Arcs within Arcs Create Meaning

Join the Salem Chapter of Willamette Writers on October 26th from 10:00 – 11:30 AM PST at the Salem Public Library for a seminar by award-winning writer Eric Witchey. Eric will be focusing on how character arc is demonstrated as contrasts that must be represented at all levels of story—from the smallest change in mood within a line to the earth-shattering climatic moment when the character realizes their identity has shifted and they see themselves living a new future. The fractal nature of character change will be described and demonstrated in a way that will allow participants to return to new works or works in progress with a tool for examination, revision, and creation. In addition, Eric will demonstrate that the relationship between character arc and dominant theme trigger the reader’s sense of deeper meaning. This 90-minute seminar will include demonstrations, brainstorming, discussion, and handouts.

About Eric Witchey

Eric Witchey holds degrees in Interdisciplinary English (Theoretical Linguistics, Computer Science, and Literature) and English from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado. He has worked as an independent consultant, teacher, and writer for nearly 30 years. Eric is a graduate of Clarion West and has received creative recognition from Writer’s Digest, New Century Writers, Writers of the Future, ralan.com, Short Story America, the Irish Aeon Awards, International Book Awards, Independent Publisher Awards, and other organizations. In addition to the production of hundreds of technical documents and many communication courses, he has sold novels, poetry, and many, many short stories.

His fiction has sold nationally and internationally in 13 genres under a number of names. Eric is active in the writing community as a teacher of seminars in communication skills, business writing, technical writing, composition, fiction, grammar, story analysis, and editing. He has taught writing at many conferences and seminars, and he has taught classes for Colorado State University, Portland State University, and Chemeketa Community College. His writing how-to articles have appeared in Northwest Ink, Writers Northwest, The Writer Magazine, Writers Digest Magazine, and other print and online magazines. He feeds his life-long addiction to scribbling by reading and writing daily.

Eric has been active in the Society for Technical Communications, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Willamette Writers, WordCrafters in Eugene, The Oregon Writer’s Colony, the Wordos Professional Criticism Group, the ReFreys, and many other organizations. He has served as a judge for fiction contests, and he has also served on the Board of Directors for the Oregon Writer’s Colony, Creative Development Network, and The Short Story Writers Association. When not writing or teaching, he uses small bits of feather and pointy wire to terrorize fish, and he stares through magnifying lenses at the internal mysteries of antique, model locomotives.