Margie Lawson’s Immersion Master Classes will help you transform your manuscript into a page-turner!
In the last eight years I’ve taught over 140 Immersion Master Classes. Enrollment is limited to eight per class.
Some classes are held in my home west of Denver, Colorado. But I also teach Immersion classes in other cities. And countries.
2017 March Immersion on Riss BeachI’ve taught over 100 Immersion classes in the U.S. — in Albuquerque, Amarillo, Amelia Island (Florida), Atlanta, Canyon Lake (Texas), Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Gilroy (California), Houston, Los Angeles, Napoleon (Ohio), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, San Jose, San Antonio, Washington, D.C, Whidbey Island, and Yosemite.
I’ve also taught Immersions in Australia — in Sydney, Melbourne, Bellbrae, Coffs Harbour, Brisbane, Coolangatta, and at Nine Mile Beach in Tasmania.
Can’t leave out the 7-day cruises. I’ve taught for Write at Sea and Cruising Writers too.
I love teaching writers how to add just the right amount of power to make their writing soar.
Immersion classes listed in Denver are held at my home at the top of Coal Creek Canyon. I live an hour west of Denver, thirty minutes from Boulder.
Immersioners book rooms at the Eldora Lodge. It’s a two minute walk from my house.
SCROLL DOWN to see the prerequisites for Immersion Master Classes.
SCROLL WAY DOWN to learn about booking a room at the Eldora Lodge for Denver Immersion classes.
2019 Immersion Classes
Taa Daa! Here’s the first half of my 2019 Immersion Master Class schedule.
I’m planning Immersion classes for the fall in North Carolina, Ohio, Utah, and Georgia.
I’m scheduling some Immersion classes in Australia in the fall too.
If you’re interested in one of the Immersion classes below, or in one yet to be scheduled, please use the contact form below.
Contact Information
If you’re interested in an Immersion class anywhere in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., in a castle in southern France, wherever…contact Margie using the form below.
If you’d like to register for an Immersion Master Class, or be put on a waiting list, contact Margie.
Interested in hosting an Immersion class in your city? In your country? Contact Margie.
Prerequisites for Immersion Master Classes
These three on-line courses or lecture packets:
- Empowering Characters’ Emotions
- Deep Editing: The EDITS System, Rhetorical Devices, and More
- Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues Like a Psychologist
***IMPORTANT NOTE***
Attending a full day master class does not meet the prerequisites.
You must take the on-line courses or complete the lecture packets.
Important Details
Transportation is provided from Denver International Airport to Margie’s home and back by Margie or her awesome, easy-to-talk-to husband, Tom.
Scheduling Your Flights: If possible, schedule your flight to arrive at Denver International Airport between 12 – 3 on Day 1 (closer to noon is better) and schedule your flight to depart after 3:30 on Day 5. If you need to schedule flights at different times, contact Margie Lawson.
BRING a minimum of 150 pages (printed, on one side, double spaced, in a binder), or a full manuscript (first 150 pages printed).
THE PROCESS: Margie will review her Deep Editing techniques and analysis. She works with the group in the mornings and with writers individually in the afternoons. Each writer’s voice and style remain intact, while psychological power is enhanced.
Participants may take breaks in the afternoons. They can walk in national forest land fifty yards from Margie’s home or relax in Adirondack chairs on the deck.
Total immersion in Deep Editing techniques and systems, including:
Deep Editing Tools- Openings
- Body Language and Dialogue Cues
- Visceral Responses
- The EDITS System
- 20+ Rhetorical Devices
- The Four Levels of Powering Up Emotion
- Turning Points, Turning Points, Turning Points
- Character Descriptions
Deep Editing ToolsNo worries! Margie provides review sheets for each topic.
Participants will analyze and apply Deep Editing strategies to their scenes in layers, with hands-on direction and Deep Editing critique from Margie.
Please inform Margie of special dietary needs.
Immersion class is brain-stretching work. We take short breaks to get out of the house and out of our heads.
Fee
2019 Immersion Class Registration Fee: $875 USD
Fifty percent of the registration fee is refundable until two months before class. Less than two months before class, the fee is not refundable.
The fee includes the intensive class, plus:
- Two Dinners
- Four Breakfasts
- Four Lunches
- Brain-food snacks, fitness snacks, and comfort snacks
The group goes out to dinner twice. Those two dinners are the only meals not included in the registration fee.
Immersion Schedule in Denver
Day 1: Arrival:
If possible, book your flight to arrive between 12-3. Closer to noon is better.
Kick-off Dinner at Margie’s Home (or Immersion host’s home) —- Meet, Greet, and Eat!
