Awake on the Page: Landscape, Character, and the Fiction of Elsewhere

How do skillful writers make the worlds of their fiction feel vivid and inhabited— so that a street, a room, or a landscape becomes as alive on the page as the characters who move through it? In this five-session workshop, we’ll explore place as the powerful—and often underused—craft tool that it is, and ways in which we can build worlds not merely as backdrop but as active fictional forces in their own right. 

Specifically, we explore how to:

• Use setting to help reveal and deepen character interiority 
• Build immersive and sensory worlds that feel specific, textured, and alive 
• Write across cultural, geographical, and temporal boundaries with confidence and care
• Use place to generate pressure, momentum, and meaning within plot

Each week, students will come together in a supportive, engaged space to apply these techniques to new work or works-in-progress. No prior workshop experience is required. Enrollment will be capped at 15, and sessions will be recorded so students can view or review at their own pace. Tuition includes a brief, optional one-on-one workshop consultation, designed to help clarify a specific craft question or offer feedback on up to two pages of a work-in-progress.  (For price information on deeper manuscript feedback, developmental editing, or ongoing private consultation, feel free to reach out through my Contact page for details.)

Led by Edgar-nominated novelist Jennifer Cody Epstein, the course will also include conversations with two extraordinary writers—Jamie Ford and Colson Whitehead—who will speak about their approaches to process, research, and craft, and answer questions.

Join us!