Caravan Craft Campfires
Campfires are our versions of a literary salon. They're low-stress, high-impact virtual gatherings for all who want to learn more about writing, publishing, and literary craft—and get their hands dirty in the process. Listen to a short presentation. Get in on the Q & A. Then experiment and explore (with guided prompts). Not a workshop, a campfires is a chance to gather with other writers in a no-pressure zone, hone our chops, exercise our skills, and tap into collective creative energy.
Dialogue
Dialogue is tricky stuff, no matter the genre we choose - and it’s a crucial element of nearly all of them. At this campfire we’ll pinpoint some of the most common mistakes writers make in writing dialogue and learn how to avoid them, sharpen our ‘ear’ for how characters speak (whether they’re fictional or real), and expand our sense of ways dialogue can bring our work - whatever the genre - to life.
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THURSDAY, NOV 6, 3–5 pm PDT / 6–8 pm EDT / FRIDAY, 8–10 am AEST (all campfires all year round are free to Caravan Substack founding members)
Setting
Much as we enjoy a spot of drifty, spacey, cerebral writing now and then, here’s the truth: mostly we don’t, and neither does anybody else. This campfire - which will give us a chance to use some of the craft tools we’ve discussed in the previous two - will also explore aspects of setting that are often overlooked. Setting isn’t just a place - it’s also an era, a time, a feel; it’s the people who were or are there, how they interact, move, speak; and sure, it’s place. This campfire is designed to sharpen our skills as observers and put that keen-eyed observation to use in our work.
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WEDNESDAY, 12/17, 3–5 pm PDT / 6–8 pm EDT / (THURSDAY) 8–10 am AEST​(all campfires all year round are free to Caravan Substack founding members)