Intensive: Keys to Story-building Success, Fall 2025

October 6th, 2025 - November 19th, 2025

with Lorin Oberweger

Register

After Lorin's talk for us on Maximizing your Premise, we wanted to go deeper into the topics she raised. This intensive breaks those areas open.


There will be four 90-minute classes for a total of 6 hours of teaching material, plus comprehensive handouts to accompany each session. Classes will include short in-class exercises, plus take-home exercises for participants to complete on their own. Each class includes up to 15 minutes for questions. In addition, all participants will have access to the 2022 class (in fact, we hope you will view it in advance of the sessions!).

 

Class 1: Making the Most of Your Story World

Class 2: The Protagonist as Catalyst 

Class 3: Organic Plotting

Class 4: Building Reader Empathy and Anticipation


This intensive is geared toward writers in all stages of novel development where building the strongest, most dimensional story is the goal -- this includes new projects and projects in the midst of revision.


To get feedback on class exercises and discuss concepts with Lorin and a small peer group (up to 10 writers), sign up for the Intensive + Discussion instead (don't sign up for both!). Learn more here.

Notes

Who this workshop is for: <p>This class is for multiple levels. Lorin will be tackling class topics in depth and her unique perspective makes this an exciting class for experienced writers. Because the class addresses foundations, it will also be valuable for writers working on first and second novels. </p><p><b>Already taken this class?</b> We have found that writers generally take away what they need based on what they are working on and where they are in their journey. In other words, you might take the same class twice and take away different things!&nbsp;</p>

Focus: Adult - Novels - Literary - Adult - Novels - Upmarket - Adult - Novel…

Group size: 100 writers

Submissions: <p>No submissions or feedback in the lecture-only intensive.</p>

Fee

Members: $120; Non-members: $155

About Lorin Oberweger

Lorin Oberweger is a highly sought-after independent book editor and ghostwriter with more than twenty-five years experience in publishing. Her company, Free Expressions, offers writing workshops nationwide, and she’s known for her one-on-one story mastermind weekends. 

An award-winning author, Lorin has six traditionally published books (four fiction, two nonfiction), including BOOMERANG, REBOUND, and BOUNCE, published by Harper/William Morrow. Two more are due for publication in 2020. Her work has appeared in well over one-hundred periodicals, and her books have received glowing reviews from the New York Times, USA Today, Kirkus Reviews, and others.

Schedule:

  • Mon, Oct 6, 7:30-9pm ET 
  • Mon, Oct 20, 7:30-9pm ET 
  • Mon, Nov 3, 7:30-9pm ET
  • Mon, Nov 17, 7:30-9pm ET

Participants will be able to watch recordings of each session. Recordings are available for replay through January 6, 2026.