MiNi LABS

As much as we encourage live participation for our labs, we understand that sometimes you’re busy and aren’t able to attend. So we’re recording some our more popular labs for you to view whenever you want! They’re shortened versions of the live ones, as many of our labs are built around connection and conversation, but lots of good stuff is in there for you to enjoy. Watch them on your own time, pause for writing prompts, rewind to listen again, and play over and over as many times as you’d like.

We’re happy to offer these mini labs for free to the community. If you find these useful, please consider donating. We spend a lot of time and effort building curriculum, recording, editing, and presenting these. All donations go right back into programming, paying our instructors, and keeping all of our workshops, classes, readings, and events free for everyone to attend.

Characters drive the movement in any story. Let’s examine how to create, understand, and develop them. What are their motivations, wants, fears? How do they act and react in the situations you place them in? Through writing prompts and open discussions, we’ll explore how our characters fit into the larger plotting process.

This lab is for writers of all genres.

Led by Aurora Hurd

video runs 36.51 min
full workshop closer to an hour with writing exercises

Let’s find the joy in the revision process. Through guided writing prompts and exercises, we’ll discover how to approach our work over and over again with new eyes and new inspirations. Bring something you’ve been working on (a play, a manuscript, a draft of work).

This lab is for playwrights and fiction writers.

Led by Miriam Tobin

video runs 24.11 min
full workshop closer to an hour with writing exercises

Writing about yourself can be hard. In this workshop, we’ll delve into different types of creative nonfiction and break down some of the barriers between ourselves and writing the truth. We'll examine different forms of creative nonfiction from various genres as well as do some writing of our own.

This lab is for nonfiction writers.

Led by Maria Burns

video runs 20.36 min
full workshop closer to 45 minutes with writing exercises