UNC Asheville Pre-College Prgm: Great Smoky Young Writers Workshop 1: Developing Voice & Fiction Writing Recently Updated

Hone your literary skills through workshops with experienced local authors and poets. Generate new pieces, revise works-in-progress and critique works of others in a collaborative workshop setting.

 Scholarships are available through Great Smokies Writing Program 

 Developing Voice: Fiction is woven together from a multitude of voices: omniscient authors, first person narrators, each individual character all have distinctive manners and (hopefully) recognizable traits. What does it mean to have a “voice”?  How do you distinguish between voices and maintain a cohesive style? This course will address these issues, looking at authorial and character voice as an integral part of storytelling. We’ll analyze a range of examples of voice in fiction and drama, and then work on our own developing voices. Students will receive feedback from the instructor and fellow writers, revising towards 5-8 pages of prose focusing on some form of voice. 

Entering the Portal of Story: Ever wonder what it would be like to step through a portal, out of this reality and into another? The spark of an idea can transport us to other realms, but what do we as writers do once we get there? In this class, we’ll be exploring some techniques for how to move from that initial spark into a story—with fully-drawn characters, meaningful settings, and scenes that propel your reader forward. The focus of this class will be on speculative genres—fantasy, sci-fi, magical realism, etc.—but you don’t have to have experience writing in these genres to join.

•  June 15-20, 2025
• $1,440
• Scholarships are available through Great Smokies Writing Program
• Price includes lodging, meals, all course materials, activities, and excursions
• A $500 deposit is due upon registration with remaining balance due by May 1.
• Students reside in campus residence hall and dine in campus dining hall Enrollment is open until spaces are filled