Seeing Like a Detective

“You have seen but you have not observed,” Sherlock Holmes says to Watson. He then quizzes his friend about places they have both been to but that Holmes has observed in much more significant detail, taking note of items that were invisible to the casual onlooker. We are all much like Watson in this regard.

In this workshop, you will discover what it means to be a better observer, how to understand the concept of “visual intelligence,” how to bring your own special skills and life history to what you write, how creativity is linked to changing the way we see, and how to create characters through what they see or fail to see. The workshop is geared to both the literary writer and the genre–or mystery–writer (somewhat artificial publishing categories), and we will also examine how mystery writers create convincing detectives by showing what their protagonists notice that others miss.

Author Tony Eprile (“The Persistence of Memory,” “Temporary Sojourner and Other South African Stories,”) has taught creative writing at universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad (Iowa Writers Workshop, Northwestern, Bennington College, etc.) and has offered observation workshops at such places as the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, the Iowa Writers Workshop, Dorland Mountain Arts Colony and elsewhere.

Space is limited – please register in advance to reserve your spot.