Teaching – Frank Bures

Upcoming Class: Telling True Stories: The Art of Narrative Nonfiction

For those who want to expand their writing craft in all genres of narrative nonfiction–longform and shortform–I’m teaching an online class this fall that will cover essays, profiles, travel, features and more. Use the Early Bird Promo Code EBFA1434 by August 22, 2014 to get $20 off. Here’s the copy from the catalog:

To be a successful nonfiction writer today, it’s not enough know how to type, blog or tweet, or even how to cobble an article together. To write powerfully in today’s media environment, you need to be able to tell a great story. In this class, we’ll look at the evolution of narrative nonfiction beginning with the New Journalism. We’ll review some of the master nonfiction writers and study their techniques to write more compelling nonfiction stories. We will examine and practice different genres of narrative nonfiction, including profiles, essays, travelogues and features. And finally, we will review how to pitch and sell your stories.

More info here.

New Online Class: Freelancing 101

There are said to be some 42 million freelance workers in the US right now–fully 1/3 of the US workforce. Many of them, presumably, are winging it. I know this because once I was one of them. But over the last two decades, I’ve learned many useful things and made lots of mistakes from which you can now benefit in a new online class I’ll be teaching through The Loft in February. Here’s the gist:

“Every writer dreams of quitting his or her day job and living the freelance life. No cubicles. No timecards. No boss. But these days, freelancing may be as much necessity as luxury, and in both cases the learning curve can been steep. Frank Bures has been freelancing full time for almost a decade, and part time for nearly two. He has put together this class based on hard-won wisdom. In it, we will look at everything from how to survive in an ever-shifting media market place, to current market rates, to how to run a business, to the fundamentals of selling and writing stories to a wide variety of publishers.”

Read the rest, or register here. Limited to 16 students.

Profile Writing at The Loft’s Creative Nonfiction Conference

This month, on March 12, I’ll be teaching a class at The Loft’s Creative Nonfiction Conference called In Profile: The Art of Writing Life. We’ll look at work by Elizabeth Gilbert, Michael Paterniti, Bill Bryson and others who have worked in one of the richest veins of narrative nonfiction. Besides that, there are lots of other great classes. Sign up here!

Upcoming Class: Narrative Nonfiction

This weekend, I’ll be teaching a couple classes at the Rochester Writers Festival, in Rochester, Minnesota, home to IBM, lots of geese, and a clinic where famous people go when they’re ill (and, no doubt, where they invented that delicious condiment). My class is titled “Writing Narrative Nonfiction: The Power of Stories,” and I’ll talk about why in order to write powerfully in today’s media environment you really need to be able to tell a great story. It’s not on the program yet, but trust me, I’ll be there.

Upcoming Class: Travel Writing on Madeline Island

This summer, if you want to get out of the house, smell the air of the inland sea and learn how to write about your travels, I’ll be teaching a course at the brand new Madeline Island School, just a few hours drive from the Twin Cities, set in the cool waters of Lake Superior’s southern coast. The school is offering lots of other classes as well, but if you want to learn about turning your journal into an actual story, that’s exactly what we’ll be talking about. Here’s the description: “Narrative travel writing can be one of the most powerful forms of nonfiction writing. This workshop will explore what makes a great travel story, what doesn’t, and how you can turn your travels into tales. We will read selections from the Best American Travel Writing 2009, along with other great works of travel literature. We will discuss leads, structure, and the archetype of the journey and touch on the various markets for literary travel writing.” More details here.

Upcoming Class: In Profile, the Art of Writing Lives

Do you like people? Or, do you at least like to read about people? And write about people? To find out how they got where they are, and where they might be going? To ask how they’ve succeeded and where they’ve failed? If so (and if you happen to be within driving distance of Minneapolis) you may be interested in a class I’ll be offering at The Loft called In Profile, the Art of Writing Lives, on April 17. I’ve profiled writers, senators, brain scientists and Klingon karaoke stars. Everyone has a story. You just have to know how to find it. More info here.

Summer School

For anyone who wants to sharpen up their storytelling skills, look into the history of New (and newer) Journalism, examine some of the new science on the role of narrative, you might be interested in a class I’m teaching at The Loft in Minneapolis called, The Search for Story: Writing Narrative Nonfiction. The description: “To be a successful nonfiction writer these days, it’s not enough to know how to type, to have a blog, or to be able to put an article together. To write powerfully in today’s media environment, you need to be able to tell great stories. In this class, we’ll look at the evolution of narrative nonfiction and New Journalism. We’ll review some of the master nonfiction writers and learn how to apply narrative techniques in profiles, travel stories, features, and essays. Advanced or professional writers only. Please submit two writing samples (maximum of 5,000 words per sample) or clips to Loft Education by Friday, June 19 (not postmark deadline). Accepted students notified by July 1.“