Gifts at Work - Roadmap for Writing Success

GIFTS AT WORK Workshop Provides Roadmap for Writing Success

How can you use plot to improve the structure of your novel? What is the best way to develop your characters? Should you self-publish or opt for the traditional route? Over the course of 10 weeks, from the beginning of March to the beginning of May, nearly two dozen Cape residents took part in a free introductory fiction writing workshop at Sturgis Library that was funded through a grant from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. Another will be held in the fall, starting in September.

Taught by writer Corey Farrenkopf, a reference librarian at Sturgis, the series is a practical approach to the craft.

It is less about the vagaries of finding your muse and more about the hands-on tools needed for those looking to take their writing to the next level. AFCC funds helped to pay for guest speakers such as author Paul Tremblay, who gave a reading of his own work to students in April.

“The class exceeded my expectations in every way,” says Marstons Mills resident Sean Murphy. “Corey is extremely blue collar in his approach to writing… He wants you to roll up your sleeves. This is work. This is a job where you need to learn the skills. If you learn them, then you’ll be successful. The single biggest takeaway for me is that there is a process to it.”

That process is one that Murphy will follow as he tackles his dream project — a children’s book about an otter’s quest to make her way home after leaving her family. Farrenkopf’s class gave Murphy a concrete roadmap for making his dream project a reality.

As a consumer of literature, Dr. Michael Perlmutter, a retired radiologist who lives in Barnstable, was able to gain an appreciation for “what goes into the process of writing fiction,” he says. “I got an enormous amount out of the class, more than I ever expected. Each of Corey’s classes introduced an entire aspect of fiction writing such as dialogue, characters, setting, and plot, just to name a few.”

Though only 27, Farrenkopf has had nearly a dozen short stories published and is currently working with his agent on his latest novel.

Despite his success, he continues to write; he sets a goal of writing 1,000 words per day. By its nature, writing can be a lonesome trade.

It’s why Farrenkopf sees the value in this type of workshop. “It is important to build community,” he says. “I want to live in a place where people are really into art and literature and writing and are supportive of each other… When there’s not an accessibility to writing and reading programs, a community kind of gets stagnant. I think doing things like this spread the kind of knowledge that fuels people’s creative desires.”