion into their work. From the seeds of these examples and other narrative prompts, we’ll plunge into our own consciousness and build new pieces of writing. After we emerge, we’ll share and compliment what we write. Authors we may read include Susan Choi, Han Kang, James Baldwin, Percival Everett, Clarice Lispector, Mariana Enriquez, Jose Saramago, and others. The emotions that structure the first three sessions will be of the moderator’s choosing; the last session will be selected by the students through vote. This workshop’s primary focus is to create and share new writing.
Live video conference: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. You can view brief tutorials on using the platform here. On the start date or the day before, participants will receive an email with login info (please check your spam if you don’t see it).
In this workshop you’ll gain:
- A number of new, fresh pieces.
- A greater sense of how to channel emotion into your work
- Prompts to continue sparking ideas and overcoming blocks
Time requirements
- No time required outside of class.
Materials
- All reading materials will be provided.
Who should take this workshop?
- This workshop is designed for all writers looking to create new work inspired by their own emotions.
If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.
