“Every story would be another story, and unrecognizable if it took up its characters and plot and happened somewhere else… Fiction depends for its life on place. In other words, if you could set your story anywhere else, you haven’t given your story a strong enough sense of place.”― Eudora Welty
With those words, we’ll look at how to write your setting as character in a story. Setting is vital to a story and gives writers so much material to work with. Pat Conroy certainly believed this, but your setting should be a character in your work that delivers as much power as your protagonist. This workshop helps you see your setting in a new light.
Led by an award-winning editor, writer and former journalist, Chad Rhoad, this workshop is for writers looking to capture the essence of their setting, for those writers whose setting says as much about their work as the story, and for those who see the attitude, history and personality of a place as vital. Let your setting hold the metaphorical presence that drives your work.
We will examine works by authors who were adept at setting and practice ourselves in creating a location that pops.
This is an in-person writers workshop, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center as part of the annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival. Limited to 20 participants; $45/person.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Chad Rhoad is a writer, editor and musician living in South Carolina. During the day, he’s an acquisitions editor for The History Press, where he’s been for 12 years and acquired more than 400 titles. Additionally, he’s taught writing at the University of South Carolina and Charleston Southern University for 11 years. He spent 2 years as editor of the Hartsville Messenger. He has an MFA in creative writing from U of SC, and he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. After work, Chad operates Books, Rhymes & Life Editing Services where he works with clients of all skill levels. He has worked or works with the South Carolina Writers Association, Atlanta Writer’s Club, Red Clay Writers Conference, Black Writer’s Weekend, and the Broadleaf Writers Conference. Chad is an avid gym rat, huge 49ers fan, and loves chasing tennis balls for his dog.
