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Pennwriters, Inc.
P.O. Box 957
Somerset, PA 15501
info@Pennwriters.org

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HomeOverview of Courses

Online Classes Overview

A Year's Worth of Classes

All Pennwriters Courses are conducted in a "live" presentation format utilizing the Zoom platform. If a conflict arises based on the required meeting times, please contact the instructor and Online Courses Coordinator to find a possible solution. ALL sessions will be recorded and will be available for students.

Please note that days and times of meetings vary each month. If you have further questions, please contact DJ Stevenson.

All Pennwriters events, including online classes and other meetings are easily found on the website calendar.



June Online Intensive: Creating 3-Dimensional Characters
Instructor: Annette Dashofy
Class Meeting Dates: Saturday, June 27 on Zoom
12:00 PM to 3:00 PM (Eastern)
See details below
July Online Class: Make Your Characters Memorable
Instructor: Kathy Otten
Class Meeting Dates: July 7 6, 13, 20, & 27 on Zoom
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Eastern)
See details below
July Online Intensive: You Can Handle the Truth: Searching for Authenticity
Instructor: Jim Rada
Class Meeting Date: Saturday, July 25 on Zoom
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM (Eastern)
See details below


 

Line Up of Classes for 2026


June Online Intensive: Creating 3-Dimensional Characters
Instructor: Annette Dashofy

Read all the details and register at this link: Creating 3-Dimensional Characters with Annette Dashofy - 6/27/2026 

Course Details

No matter what the genre, all of our stories are populated with characters. Have you been told that yours feel flat and uninteresting? Or they all sound alike? Or perhaps your main characters are vibrant, but your secondary characters feel like an afterthought. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create a full cast of unique characters that will threaten to jump off the page.



July Online Class: Make Your Characters Memorable
Instructor: Kathy Otten

Read all the details and register at this link: Make Your Characters Memorable with Kathy Otten - 7/6/2026 

Course Details

What every agent, editor, and reader is looking for is a story that makes them care. And, good characters are the secret to success in commercial fiction. Learning what really motivates your characters and how to then weave it into your plot will ultimately create the emotional tension in your story to keep your reader turning pages and create characters your reader will never forget.



July Online Intensive: You Can Handle the Truth: Searching for Authenticity
Instructor: Jim Rada

Read all the details and register at this link: You Can Handle the Truth: Searching for Authenticity with Jim Rada - 7/25/2026 

Course Details

When you write fiction, you need the reader to suspend their disbelief and remain in the story. To do that, you need to make as much of your story as you can authentic, and that means you need to do research. It can be more than history, extending into how things work, who people were, what places looked like, and even understanding motivations. With this seminar, you’ll learn where to find information to help you create a realistic story and how to use that information.



August Online Course: Marketing for Fun and Profit
Instructor: Jim Rada

Read all the details and register at this link: Marketing for Fun and Profit with Jim Rada - 8/4/2026 

Course Details

Many authors don’t understand that just as much effort goes into marketing their book as does writing it. Marketing has different elements that can be used a la carte.

Have you ever wondered why a celebrity who can’t write and might have trouble reading gets a big book contract? It’s because they have an author platform. Understanding what constitutes your marketing platform will help an author understand how well their marketing is doing. It is the yardstick publishers look at before offering you’re a contract.

Once you know where you are starting, you can craft a marketing plan to help you reach new heights.



October Online Class: Long Story Short: The Fundamentals of Crafting a Short Story
Instructor: Derek Attico

Read all the details and register at this link: Long Story Short with Derek Attico - 10/6/2026 

Course Details

This engaging and comprehensive course is designed for fiction and nonfiction writers alike, whether you're an emerging storyteller or a seasoned author seeking to refine your craft. Through a series of dynamic sessions, you’ll explore the core.



November Online Class: A Freelancer Prepares
Instructor: Timons Esaias

Read all the details and register at this link: A Freelancer Prepares with Timons Esaias - 11/3/2026 

Course Details

This will be a boiled-down version of Esaias's highly successful one-semester course for Seton Hill University undergrads -- Publication Workshop. The plan is to give you all the elements that a freelancer uses to become a successful submission machine. The idea of submission can be intimidating, and our goal is to get you through the first steps. We hope to have participants actually submitting work for publication during the month; or soon thereafter.





How do I register for an online class?


Calendar

Online Coordinator

I have a question about the fees for this or another class...


Any and all money questions should be directed to our Club Treasurer.

Treasurer