Current WordPlay Offerings
are listed alphabetically here.
To view upcoming opportunities
by start date, click here.

COASTAL WRITING RETREAT: Connect with Your Creativity at the Sunset Inn (Writing—and more—as Renewal and Inspiration) / 1 weekend session

Back by popular request: a weekend writing retreat full of activities to reconnect you to your creativity. Renew yourself, whether you are a practicing writer, closet writer, or as-yet-to-pick-up-the-pen writer! The techniques and prompts we’ll use will spur your imagination, and can be used to create nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry—the choice is yours. There’ll be ample free time to savor your beautifully appointed private room with king-sized bed, private bath and balcony, the large porches with rocking chairs and swings, and the coastal setting. For more information on the Sunset Inn, which is a five-minute walk from Sunset Beach and is next to a peaceful marsh where herons and cranes live, see www.thesunsetinn.net. You'll have your choice of rooms, each with its own distinctive style and color scheme. View your choices here. You’ll return home refreshed, with new ideas and energy for your writing. $438 includes writing sessions, two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included). You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 at retreat. Or order a copy now:

WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, November 1 - Sunday, November 3, 2013*
OR Friday, November 8 - Sunday, November 10, 2013*
(*Two separate retreats.Please note that Friday, March 1 - March 3 will be a PROJECT BOOK Retreat! See below for more information!)
TO REGISTER: Contact the Sunset Inn at 888.575.1001 or 910.575.1000 (if you would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call). Because the Inn is holding rooms for you, our participants, they are blocked off as unavailable online. Register soon by phone - this is a popular event and there are only 8 spaces available each weekend. The Inn will hold your reservation with a credit card.

DELICIOUS MEMORIES

Food not only nurtures and sustains us, it’s a rich source of metaphor and memory! We’ll explore our connections with food as we write of when, where, what, with whom, how — and even why — we ate! You can use your food writings to create a family cookbook, creative nonfiction, poetry, a food blog, etc. -- or just for your own pleasure. $49/1 session.
WHERE:Queens Sports Complex, Tyvola Road near Park Road, Charlotte
WHEN: Monday, April 29, 6:30-9:00pm
TO REGISTER: http://www.queens.edu/Academics-and-Schools/Continuing-Education/Program-Categories/Writing---CE/Writing---Delicious-Memories-with-Maureen-Ryan-Griffin.html

THE FIRST EVER WordPlay "STEP INTO YOUR WRITING DREAMS" COACHING PROGRAM (Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing) / 6 sessions
I'm so excited to be able to provide you, through this program, with the same tools, strategies, and mindsets I've used to help a number of writers "birth" books into the world -- in fact, I'm delighted to be hosting two "book launch" celebration parties for clients this month!

Here's what you'll get to support you in moving past that nasty, critical internal critic and bringing your writing dreams to life:

• Six training/coaching teleclasses you can participate in via phone, web, and/or replay. Each week, our training/coaching teleclasses will include: a laser-focused writer's craft lesson (our topics are voice, character, dialogue, setting, timeline, plot)  a laser-focused "banish" lesson (our accesses to banishing writer's block are belief, action, inspiration, intention, support, and habit) a live critique walk-through to model how you can revise your own writing (and give useful feedback to others as well) an opportunity to ask questions and/or request solutions for your writing challenges (via phone or webmail)
  WHEN: 7 to 9 pm, Mondays, January 14th through February 18th, 2013 (or at your convenience, as these will be recorded)
  
  
• Six weeks of "week-daily" coaching/writing lessons (presented in audio and written form). A lot of life happens between one Monday and the next. It's easy to "fall off the writing wagon." So you will be supported daily (Monday through Friday) throughout this program as I walk with you through writing habits, practices, techniques and tools and show you how to apply them in your writing life. The written lessons will come to you via email each day to use at your convenience, and you can get them in audio format, as well, if you're an auditory learner or want to deepen your experience with both modalities. Everything is easily accessible in a special online file, and you can download and save them to refer to anytime. These hands-on lessons will keep you engaged so that you feel the energy of momentum and experience progress day-to-day. The content and format will vary to keep your motivation high. Expect a smorgasbord of prompts, action steps, craft lessons, and "banishing" tools (based on the six accesses to banishing writers' block discussed in the first ever WordPlay teleseminar).
  WHEN: Coming again soon!
  
