Teaching

In thirty years in the travel writing business, both as a freelance travel writer and an editor of hundreds of stories in the Travelers’ Tales book series, Larry Habegger has developed a fine eye for what makes a story work. He shares his knowledge at numerous writers conferences, writing workshops, and individual coaching sessions, both online and off.

Contact Larry: larry@LarryHabegger.com

New Class, June 26, 2010

Connie Hale and I will be running a “Manuscript Clinic with The Prose Doctors: Polishing your prose so it sings” on Saturday, June 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Book Passage in Marin County. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to strengthen his or her writing in that crucial final draft where you craft the words to really work for you.

Sign up here.

You’ve arranged the pieces of a reported article, you’ve penned a brutally honest memoir, you’ve finally finished that magazine feature. Now you’re ready to polish the prose so that it sings—and so that it speaks to every editor you send it to. Veteran editors Larry Habegger and Constance Hale of The Prose Doctors (www.prosedoctors.com) will spend the day with you practicing what writers call The Craft: paring prose to its essence, styling sentences with flair, and building memorable characters and scenes. The day will be filled with discussions of craft, practice sentences, and exercises to build new writing muscles. The instructors will review in advance a manuscript from each student, and during the class we will work on polishing one double-spaced page from that manuscript.

And here are a few words about Connie, my partner in The Prose Doctors:

Constance Hale teaches writing at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard and has edited more than two dozen books. She is the author of Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose. Her writing has appeared in Yoga Journal, the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic Adventure, Smithsonian and The Atlantic Monthly, among many other publications.

I hope to see you there. Sign up here.

Sample Classes

Writing Workshop Sailing off the Turkish Coast
Learn How to Craft a Travel Article, Write a Memoir and Publish Your Book
Larry Habegger led two seven-day writers workshops on the personal travel narrative aboard a traditional 82-foot gulet (a Turkish yacht) in 2008 and 2006, and is planning another in the fall of 2011. On this seven-day intensive workshop sailing on the Aegean Sea, participants learn the ins and outs of crafting a superb story and how to bring their work to print, whether it’s a short essay or a book-length memoir. Larry helps writers develop powerful stories with simple tools and plot the course to successful publication.

In this workshop you will learn how to:

• Unearth kernels of inspiration
• Find the right way in
• Create the ideal structure to give a story maximum substance and meaning
• Access memory to add depth and texture
• Use techniques of fiction to add drama and suspense
• Craft the perfect ending
• Edit to make the story a page-turner
• Develop the kind of book proposal publishers are eager to see
• Create the perfect marketing plan so your book will sell
• Write like a poet but think like a publicist

Daily writing exercises will help you find the focus of your story, and discussions will provide guidance for shaping and polishing. Participants will gain confidence about what makes a story work and how to make it shine in the marketplace.

The group workshop will be structured around our tour of the Turkish coast and will include:

• Maximum of 10 participants
• Emphasis on personal travel narrative and memoir, but open to other forms
• Hour-long group workshops each morning
• Daily one-on-one consultations with Larry
• Writing assignments to prime your pump
• Afternoons devoted to writing and exploring the Turkish coast
• Evening group reading and discussion of participants’ work
• Write about your Turkish experience, craft journal notes into compelling stories, develop material you’re already working on
• Come ready to write, share, learn, and have fun

And Much More…
We’ll start a little farther south on Turkey’s coastline this year in Gocek and head to Ulu Deniz—one of the most beautiful beaches in the world—and the waters of Kas where we’ll snorkel over ancient cities, sail past ruins, go ashore when the mood hits, and yes, once again, write. And we will do it on the Kaptan Sevket with the same crew. They are family now.

Want to know what the trip might be like? See Larry’s blog posts about the 2008 journey on Cleared for Takeoff—The Triporati Blog. Or read John Flinn’s story from a few years ago in the San Francisco Chronicle about a journey on a similar vessel in the same area. Read it for the full flavor, sans the travel writing workshop.

