Ten to the End
10 Months to the End of Your Book
February 13 - November 12, 2024
with Pat Dunn and Alexandra Soiseth
Join Key to the Castle Workshop instructor Pat Dunn and guest instructor Alexandra Soiseth. The faculty for this program have decades of experience shepherding fiction and memoir writers from story idea to full manuscripts and beyond.
Ten months to the end of your book is a unique blend of generative writing and story development, with craft teaching and practice sessions as well as extensive connection and accountability sessions and structures. Ideal for the writer with a partial or first draft needing refining and/or focus and/or building, or, the writer with just the seedling of an idea and a few notes. This course is like an MFA in a box, with an emphasis on generating and building story with enough tension/drama/character development to pull the reader from the first sentence to the last while also ensuring a deep layered resonance to make that reading journey fulfilling. Targeted feedback will come in the form of one-to-one conferences for maximum individual attention to the writer and their story. Completing a book is as much an emotional journey as it is a technical one, and when you take this course, you will never have to travel alone.
The full program of $4,000 is due prior to the start date of February 13, 2024. Past participants of our Cetara workshops and/or previous students who have worked with Pat / Alexandra on a novel writing workshop are entitled to a 10% discount.
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Pat Dunn
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Alexandra Soiseth
Included in the 10 months are:
41 hours of class time
Up to 10 hours of one-to-one time with faculty
80 hours of community/accountability time and text/email structures to keep you on track
Plot help/story development
Craft learning: write compelling scenes, bring characters to life, sentence level help
Agent search help: query letters and how to find an agent
This 10-month program has a 4-section structure:
1 – Generation, Development
February 13 - April 23 (11 weeks)
Alternating Weeks 1 & 2:
Week 1
2-hour class* Tuesdays at 1:30 EST
2 2-hour group writing/accountability session (dates and times decide based on student availability)
Week 2
A scheduled ½ hour one-to-one conference with faculty
2 2-hour group writing/accountability session (dates and times decide based on student availability)
*Class focus during this segment of the program is on story generation, planning and building elements with a combination of student-work critique and craft element learning and practice.
2 – Learning and Growing
April 30 - June 25 (9 weeks)
A 3-week cycle (3 complete cycles):
Week 1
1 hour craft class Tuesdays at 1:30 EST (with readings and discussion)
2 2-hour group writing/accountability session (dates and times decide based on student availability)
Week 2
2-hour class** Tuesdays at 1:30 EST
2 2-hour group writing/accountability session (dates and times decide based on student availability)
Week 3:
A scheduled ½ hour one-on-one conference with faculty
2 2-hour group writing/accountability session (dates and times decide based on student availability)
**classes in this section will focus on workshopping pages and building story structures
3 – Consolidation and Integration (Summer Session)
July 8 - Sept 3 (9 weeks, no programing week of July 1st)
Each week will include the 2 2-hour writing and accountability sessions.
Every other week will include a ½-hour one-to-one conference
4 – Finishing Strong
Sept 10 - Nov 12 (10 weeks)
Weekly 2-hour class*** Tuesdays at 1:30 EST
2 2-hour group writing/accountability session (dates and times decide based on student availability)
One-to-one sessions scheduled as needed
Also in the last 3 weeks we will delve into agent search strategies and the preparation and writing (query letters, oral presentations) necessary for that part of the writer’s career.
***class will look at student work as their book finds its final shape and the focus will shift to elements unique to book-length stories
Pricing Structure:
$50 Registration Fee. (non-refundable and deducted from final tuition)
$3500 less Registration Fee if paid by February 1, 2024
$4000 less Registration Fee after February 1, 2024
50% deposit due upon acceptance to secure your spot.
Payment schedules available for balance.
Contact Hours:
41 hours of class time
Up to 10 hours of one-to-one time with faculty
80 hours of community/accountability time and text/email structures to keep you on track.
(10 Students Max)