Dear friends,
I apologize for not getting this letter up right away. I've been thinking of how best to change how everyone experiences Orange Cat, and I think the letter might be it.
Here's my thinking as to why:
The internet, social media, generative 'AI' -- you can make an argument that these are all distractions. We don't go to the
website of the New York Public Library to experience the New York Public Library -- we go the
actual building and surround ourselves with
actual books. We don't watch a clip of a baseball game on our phones -- we go to the park and watch the game. We don't seek to improve our creative writing by going to a website -- we take a class with fellow writers. The internet is flat. Writing isn't. The internet is not a place; writing is.
This is why I'd like to try and reduce this website -- as much as is reasonably possible -- to a monthly letter. You won't find me trying to win the figurative video game of social media here. You won't find me launching a substack within a subtack. I will run classes, and I will tell you about them here. I will tell you what I'm doing; I will tell you what I'd like to do; and I'll invite you along. (And, of course, because it's me, I might throw in one or two extra things along the way as well.)
Not only does this adhere to my philosophical read of the moment, but it has the added benefit of being practical. Personally speaking, I know I would much rather focus my energy on writing a letter once a month, writing more broadly, and teaching classes than falling down yet another rabbit hole of web design, yet another social media stormcloud, yet another ...
So what kind of classes are we talking about? What's on the menu?
Right now, two things are running:
Dungeons & Dragons & Writing, which meets on Wednesdays at 5PM, and the
All-Star Writing Workshop, which gathers on Saturday mornings at 10.
The Wednesday group is deep into an arc on the planet of Beigerton, and a student's character -- a vampire -- has made an executive decision. As a result, the balance of power on Beigerton is ...
tilting.
Saturdays, meanwhile, have us doing line-by-line craft — treating each sentence like a camera shot and tightening atmosphere, rhythm, and specificity. We’ve done close line reads of Nobel-level work, solved impossible murders, and there’s more to come.
Next month we will continue
D&D&W. (There is a D&D&W section that technically meets every other Friday, but scheduling has gotten fluky with that one.) We'll continue All-Star. And we'll launch a continuation of a Cosmic Horror class.
I'd also be interested in trying to get a third
D&D&W class going as well.
You are all very welcome to join one of these
D&D&W classes, the cosmic horror class, or the
All-Star Writing class. (One class has an age limit.)
So what will this cost?
Starting in the new year, I’m moving to a monthly model: most classes will live somewhere between $60–$80 per month, depending on the class and the family. It keeps things simple for everyone, and it lets me focus more on the teaching and less on juggling individual invoices.
I also know some of you have no idea who I am yet — so if you want to try a class, I’m happy to let you drop in once for free. See if it fits. If it does, wonderful. If it doesn’t, you’ve still spent an hour doing something creative.
And because writing classes without testimonials are nothing, here’s one I’m especially grateful for:
This class has been wonderful! Truly!!! It unlocked something for me [...] You are an inspiring and compassionate teacher. I know others would really benefit from your creativity and guidance.
And I didn't even pay this person! Inspiring! Compassionate!! Whoa!!!
If you're looking for a place to write, to imagine, or just to be part of a strange small world that keeps going and going, you’re always welcome here.
Warmly,
Evan
P.S. Comments? Questions? Interested? Reach me at orangecatwritingworkshop [at] gmail [dot] com.