Small, rigorous class for writers wanting to push a project forward "Thank you for your classes! They have enriched and expanded my world." I've been teaching writing and performance workshops since 1993. I love the creative process, and my goal is to help you take the next step in your work. Start the New Year WRITE Being a writer is about time. Here's what I've learned about time in my 40 years as a writer: (2 min video) The odds are against us as writers. The world is not set up for us to do our best work, or to go as far as we might. To change those odds, I'm offering Start the New Year WRITE But together, we can improve the odds. Make appointments to write. Commit to a month of working on a single project. And don't write alone. Write in community. Builds on the successful Wednesday morning writing community that has been going since 2020. 2-minute video tells you what I've learned about time in my 40 years as a writer: I designed Start the New Year WRITE to get you out of the artistic waiting room and into the writing room. Write at specific times Write in community give you appointments to write in community a schedule to write, a chance to a that gives you a schedule and a writing community. and writing community that Imagine this: It’s February 1, 2024. You've written 2500 to 10,000 words of your memoir/novel/monologue/play/standup routine. Not only that. You have a plan of how to keep going. "I have a lot of ideas, but I'm a champion procrastinator." " I want to write what I've learned in my life but I don't know where to start." "I can't tell if what I'm writing is any good. " Tw o scenarios 2. It’s February 1, 2024 and you are still stuck. The problem As writers we have dry periods or get stuc k. Or never start. Guilt/dread/procrastination sets in. We get further from what we want to do . Get time on your side Most writers do better when they have regular appointments to write. But that can still be lonely. This workshop gives you 10 appointments to write in January 2024, in the company of other writers. (On Zoom. For writers, Zoom can be a gift.) 1:1 sessions / goa l setting You'll have two 30-minute sessions with me to assess your project and set achievable goals. Genre You can write in any genre you like (except poetry). Entry By application - see below. Fee $550 by Venmo or check (note that there are no refunds for this class) To appl y: Send me an email with the following: (1) what project you plan to work on & what stage it's at now (2) goal: where you'd like to be at the end of the 8 weeks, and whom you'd like to share your work with at that point (3) a commitment to attend every class and be on time (4) a commitment to write at least 500 words per week and email me your new writing the day before class (so I can put it up on the screen during class)

The Return of Pete Seeger Charlie Varon 's Comic Bonbons #10: "For Pete Seeger's Sake " Pete Seeger bonbon Feb 29 00:00 / 02:01 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Special thanks to J.P. Tilleman Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in mid-March.

< Back #18 Mind Becomes Tranquil February 21, 2025 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: J.P. Tilleman Mind becomes tranquil 00:00 / 05:09 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Saturday evening, March 8 in Oakland: Charlie Varon's Comic Bonbons LIVE! Info & tickets Previous Next

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"The most important Jewish play of our time." - Rabbi Dan Goldblatt Meet the characters in the play... Read reviews... Book the show... RABBI SAM tells the story of a man who wants to reinvent American Judaism, and the congregation that hires him. Some people love the new rabbi. Some can’t stand him. And, of course, some can’t stand each other. Charlie plays all 12 characters, including the rabbi and eight contentious board members. Funny, moving, bursting with energy and ideas, RABBI SAM is a play for Jews, Gentiles and anyone who has ever attended a meeting. RABBI SAM was developed with and directed by David Ford, Charlie's collaborator of 18 years. Music composed by Bruce Barth. RABBI SAM premiered at The Marsh in March 2009 to audience and critical acclaim, ran for six sold-out months, and is now available for booking .

The art of revision allows us to go deeper, think in ways we otherwise could not, and make our writing better. The secret to great writing is revision. Revising our writing allows us to go deeper, think in ways we otherwise could not, and make our work stronger and more readable. This is... The dance of writing and rewriting Think of writing and rewriting as two entirely distinct modes. Mode 1: Writing As you write from inside memory or imagination... -Write with abandon & let the writing take you wherever it will -Don’t censor -Don’t overthink Mode 2: Rewriting The trick is to step outside what you wrote and ask: “How will a reader/audience member receive this?” -Totally different mindset -Try to read what you’ve written as if you are someone else -Ask yourself: “What do I, the reader/audience member, need?” -Be bold in revision -Treat the draft not as sacred, but as source material What good rewriting requires: A total shift in orientation! Can be jarring Can be fun! Ideally, you find a looseness & freedom in revision (a freedom totally different from that of the original writing) Question: So after rewriting, how do I get back inside my work? - Consciously shift mode - Don’t need to forget what you learned when you stepped outside your work - But let yourself find the energy of freedom & exploration again! Want more? Read my 7 Rules for Revising Your Writing

5 mistakes writers and speakers can easily avoid \ 5 worst mistakes writers and speakers make 1. It's too long. Can a paragraph become a sentence? Can a sentence become a phrase? Can a phrase become a word? Do you really need that word? 2. It's not funny. Or the joke is stupid. If you think you're not funny, you may be right. But you may just need help finding the humor. (AI will not save you.) 3. It doesn't ask enough of the audience. Fear makes us over-explain. Most explanation bores the audience/reader. 4. It doesn't build. Time is not neutral. It is working against you. 5. It hasn't been tested. Working in isolation often breeds shitty work. Find a director or collaborator you trust. (AI will not save you.) 6. You forget to have fun. Yes, there are bad moments. That's part of the creative process. But if you're not finding joy, neither will your audience. Starting July 1, 2024 in San Francisco: Storytelling: A master class with Charlie Varon

< Back #14 Poetry Unwound: "Circling" August 28, 2024 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: J.P. Tilleman Poetry Unwound - Circling 00:00 / 02:28 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next

< Back #4 Mitch's Silence Satire, Pranks and Other Comic Bonbons September 26, 2023 "Mitch's Silence," featuring Studs Terkel & Dr. Oliver Sacks I can't stop thinking about Sen. Mitch McConnell and that news conference, the one where he froze and went silent for 30 seconds. Then my friend Jim Rosenau sends me a link. It's to an old radio show. Studs Terkel, champion interviewer, is talking to beloved neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks. Both men are gone now, but Jim knows how much I love their voices. "A twofer," Jim says. I listen to the interview, then start doing their voices, just riffing to myself, which makes me exceedingly happy. Then the question poses itself: McConnell's silence + Studs Terkel + Oliver Sacks = ? I rough something out, call David Ford, and we get going. As is often the case, the best details come from David's fertile comic mind. Mitch's Silence 00:00 / 04:52 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Previous Next

< Back #8 Bernie's Henry Kissinger Dream December 14, 2023 Written by Charlie Varon & David Ford Performed by Charlie Varon Bernie's Henry Kissinger Dream 00:00 / 03:24 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Use code BONBON and save $25 on the Intensive Previous Next

< Back #15 Bernie's Dream - Oct 2024 October 10, 2024 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: J.P. Tilleman Bernie's Dream - Oct 2024 00:00 / 04:50 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next

< Back #5 Here on Planet Earth Featuring Sir David Attenborough October 29, 2023 "Here on Planet Earth," featuring Sir David Attenborough Written by Charlie Varon & David Ford Performed by Charlie Varon Here on Planet Earth 00:00 / 02:51 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Previous Next