July 2–30
Online
$175 (special introductory rate)

As people of conscience, we know that our culture is sick: Sick with the injustice of racism. Sick with sexism and homophobia. Sick with disregard for the life systems of this planet.

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of this sickness, which is so deeply ingrained in Western culture.

But as storytellers, we actually have a great deal of power: The power to reroute synapses and open hearts. The power to interrogate, expose, and ultimately replace the bad stories that got us here.

It’s time to wield that power consciously.

This year, I'm launching a new class, expressly for fiction writers who want to use their voice and vision to support a more just and equitable world: Story Medicine: Better Stories for a Better World.

In this new 4-week class, writers will explore:

• How to create fiction that operates on and within the reader's body, touching on and releasing emotions that may be stored there
• Best practices for writing characters of different races, cultures, and sexual orientations
• Techniques for crafting compelling, three-dimensional antagonists
• How to write bout violence and exploitation without simplifying or glorifying it
• Strategies for addressing political issues without coming across as didactic
• How to create an "imaginative bridge" in our stories from the world we live to the world we want to live in

This is a class with one very specific aim: to help writers of fiction craft better, deeper, more emotionally affecting novels--novels with the potential to help, heal, and ultimately shift our culture.

Lectures will include both video and written content; each segment of the class will include worksheets and writing exercises, with weekly feedback from the instructor (that's me =).

I'm rolling out this 4-week class at a special introductory rate of $175 (50 percent off the regular price) for a select handful of clients who will provide feedback aimed at helping to improve and refine it.

Down for the cause, and up for the challenge? Reserve your spot below.