Includes:

• Two hours minimum of instruction per day and private consultations with seasoned travel writer and co-editor of Travelers’ Tales Books, Larry Habegger
• Three delicious meals per day and all drinks
• All land and water excursions
• Use of kayaks, snorkel gear, and fishing rods
• Full use of a luxurious classic Turkish yacht constructed of African teak and brass, and shared with a maximum of 10 participants and 3 Turkish crew members
• Shared accommodation in a large double cabin with a private bath
• Three Turkish crew members to make sure that the only work you do is write and play
• Airport transfers
• One night’s stay in a spacious hotel in Gocek, Turkey
• And last but not least, laughter, exploration and camaraderie galore

The price does not include round trip airfare to Gocek, Turkey from whence we will depart on our boat. We have scheduled the workshops during the travel “shoulder season” so that students may benefit from lower airfares. If you would like assistance booking an airline ticket, please email workshop organizer, Robin Sparks at robin@robinsparks.com.

This is a small intimate class of no more than 10, so don’t delay.

For information about sailing along the ancient shores of Turkey with Larry, contact Robin Sparks at robin@robinsparks.com.

Advanced Travel Writing Workshops in San Francisco
Larry conducts an advanced personal travel writing workshop each fall in San Francisco, a series of seven Wednesday nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The group meets at 4th and Townsend Streets across the street from the Caltrain station, a short block away from the Muni Metro stop and several bus lines. The group has a minimum of six people and a maximum of ten.

In the first session everyone gets to know each other, talking about their experience, goals, what they wanted to get out of the class, and, of course, the material they are working on. They also read and discuss some examples of superb writing. In the six subsequent sessions they work on their stories in depth. Each week half the group sends a story to everyone for all to read in advance so they can be prepared for discussion in class. This way, each participant gets three stories worked on over the seven weeks, and has the benefit of critiquing everyone else’s pieces.

Questions or comments to larry@LarryHabegger.com

The Personal Travel Story: Art, Craft, Inspiration
The best travel stories are really stories about life, with lessons for the writer and reader about ourselves and the people and places in our still magical world. Travelers’ Tales Executive Editor Larry Habegger helps you develop powerful stories with simple tools. Learn how to:

• unearth kernels of inspiration
• find the right lead
• create the ideal structure to give a story substance and meaning
• access memory to add depth and texture
• use techniques of fiction to add drama and suspense
• craft the perfect ending
• edit to make the story a page-turner

These techniques are valid both for short essays and longer narratives. In-class writing exercises help find the focus of the story and discussions provide guidance for shaping and polishing. Participants gain confidence about what makes a story work and the value of their own stories, and should come prepared with ideas they want to explore. The class includes advice on how to get your stories published, including market leads and submission guidelines. Larry Habegger is a founding editor of Travelers’ Tales and has helped edit virtually all of the company’s books. He has been on the faculty of the Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference annually since 1994.

Writing Workshop Sailing off the Turkish Coast
Travelers’ Tales Executive Editor Larry Habegger led a writers workshop on the personal travel narrative for 10 writers on a classic 82-foot gulet (a Turkish yacht) in September, 2008 and June 2006. He’s making plans to do so again in the fall of 2011. Don’t miss out.

Writers Workshop on the Canal du Midi in Southern France
Larry conducted a week-long intensive writers workshop July 24-30, 2005 on the Canal du Midi in Southern France. The voyage traversed portions of the historic Canal du Midi between Toulouse and Castelnaudary on Lurley, a classic 35-foot Dutch motor cruiser. Life slowed to a reflective pace as we leisurely motored along the shady tree-lined canal. We became part of the flow of four centuries of travelers through these hand-built stone locks. Between the vibrant city of Toulouse and the winding streets of Castelnaudary, we passed the sunflower and wheat fields of Languedoc, sampled local cheeses and feasted on traditional dishes such as cassoulet de Castelnaudery.

• The workshop was limited to five participants working with one instructor
• The emphasis in Larry’s workshop was personal travel narrative
• Ninety-minute group workshop each morning
• Daily one-on-one consultations with Larry
• Afternoons devoted to writing and exploration of the French countryside
• Evening group reading and discussion of participants’ work following dinner at local restaurants

For more information, go to canaldumidiwriters.com or contact Barbara Euser at (415) 454-7171 or bjeuser@hotmail.com.

Other Class Topics

Master Class
Once or twice a year Larry conducts an advanced personal travel writing workshop for in-depth study of the craft and close critiquing of each participant’s work. These classes usually run for seven weekly sessions and then transform into an ongoing master class that meets once or twice a month. Limited to ten writers. For information, write to Larry at Larry@larryhabegger.com.

To book Larry for a class or work shop, email Larry@larryhabegger.com