The Lake Geneva area has an interesting new writing class that takes place at 6:30 PM on Thursday nights at the Chapel on the Hill. The class is taught by Sharon Dexter, who has a long list of publishing credits to her name and Carol McLernon who is also a published author. This class is for prospective writers, experienced writers, or anyone who has a desire to be published. The sessions include lecture, group discussion, and critiques of works brought in by each student. Topics include development of ideas, improving manuscripts, writing styles, marketing, and the path to getting one's work published.
Sharon and Carol met while teaching at Central School in Lake Geneva. Both have experience teaching in the classroom, and they both specialized in helping students become better at reading and creative writing. Sharon Dexter was raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Sharon has had articles published in Purpose, Discovery Trails, Partners, and Devo'Zine. Sharon Dexter has also written the book, I Will Not Be Silent, as well as the devotional book Fifty Two Favorite Verses (Old Testament), and various poems and short stories.
Carol McLernon was born and raised in Platteville,Wisconsin, which is a mining community located in Southwestern Wisconsin. Carol grew up in the area where chief Black Hawk had led his people in an attempt to reclaim land lost in the treaty of 1804. This life experience is reflected in her books: Lead Mining Towns of SW Wisconsin, and the children's book, Black Hawk, A Boy and His Vision. Carol has also written the children's book Katie Down the Pike.
In the first class, Sharon Dexter said: "My mind works in ink." She went on to say that this is key for writer, it seems as though a truly creative writer thinks like he's writing on a page. A good comparison would be the old saying that one truly has learned a new language, when they start thinking in that language. Sharon also said that, in creative writing: "it's not that it's raining, but rather the feeling of being wet."
When showing the class how to critique another's work, Sharon said: "you used words for effect and not to be effective. You seem to be in love with great vocabulary, and it shows in your writing." Sharon also said: "Do not to take the critique personally. The critiques are either helping a problem or touching on one."
Carol talked about the importance of character development, and the fact that "the writer is supposed to be, sort of invisible." She said that this will allow the reader to feel empathy for the characters that the writer creates. It should all be about the story and the characters. Carol also said that a good technique that she uses is to tape record what she has written, and then she plays it back to herself, as a final step before she sends her work to a publisher.
The cost of these writing classes are $20 a session. The sessions last between two and three hours, and if a student buys six classes, they get one class for free. A one-on-one session is also available for $20 an hour. Chapel on the Hill is located 5 miles west of Lake Geneva off of highway 50. The address for the actual Chapel is N2440 Ara Glen Drive Lake Geneva, WI, and the class is in room 209, in the basement of the building. For more information, call Sharon at (262) 248- 4845 or Carol at (262)949-3956.
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