Brian's teaching has been recognized with the Loft Literary Center/Madeline Island School of the Arts Excellence in Teaching Fellowship (based exclusively on student evaluations) and commendations from the Creative Writing Program at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (based exclusively on student evaluations).
Online Classes at the Loft Literary Center - Enroll from Anywhere!
Fiction Basics: Five Parts of Story February 14, 2026,10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
In this intentionally kind and friendly class for absolute beginners and those in need of a refresher, we will explore the five part of story model for writers who need help with structuring and building momentum in their stories. We'll examine each of the five parts: exposition, rising action, crisis or turning point, falling action, and conclusion. We'll scrutinize a short story to learn how the writer complicates the everyday routine of her characters' lives in subtle and dramatic ways, and how these complications propel the story forward.. Come prepared for user-friendly and low-pressure exercises on each of the five parts. You will leave class with a basic outline for your story or novel idea.
Fiction Basics: Characters & Characterization March 21, 2026, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
For this intentionally kind session for beginners or those in need of a refresher, come prepared to create characters based on people you know (and combinations thereof), as well as characters based on your passion, your interest, your curiosity, and your imagination. We'll practice direct and indirect methods of characterization, and exercises will help you get to know your characters' internal and external lives. Finally, we'll identify significant details to make your characters come alive on the page.
Fiction Basics: Creative Language April 11, 2026, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Readers love variety, especially at the sentence level. In this fast-paced session for absolute beginners and pros in need of a refresher, we'll explore periodic sentences, fragments, parataxis, parallelism, anaphora, epiphora, assonance, juxtaposition, ambiguity, and more. We'll play with figurative language, and minimalist and maximalist styles. We'll make the abstract concrete through sensory imagery. Come prepared to imitate, generate, and captivate.
To contract with Brian for creative writing classes, click on the CONTACT TAB to submit your query.