ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Spark & Story: Creative Thinking, Writing, and Journaling – A 5 Week Workshop with Mary Ann Hoffman and Mark McNease
I’m excited to let you know about a 5 week workshop I’ve been putting together with Mary Ann Hoffman. It will be every Wednesday from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the New Hope Free Library, New Hope, PA. Keep reading for details, and you can RSVP HERE (limited to 10 participants). – Mark
When: 5 weeks starting Wednesday, December 2
Where: New Hope Free Library
93 W. Ferry Street, New Hope, PA
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
RSVP HERE (limit 10 participants)
Part I: Mary Ann Hoffman: Creative Thinking and Writing
Good thinking precedes good writing. During the creative thinking portion of our dual workshop you’ll explore a variety of topics and apply them to your writing. In this five-session workshop, Mary Ann Hoffman guides participants through the creative thinking skills that lead to strong, original work. Sessions include creative thinking and goal setting, building a “Dreamery” of your own, “Banana Thinking”—a lively way to learn the creative process and apply it to the page, and more. Participants use mind mapping to practice divergent thinking and generate ideas, and explore the dos and don’ts that help creativity thrive. Participants come away with a practical toolkit for generating ideas, shaping them, and putting them to work in any project.
Mary Ann Hoffman was an elementary teacher and principal for 40 years working in Pennsylvania, California, Virginia, South Carolina, and New York City. During that time, she taught creativity and problem-solving classes to children in her schools and presented national workshops on those topics to adults. Mary Ann has taught Nature Journaling and Vision Boards classes for the Princeton Adult School. She is a published author and co-writes the Silver Sage Sister blog.
Part II: Mark McNease: A Journey Into Journaling
Every life is a story, and each of us is the storyteller. In this portion of the five-session workshop, participants will explore their lives, past and present, through writing prompts, ice breakers, and thematic journaling. From drawing a room from childhood, to writing a postcard from a place you may never have been, to describing a pivotal moment in your life, these sessions invite us to rediscover the places, people, memories and events that made us who we are—and still do.
Mark McNease is a Certified Guided Autobiography Instructor currently running workshops on journaling, fiction writing, character creation, and independent publishing. He’s a former and incoming board member of the Mystery Writers of America–New York, the author of 15 novels, and a two-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Children’s Program (Into the Outdoors).
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Coming Soon! ‘Let’s Make a Children’s TV Show’ Two Hour Workshop
Let’s Make a TV Show! A Writing Workshop with Emmy Winner Mark McNease
Gather your friends, family or coworkers and spend two hours in a real writers’ room. Under the guidance of Mark McNease, your group will invent a brand-new children’s TV show from scratch. Mark worked at Sesame Street as the story editor for international co-productions and co-created Into the Outdoors, for which he won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children’s Program,
Together you’ll pitch the idea, create a cast of characters, outline an episode and write the script. Then you’ll perform it in a live table read, complete with sound effects. Everyone gets a role, everyone gets a writing credit, and no experience is needed. It’s funny, creative and surprisingly easy.
Ideal for 6 to 12 people of any age above 12, in person or on Zoom. Your group leaves with a finished episode, a show of its own and a few new ideas about how stories work.
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‘Devil’s Wood’ Book Reading at Read Mill Books, Clinton, NJ
On a recent afternoon at Read Mill Books in Clinton, New Jersey, the story was told of a cursed walking stick and the lives it has destroyed, as it tries once again to ruin a man and all he holds dear. Mark McNease’s supernatural chiller, Devil’s Wood, held an audience’s attention with chills, mystery, and the ancient battle between good and evil. Read it to find out which one wins.
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Gift Certificates Are Back! $50 for any workshop
Every life is a story, and each of us is the storyteller.
Give someone you care about time, space, and community. This $50 gift certificate can be used toward any one-on-one Your Write Path workshop, including fiction writing, character creation, self-publishing, journaling and more, in person or online over Zoom.
Your Write Path workshops are warm, welcoming, and built for writers at every level. It’s a meaningful gift for birthdays, holidays, retirements, or anyone who has ever said, “I’ve always wanted to write.” From the essentials of writing fiction, to character creation and self-publishing, to life writing and journaling, these workshops are for anyone with a desire to explore and express themselves through writing.
You’ll receive a downloadable PDF of the certificate with purchase. When redeeming, specify which workshop it’s for. Purchaser will receive confirmation from Mark at Your Write Path.
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Another Great Workshop – Fiction Writing Essentials (September 13)
Another great workshop? Of course!
Fiction Writing Essentials Workshop with Mark McNEase — Read Mill Books
Where: Read Mill Books
27 Center Street, Clinton NJ
When: Sunday, September 13
11:00 am – 1:00 p,Register at the bookshop:
https://www.readmillbooks.com/events-2-1/self-publishing-workshop-m7sbb
Every great story rests on a foundation of craft, This workshop covers the core elements of fiction writing in an easy-to study format that covers story structure, point of view, scene-building, dialogue, pacing, and the all-important question of what your story is really about. Whether you’re working on your first draft or trying to understand why a project isn’t coming together, Fiction Writing Essentials gives you the tools and the framework to move forward with confidence.
This workshop is ideal for writers at the beginning or intermediate stage who want a clear, practical grounding in how fiction works, and how to make it work for them.
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A Book Reading with Authors Mark McNease and Kim Cook, Lambertville, May 3 (Video Excerpt)
On May 3rd, 2026, in Lambertville, New Jersey, two authors came together for an afternoon of storytelling, craft, and memoir. Mark McNease shared excerpts from Blank Page to Bookshelf: From First Sentence to First Sale — his guide to fiction writing, character creation, and self-publishing — and Kim Cook shared from her powerful memoir, I Am My Father’s Child: A True Story of History, Mystery, Betrayal, and Forgiveness. Keep watching for a video excerpt from that event.
