OWC News | Oregon Writers Colony

29th Annual OWC Founders Day at the Colonyhouse, Sunday, August 13, 2017

June 5, 2017 By Jan Bear

You are invited to the Colonyhouse for the 29th annual Founders Day, Sunday, August 13, 2017. We first began holding these summer get-togethers at the Colonyhouse to celebrate the purchase of the house. They offer members the opportunity to visit the Colonyhouse, get acquainted with fellow writers and enjoy the Oregon coast.

You can arrive any time after 10 a.m. and stay until 4. We’ll have coffee, tea and goodies when you arrive and will serve a light lunch at 12:30 p.m.

We ask each attendee to bring a helpful writing tip, a special quote about writing, or a personal experience that has helped you in your writing life. Please make your contribution no more than five minutes long, so everyone will have time to share.

Cost is $15 per person.

Sign up below

Founders Day

Name*
First Last
Email*
Phone*
We don't plan to call you. Just in case there's an emergency.
Register
Price: $15.00 Quantity:
Other Names
If you're registering more than yourself, please list other names below, one per line.

Randall Platt to Present One-Day Workshop on Point of View

June 1, 2017 By Jan Bear

Oregon Writers Colony will present a workshop titled Just Whose Story Is This? Point of View, Tense, and Voice, a one-day intensive at the Colonyhouse, Saturday, August 19, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Historical fiction author Randall Platt will lead the workshop.

The cost of the workshop is $50.

Point of view is probably the most important decision any writer of fiction has to make when facing the loneliest place on earth: Chapter One, Page One. Who is the best character to tell the story? Which character offers the best voice, the most possibilities?

What about multiple points of view? Every story needs a strong storyteller. What characters, what tense can best tell your story and result in the best possible voice? We’ll dissect the opening of a novel — switch it all around, have fun with it, explore point of view, play with the tense and find the right voice. We’ll play around with several short writing sessions bound to make you stop and think — just whose story is this?

We’ll start off with coffee, introductions and getting to know each other. What are you working on? What are your goals? What brings you here today?

After introductions we’ll talk about craft.

Type and Stereotype — How To Etch A Character

So what if you can’t draw? You’re a writer, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do all you can to etch the best character you can.

Don’t let your characters fall into the pit of stereotype. With fun exercises, we first create stereotypes and frankly discuss why we think that way. How do we keep our own preconceived and maybe even biased opinions about certain types away from the characters we create? Can we, should we, create characters outside our own experience? Finally, we will then re-create our stereotyped characters, making them real, unforgettable and unique.

Now that we have a clearer idea of who we have found to tell our story, let’s have some fun with something totally weird but makes you stop and think about . . . .

It’s been a long, creative and fun day. Let’s have one last chat and discuss how our work might reflect the current issues of the day. As a writer of historical fiction, I can say without a doubt, that history does repeat itself.

Bring your work in progress, something to write on or with, all your questions and thoughts about the publishing industry.

Sign up below

Randall Platt POV Workshop

Name*
First Last
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
Email (for confirmation)*
Workshop Price, $50
Price: $50.00

OWC to Present Flash Fiction Workshop July 8, 2017

May 31, 2017 By Jan Bear

Oregon Writers Colony Lit Lounge presents a mini workshop: Dribble, Drabble, Sudden: Writing Flash Fiction

Who: Becky Kjelstrom and Robin Anderson

When: Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: 12221 North Westshore Drive Jantzen Beach, Portland

Cost: $10 (includes coffee, iced tea, and snacks)

Flash fiction is not your mother’s short story. From six to 750 words, flash fiction turns your reader into your cowriter, taking your hints to imagine a larger story. Whether you write traditional short stories or sweeping sagas, practicing flash fiction can help you craft queries and blurbs as well as producing publishable pieces.

Flash Fiction Workshop

Name*
First Last
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
Email (for confirmation)*
Workshop Price, $10
Price: $10.00

Donald Maass to offer OWC workshop in June 2017

January 24, 2017 By Jan Bear

Donald Maass, New York literary agent, author, and fiction instructor, will offer a one-day workshop in Portland on Saturday, June 10, 2017:

The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface.

Writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, but none would argue against the idea that that if you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader’s experience must be an emotional journey of its own.

On Saturday, June 10, veteran literary agent and expert fiction instructor Donald Maass will teach exactly how to take your reader on that visceral and emotional journey.

Fee for the workshop: $150, payable to OWC

Date, time: Saturday, June 10, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: Oxford Suites, Jantzen Beach

Donald Maass is the author of more than 16 novels. He now works as a literary agent, representing dozens of novelists in the science fiction, fantasy, crime, mystery, romance and thriller categories. He speaks at writer’s conferences throughout the country and lives in New York City.

Donald Maass Workshop

Name*
First Last
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
Email (for confirmation)*
Workshop Price $150*
Price: $150.00
All cancellations are subject to a $50 cancellation fee. Cancellations received at least FOURTEEN (14) DAYS before the conference date are refundable, subject to the cancellation fee.

Click Submit to be taken to PayPal for payment.

Download this registration form to register by mail or pay by check.

2016 Stumptown Lit Set for Wednesday, Dec. 7

November 16, 2016 By Jan Bear

Stumptown Lit 2016 will showcase the work of 20 OWC author members.

Home-grown talent runs the gamut from memoir to mystery, picture books to poetry, science fiction to speculative fiction.

Authors will be on hand to mix, to mingle, and to sign their latest titles. Don’t miss this festive occasion!

Stumptown Lit will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, December 7, at June Key Delta Community Center, 5940 N. Albina Avenue, in Portland.

Brief author presentations—putting the stump in Stumptown—will take place between 7:15 and 8:30 p.m.

29th Annual OWC Founders Day at the Colonyhouse, Sunday, August 13, 2017

Sign up below

Founders Day

Randall Platt to Present One-Day Workshop on Point of View

Type and Stereotype — How To Etch A Character

Sign up below

Randall Platt POV Workshop

OWC to Present Flash Fiction Workshop July 8, 2017

Flash Fiction Workshop

Donald Maass to offer OWC workshop in June 2017

Donald Maass Workshop

2016 Stumptown Lit Set for Wednesday, Dec. 7

Contact Us

Books by Our Members

BookBaby’s How-To Guide for Writers