Orlando Word Lab

This is a writing workshop that will focus on learning a new technique or method each month. A guest speaker will share a sample of their work and then give a writing prompt for everyone to follow.

We'll all write for 30 minutes, and then share our work with others, and receive helpful suggestions about what to improve. Bring your laptops, tablets, or notebooks and pens and a willingness to learn.

We will meet on the 4th Wednesday of every month.

This month, Dizz Tate will teach us all about writing effective narration as part of our stories. This is important whether you're a fiction or nonfiction writer.

All stories take place somewhere. The decision over where to set your narrative can affect your project as much as deciding on the characters or plot, and description and atmosphere are key to keeping your reader hooked. A hovering storm, heatwave, or rising tide can unsettle a regular day's routine; a calm day can add extra uncanniness to an already eerie scene. In this session, we will look at examples of different settings and how they work within novels and stories. We will complete exercises to fine-tune your description skills and create a powerful atmosphere, whatever the weather.

Dizz Tate is a writer currently living in London after being raised in Orlando. Her first novel, Brutes, was published by Catapult and Faber in February 2023. She was the Summer 2023 Kerouac House writer-in-residence.