The days are still long, but the Writers’ Studio calendar is filling up fast. Registration is open for Story Island, our fall conference for genre writers, and September brings craft classes on dialogue and book marketing, a free guided writing class, and the return of our short-story contest. Pull up a chair. There’s a lot to write!

Story Island Writers’ Conference

3 days · Friday to Sunday, Nov. 13 – 15 · 9 AM – 9:30 PM · Space limited to 60 writers

Genre writers mostly work alone. Story Island is the antidote: three days on Bainbridge Island where aspiring science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and thriller writers sharpen their craft, get straight answers about how publishing actually works, and find the people who take this as seriously as they do. Don’t miss this chance to uplevel your craft!

Classes We Think You’ll Love

Conversation With Purpose: Making Dialogue Count

Saturday, Sept. 12, 10 AM – 12 PM

Great dialogue does more than fill the space between quotation marks. In this focused Saturday session, you’ll learn how to make characters’ voices ring true and how to sidestep the missteps that make dialogue fall flat. Bring a scene that is not quite working and leave knowing how to fix it.

Comps Night

Saturday, Sept. 19, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

When you pitch a novel, agents and readers want to know what it’s like. Those comparisons are called comp titles, and getting them right is one of the trickiest parts of querying. Local booksellers spend their days matching readers to books, which makes them unusually good at it. Bring your one-line pitch and leave with a handful of comps and the language to sell your story. Not querying yet? Come anyway and find your next great read.

Community Class: Write the Letter You Won’t Send

Monday, Sept. 21, 6:30 – 8 PM

Some things go unsaid for years. This free guided class, offered in partnership with BI Reads, gives you the time and the prompts to put those words on the page, whether or not anyone ever reads them. Part writing exercise, part quiet catharsis, and open to everyone.

Writing Fundamentals: Book Marketing 101

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 3:30 – 5:30 PM

Writing the book is one thing. Helping the right readers find it is another. This practical class helps you overcome the fear of marketing and start connecting your work with the people who will love it, using approaches designed for writers rather than sales pros.

Dark and Stormy Short-Story Contest

Entry deadline: Wednesday, Sept. 30

The studio’s short-story contest is back, and this year’s theme is “Haunted Objects.” Write something eerie, enter, and you could take home $200 in cash plus more. There’s still time to conjure up something.

Read Like a Writer: Book Club

The Writers’ Studio Book Club meets bimonthly to dig into recently published books across rotating genres, each discussed with an expert guest. Next up:  “Body and Soul Food” by Abby Collette. Thursday, Aug. 6, 6:30 – 8 PM.

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Questions or suggestions for the studio? Contact writers.lead@bainbridgebarn.org