Nancy Hatch Woodward

Creative Writing for Absolute Beginners
A stress-free introduction to writing for anyone who has wanted to write but hasn’t known how or where to start. The class focuses on finding and using your own natural material, discovering what inspires you, creating your own ideal writing process, generating first drafts, and learning how to keep a writer’s notebook. You’ll learn the basics of writing memoir, fiction, and poetry.
$125
M  Sept. 12 – Oct. 3   6:00–8:30 p.m.

The Writing Habit
This class is for those who have either taken “Creative Writing for Absolute Beginners” or have experience with creative writing.  The class provides more in-depth information on dialogue, structure, pacing, proportion, backstory, point of view, setting, editing, and more.  Lots of hands-on exercises and discussions to strengthen your writing skills and plenty of tips to encourage your writing practice.
$145
M   Oct. 17 – Nov. 21  6:00–8:00 p.m.

Strategies for Writing Memoir
We all have a story to tell, but writing memoir is more than just sitting down and writing our life stories.  This class will focus on how we uncover memories and details from our past and how we translate these recollections into meaningful prose.   We will read memoir excerpts, use writing exercises, learn about the craft of writing memoir, discover our voice, and learn the art of reflection.  Whether you want to write a personal essay, a collection of stories, or even work on a book, this course will provide useful tools for current and ongoing writing projects.  . 
Suggested books (we will use these in class):
     An Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg
     Living to Tell the Tale by Jane Taylor McDonnell
$169
T    Oct. 4 – 25             6:00–9:00 p.m.
M   Jan. 9 – 30             6:00–9:00 p.m.

 
Poetry For Life
Metrophobia is the fear of poetry.  Many people believe poetry is only for specially-gifted writers, but poetry is about life. We are surrounded by it daily: in songs, plays, movies, on posters, artwork, and even on subway cars.  This class will explore all the ways writing poetry enhances us: getting to know ourselves better, helping us be present and “see” the world around us, enlivening our prose writing, and enjoying the sheer pleasure it brings us.  There will be lots of opportunities for poetry exercises to help us broadening our lives and perspectives with poetry.
$95
M  Dec. 5 –19    6:00–8:30 p.m.


“Nancy is an excellent writer and serves as a role model for writers aspiring to work at the national level. Fortunately, she shares her knowledge of the writing profession in courses and lectures for both the novice and for the veteran. Her user-friendly style and engaging personality make her an excellent coach and mentor.” 

                                                        --- Deborah Levine, President, American
                                                            Diversity Report LLC

Classes

I offer several writing courses with Chattanooga State's Continuing Education program.   

To learn more about my classes, please contact me at nhatchwoodward@aol.com
or go to http://www.chattanoogastate.edu/continuinged/pdf/ce_classes.pdf 

"Nancy was an excellent instructor & very enthusiastic
& knowledgeable.  I loved every minute of it!! 
It was so helpful & encouraging."

"Nancy was both informative and inspirational in her
teaching methods.  A wonderful experience overall."

"Nancy is a great teacher and I learned so much!  I'm
looking forward to her next class."

Creative Writing for Absolute Beginners
A stress-free introduction to writing for anyone who has wanted to write but hasn’t known how or where to start. The class focuses on finding and using your own natural material, discovering what inspires you, creating your own ideal writing process, generating first drafts, and learning how to keep a writer’s notebook. You’ll learn the basics of writing memoir, fiction, and poetry.
$125
M  Sept. 12 – Oct. 3   6:00–8:30 p.m.

The Writing Habit
This class is for those who have either taken “Creative Writing for Absolute Beginners” or have experience with creative writing.  The class provides more in-depth information on dialogue, structure, pacing, proportion, backstory, point of view, setting, editing, and more.  Lots of hands-on exercises and discussions to strengthen your writing skills and plenty of tips to encourage your writing practice.
$145
M   Oct. 17 – Nov. 21  6:00–8:00 p.m.

Strategies for Writing Memoir
We all have a story to tell, but writing memoir is more than just sitting down and writing our life stories.  This class will focus on how we uncover memories and details from our past and how we translate these recollections into meaningful prose.   We will read memoir excerpts, use writing exercises, learn about the craft of writing memoir, discover our voice, and learn the art of reflection.  Whether you want to write a personal essay, a collection of stories, or even work on a book, this course will provide useful tools for current and ongoing writing projects.  . 
Suggested books (we will use these in class):
     An Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg
     Living to Tell the Tale by Jane Taylor McDonnell
$169
T    Oct. 4 – 25             6:00–9:00 p.m.
M   Jan. 9 – 30             6:00–9:00 p.m.

 
Poetry For Life
Metrophobia is the fear of poetry.  Many people believe poetry is only for specially-gifted writers, but poetry is about life. We are surrounded by it daily: in songs, plays, movies, on posters, artwork, and even on subway cars.  This class will explore all the ways writing poetry enhances us: getting to know ourselves better, helping us be present and “see” the world around us, enlivening our prose writing, and enjoying the sheer pleasure it brings us.  There will be lots of opportunities for poetry exercises to help us broadening our lives and perspectives with poetry.
$95
M  Dec. 5 –19    6:00–8:30 p.m.



Services
I can offer you professional editing and proofreading services for your short stories, fiction and nonfiction manuscripts and proposals. While I'm not a professional book doctor, I can offer the following services: 

Proofing -- I can catch the typos, grammatical and punctuation errors, and mechanical problems that turn editors off before they have had a chance to evaluate your idea. I can also offer tips on formatting your documents the way editors want them.  

Editing -- I have published short stories, poetry, essays, and I have co-authored a nonfiction book and ghostwritten another.  Because of my experience, I can provide suggestions on making your manuscript as professional as possible.  Besides proofing, I can make sure your character's husband has the same name throughout your story, offer suggestions on how to combine or eliminate major threads, or point out places needing more (or less) explanation.  I also provide basic critiquing with this service.

The Creative Touch

"I think your ability to see what people need to do with their writing is uncanny.  You always focus right on the heart of the matter."  

    --Carol, ChattaRosa member

Nancy is the founder of ChattaRosa, a writing group that has offered support, critiquing, and education for women writers in Chattanooga for the last two years.

Moreover, Nancy has published poems, short stories, and essays in publications such as Alternative Press Magazine, Short Story Magazine, Seeding the Snow, Four and Twenty, Sequoya Review, and Working Mother.  Her poem, "Distractions," was one of the winners in Writer's Digest's 2009 Poetry-a-Day contest.  In addition, she has an essay coming up in the Spring 2012 Southern Cultures.

Quotes About Writing

I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it.

                   -- William Faulkner

When I sit down at my writing desk, time seems to vanish. I think it's a wonderful way to spend one's life.

                  -- Erica Jong

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug.

                  -- Mark Twain