  
• Weekly accountability check-ins. Over and over, the writers I work with tell me that they are looking for accountability to accomplish their writing goals. Look no further! Each week, you'll fill out and send in a specially designed check-in that will support you in setting "turtle step" goals, identifying your challenges and opportunities, and, most importantly, celebrating your successes. (No worries, it doesn't take long to tap into the power of accountability -- and you get to say what success is for you.)
  
  
• A private group forum to share ideas, successes, and challenges with. One of my writing students called what happens when you share with other writers "cross pollination" -- you'll love receiving and giving support to like-minded people who understand what it's like to be taking on your writing dreams and can share the journey with you.
  
  
• Optional: Private coaching/consultation/critique will be available at an additional $80/hour on an as-needed basis I'm mentioning this because sometimes a bit of personal, one-on-one attention to you and your writing can make all the difference, and I wanted you to know that this is an option. You can email me at any time during the "Step into Your Writing Dreams" program to request this service and it will be scheduled as soon as possible.
  
  
  You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold. Order your copy now ($27.53 includes sales tax, shipping, and handling):

WHERE: The comfort of your own home
WHEN: Coming again soon!
(The six training / coaching teleclasses available via phone, web, and/or replay a (or at your convenience, as these will be recorded)
TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online:

POETRY ROCKS: TAP INTO ALL POETRY CAN DO FOR YOU (Poetry Knowledge, Tools and Techniques)

Learn the Ins and Outs of Poetry. Strengthen Your Writing Skills. Add a New Layer of Literary Beauty to Your Life.

Expect a lively good time exploring what makes a poem a poem and learning the knowledge you need to confidently create and revise poetry AND strengthen your writing skills in any genre.

Includes:

• three two-hour class sessions
  
  
• audio replays of classes
  
  
• 22 poetry creation tools delivered to your inbox each weekday in April in written and audio form
  
  
• your own spiral-bound poetry toolkit that contains all class handouts, bonus resources, and your poetry creation tools

WHEN: Coming again soon.

COST: 3 two-hour classes plus 22 "Poetry Creation Tools" in written and audio form, and a spiral-bound Poetry Tool Kit containing all your poetry resources gathered together for handy reference for $97.

TO REGISTER: Email info@wordplaynow.com

THE FIRST EVER WORDPLAY TELESEMINAR: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BANISH WRITER'S BLOCK FOREVER New tools, new ways of thinking, new delivery method! This teleseminar will provide what you need to allow your words to flow freely and to give you the "oomph" to complete your writing projects. Yes, you'll get handouts, just like in a non-teleseminar class. You'll also have a chance to find out about a brand new group coaching program I'm offering later this fall. And it's all free, to celebrate my launch into cyberspace! Want to participate but have other plans? No worries. If you register, you'll get a replay of the teleseminar and all the materials, too.
WHERE: The comfort of your own home.
WHEN: Still available via replay. If you're unfamiliar with a teleseminar, it's simply an online presentation. This one has slides and an audio of me giving you information on how to banish your writer's block.
TO REGISTER: Click this link:

http://forms.aweber.com/form/22/1640010822.htm 

(or paste it into a web browser), and follow the simple instructions. 

THE GIFT OF MEMOIR: WRITING PERSONAL AND FAMILY STORIES (Preserving Family History / Writing for and about Your Family / The Art of Memoir)
Our life stories are a precious legacy. Putting them in writing is a gift to all who know and love us—they can be treasured and enjoyed for generations to come. It is also a gift to ourselves. As best-selling author Rachel Naomi Remen says in her book Kitchen Table Wisdom, facts bring us to knowledge, but stories bring us to wisdom. If you are interested in writing family and/or personal life stories—those significant tales of adventure, transition, love, loss, and triumph, as well as lovely everyday moments from times past or the present, come learn specific tools and techniques to retrieve and record them. $207 for all seven sessions.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Thursdays, 10 am - noon. Coming again soon!

TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online:

PROJECT: BOOK at the Sunset Inn (Writing / Publishing Your Book-length Writing Project) / 1 weekend session

A hands-on workshop for any writer who would like to write and/or submit a book for publication and 1) doesn’t know how, 2) doesn’t get around to it, 3) feels a) intimidated, b) confused, c) overwhelmed, d) uninspired, 4) all of the above! In a beautiful coastal setting, you will gain working knowledge of the steps you need to take and the procedures and documents that are necessary (query vs. cover letter, book proposal, overview, synopsis, outline), as well as an introduction to today's publishing world (major publishers, university presses, small presses, self-publishing, and print-on-demand)
Note: Class doesn’t include critique of your book manuscript.
There’ll be ample free time to savor your beautifully appointed private room with king-sized bed, private bath and balcony, the large porches with rocking chairs and swings, and the coastal setting. For more information on the Sunset Inn, which is a five-minute walk from Sunset Beach and is next to a peaceful marsh where herons and cranes live, see www.thesunsetinn.net. You'll have your choice of rooms, each with its own distinctive style and color scheme. View your choices here. $438 includes Project Book sessions, two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included). You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 at retreat. Or order a copy now:

WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, November 8 - Sunday, November 10, 2013
TO REGISTER: Contact the Sunset Inn at 888.575.1001 or 910.575.1000 (if you would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call). Because the Inn is holding rooms for you, our participants, they are blocked off as unavailable online. Register soon by phone - this is a popular event and there are only 8 spaces available each weekend. The Inn will hold your reservation with a credit card.

SEASONAL WRITING RETREATS (Writing — and More — as Renewal / Creating New Writing) / 1 session each
Renew and delight yourself. Seasonal retreats are opportunities to create new pieces of writing and/or new possibilities for our lives. Enjoy various seasonal prompts; they have not failed to elicit beautiful material that can be shaped into essays, poems, stories, or articles. After a communal lunch, you’ll have private time which can be used to collage, work with a piece of writing from the morning, or play with a number of other writing prompts and methods. You’ll take home new ideas, new drafts, and new possibilities. $97 includes lunch and supplies.
WHERE: South Charlotte area. Details will be provided upon registration.

SUMMER WRITING RETREAT: Saturday, June 8, 2013,10 am - 5 pm
TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online for:

FALL WRITING RETREAT: Saturday, October 26, 2013,10 am - 5 pm
TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online for:

WINTER WRITING RETREAT: Saturday, December 21, 2013,10 am - 5 pm
TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online for:

SPRING WRITING RETREAT:

SPINNING WORDS INTO GOLD (Fulfilling Writing Dreams and Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising and Polishing Your Writing) / 6 sessions
Does writing fulfill you? Do you wish you were writing more? Jumpstart your writing life and learn to keep your words flowing. Learn specific techniques and exercises to create nonfiction, poetry and/or fiction. Whether you would like to keep a journal for your own personal growth, spin stories for your loved ones, or further a career as a professional writer, experience the satisfaction of developing a writing practice that works for you—come spin words into gold. $159/6sessions. You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 in class. Or order a copy now:

WHERE:Queens Sports Complex, Tyvola Road near Park Road, Charlotte
WHEN: Thursdays, March 28 - May 2, 1-3pm
WHEN: Wednesday, March 13, 10:00am-12:30pm
TO REGISTER: http://www.queens.edu/Academics-and-Schools/Continuing-Education/Program-Categories/Writing---CE/Spinning-Words-into-Gold.html

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: YOUR WRITING - Evening (Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing) / 12 sessions
This class is designed to fulfill your writing dreams and projects. You'll set goals and support structures and watch your writing flow! You'll also get feedback on your work (any genre) and learn revision tools. Jumpstart your pen and receive the knowledge and inspiration you need to write, whatever your preferred genre. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or further a piece in process. Through examples of accomplished writers, you’ll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process. $397/12 sessions. You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 in class. Or order a copy now:

WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Thursdays, 7 - 9 pm, January 17 - April 25, 2013 (No class on February 7, 28 or March 21) Snow Date is May 2.
TO REGISTER: Click here to download a printable registration form to mail in.
Or register online: