The Art of Storytelling on the Page and on the Stage
A Transformative 6-Month Writing Journey with Nina Wise
Thursdays 10:00am–11:30am Pacific Time, on Zoom
September 2025 – Febuary 2026
Our lives are full of stories, some from long ago and some from the very recent past. And our stories long to be told, to emerge from where they lie hidden in our hearts and enter a shared space.
The craft of writing—meaning the tools and guidelines that are employed to write well—provides a methodology to focus on and improve our work. And as our work improves, we gain deeper insights into our own hearts and minds and the world at large. In this way, the art of storytelling is a spiritual practice.
Whether you're a seasoned writer or just beginning to explore your literary talents, the unique approach of this workshop will inspire and guide you in your process.
WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE
Personalized Guidance: Nina will provide personalized feedback and mentorship tailored to your writing goals.
Elements of the Craft: We will explore the basic elements of storytelling: how to develop characters, move through time, structure a narrative arc, deepen into a scene, find the heart of your story, write dialog, enliven setting, and more.
Creative Exercises and Prompts: Carefully curated exercises and prompts are designed to ignite your imagination and help you break through creative blocks and insecurities.
Community and Collaboration: The workshop is a place to engage with a supportive community of fellow writers, sharing insights and fostering connections that extend beyond the weekly meetings.
Private Sessions
Nina is available to anyone interested in creating a performance work, editing writing, developing skills and confidence in public speaking and presentations, enhancing creative expression … whatever your project or goal may be, Nina will help you see it through.
Approach
We at Motion believe that every writer, from absolute beginner to award winning published authors, deserve to experiment in a safe and supportive environment in order to develop their craft. So Motion writing workshops follow the guidelines and principals of the Amherst Writers and Artists, which is outlined below and is fully described in founder Pat Schneider’s book Writing Alone and With Others (Oxford University Press, 2003)
The AWA method is based in the following philosophy. These affirmations rest on a definition of personhood based in equality, and a definition of writing as an art form available to all persons.
Everyone has a strong, unique voice.
Everyone is born with creative genius.
Writing as an art form belongs to all people, regardless of economic class or educational level.
The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writers original voice or artistic self-esteem.
A writer is someone who writes.
Essential Practices
The following practices establish a safe environment where everyone is free to explore within their own writing and listen to each other with respect.
Everyone’s writing, including the leader’s, is treated with equal respect and value.
Writing is kept confidential and treated as fiction.
Writers can refrain from reading their work aloud.
Responses to just-written work reflect what is strong and successful.
Responses and exercises support the development of literary craft.
Refund Policy
We do our best to keep our fees very affordable and hope you understand that there are many administrative hours and costs that are involved in running our programs. We also understand that things come up for people and want to accommodate your change of plans as best we can. So here is our refund policy:
The registration fee for Motion’s online events is non-refundable. If you withdraw within one week prior to the first session, the fee you paid can be applied to a future Motion Theater workshop within one year (less 20% processing fee).
* All workshop sessions are recorded and available for 4 weeks after the final workshop session. The links will be sent to you each week (only for those registered for a multi-week series).
* Motion will consider refund requests due to an extraordinary circumstance or emergency on a case by case basis if you withdraw within one week prior to the first session. To request a refund of this nature, please contact us and explain your situation.