The Writing Center is pleased to offer two evening courses, ideal for writers who are unavailable to take day classes. Both courses feature three classes held Tuesday through Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00pm in the Cultural Center (Red Barn) at Green Hills Farm, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie, PA 18944.
The instructor for both is the celebrated writer, speaker and women’s advocate, Pam Varkony. Read a brief biography at the end of this post, and visit her website to learn more about her.
Be Your Own Writing Carpenter:
Building Your Audience and Your Platform
May 28, 29, and 30, 2019
(recommended for beginning writers)
$75 for three classes Click here to register
Course Description:
You are a writer; you are a crafter of beautiful words you want to send in to the universe. First you have to get published. In today’s world, most agents and publishers will insist you have a platform before they consider representing you. Even if you plan to self-publish, people have to know about you to buy your work.
In this three day course we will guide you through the steps you need to take to start building that platform in advance of contacting an agent or self-publishing your book.
The framework of building a successful author’s platform begins with a website and a blog. In today’s crowded online world, if you don’t have an online presence, you don’t exist. Next, don’t overlook the obvious: Write! Write! Write! Publish! Publish! Publish! There are thousands of outlets for guest blog posts, journals, both in print and online, and e-zines covering every topic under the sun.
At the core of all author platforms is your ability to build a following…a presence on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram can make or break a book launch.
This class will provide you with action items and resources designed to build your reputation and name recognition.
How to get readers to listen to your story is Pam Varkony’s strength. Her leadership has inspired people all over the world toward better understanding of their lives and the lives of others. Let her show you how to construct a better way to get your ideas over, using her organizational skills and management concepts.
The Truth Makes a Good Story:
Writing Literary Journalism
June 11, 12, and 13, 2019
(recommended for all writers)
$75 for three classes Click here to register
Course Description:
Truth is a powerful storyline when writing to motivate others to care about some aspect of the human condition. Non-fiction writing is about good story-telling; story-telling that reflects the stark drama, spontaneous humor, or the often hidden minutiae of real life.
During this three-day course we will discuss the importance of doing thorough research and of being a good interviewer. We will talk about the writing style through which you weave a golden thread of understated hyperbole designed to catch the reader in your net.
In this class you will have the chance to put your experience and passions to paper, read it aloud, and have your work critiqued by your fellow writers.
Whether you are interested in editorials, commentaries, persuasive essays, grant writing, or creative non-fiction/memoir, learn to tell a “can’t put it down – can’t turn it down” story. Enlighten the reader to the world around them; persuade them to care.
Pam Varkony will show you how to make your personal stories into memorable prose. Let her show you how to construct a way to get your ideas over, using her organizational skills management and superior writing techniques.
Pamela Varkony is a non-fiction writer and a former columnist for Tribune Publishing. Her work appears in newspapers, magazines and in PBS and NPR on-air commentaries. Her poetry has been published in the New York Times.
Recognized by the Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association with an “Excellence in Journalism” award, Pamela often uses her communication skills to advocate for women’s rights and empowerment both at home and abroad. She has twice traveled to Afghanistan on a fact-finding mission and as an embedded journalist.
Pamela was named the 2017 Pearl S. Buck International Woman of Influence for her humanitarian work. She is also a recipient of the Business Council for Peace, VERA Award for her work in Afghanistan, the Chamber of Commerce Athena Award for business achievement; the American Association of University Women’s “Gateway Award” for leadership in women’s issues; a “Woman of Distinction” award from the Girl Scouts, and the Nike Award for championing women’s causes presented to her by Business & Professional Women.
Pamela was born and raised in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where she and her husband, Zsolt, maintain a summer home, along with two very spoiled cats.
Read more about Pam on her website .
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Only recently did I realize that the blond-headed child was guilty of trespassing, breaking-and-entering, and theft in her search for a comfortable night’s sleep. Look at the facts. Probably homeless, possibly a runaway, certainly an unwelcomed intruder, the blond female perpetrator broke into the Bear house with the intent to use it as a shelter for the night. Why she was wandering in the woods in the first place is another story involving parental neglect.
Symptoms include spending an hour searching for the yellow piece of paper with the title and premise for the story about the Grizzly bear who learned sign language, or the certainty that you’ve already re-written the scene you’re working on, and drawing a complete blank when you try to remember the clever password you came up with for Writers’ Market.
By Anne K. Kaler
Pearl S. Buck Writing Center 