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"The Devil is in the Details" with Bob Balmer

  • Friday, November 15, 2024
  • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Zoom Online Meeting

Registration

  • Premium Membership includes free entry to all General Meetings, In-Person Workshops and Online Labs for the year. You must be logged in to select this option. You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.
  • Standard and Student members are provided a la carte access to Online Labs at the Member rate of $55. You must be logged in to select this option. You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.
  • Non-Members pay $110 for each Online Lab. Please note that if you choose to join the Guild before registering for this event you will pay a $75 Membership fee, and then attend this event for $55 (50% discount). You will also gain all the benefits of membership in the Guild including 50% off future Online Labs and 50% to 65% (Early Bird) off In-Person Workshops. You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.
  • Reserved for Facilitators only.

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Announcing our next Online Lab

The Devil is in the Details
Bob Balmer



About Bob Balmer

Bob Balmer is a freelance writer and workshop leader. His writing, often humorous, has appeared in the Smithsonian, Golf Illustrated, ZYZZYVA, the Oregonian, the Seattle Times and other print media. It has aired on MarketPlace, the Savvy Traveler and Oregon Public Radio and television. He has an MFA in creative writing from Portland State and taken classes at Second City in Chicago, the Iowa summer writing program and Tin House among others. He leads workshops on the West Coast.




Description: 

The Devil is in the Details highlights the power of specifics to differentiate place and characters. Whether it’s Gatsby calling Tom Buchanan “Old Sport” or acute anxiety in George Saunders character Morse in “The Falls” or Sally Rooney’s squabbling characters in “Conversations With Friends,” details differentiate characters, which in turn drives plot. We will look at how brands, quirks, geography, mannerisms, dialogue… work to define people and places. We will also discuss the benefits of showing vs telling as we practice using details to enhance our writing.


Takeaways: 
  • Show vs Tell—what it means and how to use it.
  • Brands and what they say about a person—Birkenstocks and their connotation for one
  • Mannerisms in speech
  • How a town creates an identity, which affects a story—“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, Leavenworth, Washington and its German theme
  • How a character’s appearance affects them and others


    Location:
    Zoom Online Meeting

    To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.

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    Unable to attend, no problem, all paid registrants will receive a video replay.

    You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.

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    Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.

    Event Contact: Ariella Moon
    authorariellamoon@gmail.com