Fiction Workshop with Caeli Widger
Wednesdays, 4:30 - 6:30 pm PT
$900 / Max 9 students
This course is based on the notion that the singular magic of great fiction is its power to transport us into imagined characters and worlds, irrespective of the author’s particular identity or lived experience. In fact, we believe the best fiction suspends the reader in a story so completely that they forget about the author altogether. The mission of this workshop is to help students transform their working drafts into unforgettable finished manuscripts. We’ll do that through thoughtful discussion, analysis of exemplary published work, and by deep-diving into the mechanics of craft. In this class, you can feel free to jump into the head of any character you’re compelled to create, as long as you’re committed to doing it with rigor, thoughtfulness, and compassion.
Each student may submit two excerpts up to 15 pages each over the course of the workshop and may expect written feedback on their submissions from the instructor, plus the option to schedule one 1:1 conference with Caeli.
This course is for students actively engaged in writing short stories or a novel (at any stage). To apply, submit a statement of interest and a sample of your fiction up to 10 pages.
About Caeli Wolfson Widger
Caeli Wolfson Widger is the author of four novels: two works of literary fiction written under her name (Real Happy Family, Mother of Invention) and two commercial thrillers (Santa Monica, The Last Party) written with her best friend under the pen name Cassidy Lucas, and the forthcoming memoir Destroy Upon My Death. Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals, the NYT, New York Post, Washington Post, as Kindle Singles, Zibby Mag, on NPR, and lots of other places no one cares about. She earned her MFA from the University of Montana and has been teaching writing workshops since 2005, in settings ranging from University College London to remote islands to Brooklyn living rooms. Caeli lives near Santa Barbara, CA with her husband, three children, and a mutt with a regionally famous underbite. She runs a staffing agency by day and writes fiction in the early mornings.