creative writing

Present Tense Books in Batavia will offer four new creative writing courses during the winter semester, beginning at the end of this month.

They are:

• Writing Memoir & Autobiography
• Constructing Your Novel
• The Art of the Short Story
• Writing Poetry

Classes are held Saturdays at the bookstore, located at 101 Washington Ave. The morning class runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The afternoon class runs from 1:45 to 3:45 p.m.

Two five-week sessions of instruction will be offered:

• Session I: Jan. 28 – Feb. 25
• Session II: March 3 – 31

The fee for each course is $89 and includes individual conferences with the instructor, retired literature professor and regional novelist Bob Comenole.

The workshops are scheduled based on demand — that is, the first class to fill up will be the first taught, and so on. Participants will have the opportunity to express their preferences for which class time and which sessions they desire.

To register, please visit the registration site by clicking here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/winter2012batavia

Classes are limited to only 12 students, so sign up today!

They are designed for both beginning writers who wish to learn fundamental techniques and seasoned writers wishing to acquire more advanced skills; there are no prerequisites.

About the instructor: For more than 20 years Bob Comenole has taught writing, literature and communications at several colleges, including Miami University, Siena College, the State University of New York and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is the author of "Bushel & Lamp" and the novella "The Long Night of Clement C. Craggogre" and has just completed work on a collection of short stories, "Perplexed by the Egg & Other Stories," as well as a collection of essays. He was also the producer of the children’s television series, StoryBrook.

To view what past students have said about the writing workshops,
visit: http://infinitelycurious.us/Waterline/students.html

For a description of each course, visit:

http://infinitelycurious.us/Waterline/courses/

Call or visit the store for further details on the workshops or to sign up. Phone is 815-7640.

http://www.presenttensebooks.com

Ongoing dialogue with my muse about my writing

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Relaxed. I spent last night with friends listening to a Coupe Devilles concert and dancing at Charlotte beach in Rochester.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun. I'm glad you're continuing to socialize. What's doing on in your literary world?
JOE: I am continuing to work on my revision of
Marital Property, changing it to a first person account. The more I do the more comfortable I am with this approach.
CALLIOPE: What do you like best about it?
JOE: The characters are coming to life and all have a chance to share their perceptions on observations. I think it makes for a much richer story.
CALLIOPE: I'm surprised you didn't think of it before.
JOE: Sometimes I need a kick in the pants to see reality. I thank my readers for their incisive comments helping me sharpen the text.
CALLIOPE: I agree that it's better not to write in a vacuum or at least let your story see the light of day for a little airing out. What do you have on the agenda for today?
JOE: More of the same- work on Marital Property and work on marketing.
CALLIOPE: Speaking of which, how is The Pastor's Inferno doing?
JOE: Not so well. I think the book scares many people with its theme.
CALLIOPE: What do you think you can do about it.
JOE: I've been wondering that myself. I have been considering promotional material directly addressing these fears. I think it's at least worth a try. Talk with you tomorrow.(Aerial sculptures- Charlotte Beach, Rochester, NY)