Writing Classes in Madison

Welcome! We offer writing workshops in-person and online, conferences, retreats, and critiques. Descriptions of upcoming writing programs follow. Please scroll down. For more information contact Christine DeSmet at 608-262-3447 or cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu.

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Coming in Fall 2008

When available, click on a workshop title to go to the page all about that program, or visit the continuing education catalog online to browse brief descriptions of upcoming writing programs.

• From notebook to new work: a journaling workshop (Oct 29-Nov 12)
• Making the poetic leap (Oct 11-25)
• A weekend with your novel: characters, conflict, and complications (Oct 24-26)
• Write like a poet: Six Tricks That Poets Can Teach Every Writer (Sept 27)

Coming in 2009

• Writing a Successful Screenplay, February 21
• 20th annual Writers' Institute, March 27-29
• Write-by-the-Lake Writer's Workshop & Retreat, June 15-19

Online writing:

You can sign up for online writing classes or email workshops anytime and there are no deadlines! Do we get results? Yes. For example, new screenwriters have become optioned or done well in contests after taking "Screenwriting: Write Your First Draft Fast."

Titles include:

• Creating fiction: taking the next step
• Fiction: taking the next step
• How to publish your fiction
• How to publish your nonfiction
• How to write compelling fiction
• How to use all your creativity when you write
• How to write great feature articles
• Newsletter workshop
• Poetry writing: getting to good
• Screenwriting: write your first draft fast
• Take your characters to dinner: text and critique
• The dialogue shop

Also of interest:

Critique services: Agents and editors tell you all the time: Get your material critiqued first before sending it out. We help all types of writers hone their skills or find solutions to roadblocks on the way to publication, successful freelancing or writing for pure enjoyment. We coach and critique freelance and genre writers, including screenwriters, novelists, and writers of poetry, short stories and feature articles. More information.

Ongoing intermediate writing workshops: A limited number of spaces are available to new participants in the Monday (2:15-4:15 p.m.) and Wednesday (10 a.m.-noon) Writing Workshops. Fees vary. For information about the availability of these workshops and other opportunities for studying creative writing, contact Laurel Yourke (608-265-3972 or lyourke@dcs.wisc.edu). Locations: Monday group, Monona Center, 1011 Nichols Rd., Monona; Wednesday group Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., Madison.

On-site training: Bring our writing coaches, teachers and workshops to your community, meeting or conference. Can't get to Madison? We tailor our writing workshops to meet your needs, time and budget. Contact Christine DeSmet, cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu, phone: 608-262-3447 for details.

Independent learning: Study writing at home. For an Independent Learning catalog, phone 262-2011. Ask about the writing courses-call Laurel Yourke at 608-265-3972. For information about our course in writing life stories, call Marshall J. Cook at 608-262-4911.

Gift Certificates:

• Give a wonderful gift to a writer or aspiring writer.
• Show the writer in your life that you share their dream.
• Surprise them on their birthday, at a holiday, or any day of the week.

We can provide a gift certificate for any of our programs, including our annual conference, the June retreat, our fall novel weekend, or our online classes—perfect for those far from Madison or attracted to the option of working at home, at their own pace, and enrolling at a moment's notice. 

Explore our website for the choices. You'll find top-notch, award-winning writing instructors and programs for all budgets and types of writers, beginning and advanced, and in the fields of fiction (including screenwriting) and nonfiction writing, freelancing, and poetry. If you need advice on appropriate programs for the skill level of the gift recipient, we can help you make the right selection. Contact us anytime.

To find out more details or to order a gift certificate, contact Christine DeSmet, UW-Madison Liberal Studies & the Arts, 610 Langdon St., Room 621, Madison, WI 53703; (608) 262-3447; e-mail cdesmet@dcs.wisc.edu

Related resources:

The Department of Professional Development and Applied Studies offers workshops in business writing including Back to Basics, Creating promotional materials, Proofreading and copyediting, Workplace writing, and Writing good sentences.