4:30 PM (or earlier) – 6 PM Meet and Greet and Start Working
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Dinner
Day 2:
8:30 – 12:00: Deep Editing Power
12:00 – 12:45: Lunch and Learn
1:00 – 4:00 Individual Deep Editing Sessions with Margie
4:00 – Drive to Boulder — transportation provided
4:30 – Margie works in coffeehouse with last two immersioners in their one-on-one sessions. Others enjoy Pearl Street, shopping, soaking up the ambiance. They can also work in the coffeehouse.
7:00 – Dinner in Boulder at the Russian Tea House, Dushanbe.
Dinner — Fair game for edu-fun!
Rhetorical Ping Pong: Using rhetorical devices in conversation. Review sheets permitted!
Day 3:
8:30 – 12:30: Deep Editing Power
12:30 – 1:30: Lunch
1:30 – 6:00: Individual Deep Editing Sessions with Margie
6:00’ish — Casual dinner at the house. Margie keeps working with some individuals after dinner.
Other IMC’ers may work together, or alone, or retire to the lodge.
Day 4:
8:30 – 12:30: Deep Editing Power
12:30 – 1:30: Lunch
1:30 – 6:30: Individual Deep Editing Sessions with Margie
7:00: Dinner at Wondervu Restaurant —
A two minute drive from Margie’s home, transportation provided.
Day 5:
If possible, book your flight to leave after 3:30 pm.
8:00 – 12:30: Immersion Class Wrap-Up and Early Lunch at Margie’s
— Transportation provided to and from Denver International Airport
Attending an Immersion class that’s not at Margie’s home? The schedule is the same.
LODGING: Eldora Lodge
In Denver, Immersion class members stay at the Eldora Lodge next to Margie’s home. You can see the lodge deck from Margie’s deck.
If you’re attending an Immersion class held in another city, or another country, you’d stay at a hotel in the area.
The Eldora Lodge discounts rooms for Immersion Master Class participants:
- Rooms for Immersioners are discounted $10/night when you check in.
- Rooms have microwave, frig, and access to deck with new hot tubs
- Magnificent view over the canyon
- There are single rooms and rooms available to share.
- Check out more pictures of the Eldora Lodge on their website.
The Eldora Lodge only has nine rooms. Book early!
Reserve rooms through the Eldora Lodge web site. If you have questions regarding lodging, call: 303-642-7181
Immersion Fun Photo Gallery!
Immersion Buzz
Kathleen Baldwin
“I was amazed at the personal attention Margie gives each student in her deep immersion class. Her one-on-one sessions transformed my approach to editing. So many light bulbs went off in my brain it felt like a paparazzi attack. WARNING: you may need a seven day nap afterward just to absorb it all. I picked up tools and techniques I’ll use for the rest of my career.
Margie Lawson teaches new writers the high level skills they need to write masterful prose, but she also works with strong experienced writers to help them become even stronger. Not only that, but Margie taught me to trust my instincts. That was huge and I’ll be forever grateful.“
Mary Karlik, MFA
Immersion is one of those things that’s hard to describe. You really have to experience it to understand how absolutely mind-blowing amazing it is. Margie teaches more than just editing techniques. She teaches how to breathe a soul into your manuscript.
Alex Ratcliff
“Margie’s online courses and Immersion Master Class have strapped me into a skill-building machine for writers. With her help, in one year I moved from a can’t-write-a-fresh-line beginner to a Daphne finalist. Wow!”
Kristin Meachem
“Having completed an on-line writing course which was beyond disappointing, I swore never to waste my money and do another on-line course again. I was reading Randy Ingermanson’s book and he recommended Margie’s lectures, and I trusted the man, so I bought one.
I was still reading lecture one when I went back on Margie’s website and bought two more packs and signed up for my first course. I knew immediately Margie was a unique teacher. So I have evolved from POV shifts, linear load issues, vagueness, clichés, accidental rhetorical devices and echo words, to backloaded sentences, scene themed descriptions, empowered passages, fresh writing, using rhetorical devices such as zeugmas and anaphoras, and using my ear for cadence driven sentences.
Thanks to Margie, I now call myself a writer. I was at Margie’s Immersion class when the bones of the story for Ten Seconds came to me. It may be my story, but I credit Margie for giving me the craft to write a story which won a contest.
Thank you Margie, and I’ll be back to your house on the mountain as soon as I can!”
Christina Delay
“I learned more at Immersion then I have in years of conferences and classes. Margie taught me how to revise and edit effectively and efficiently. Immersion on the mountain gave me an award winning first chapter and my Immersion sisters gave me insights, brainstorming sessions, and the chance to connect with an amazingly talented group of writers.”
Melinda Curtis
“Margie Lawson’s courses taught me how to bring out my voice, stand out from other authors, and sell! After taking several courses and graduating from Immersion, I signed a 3-book contract based on a three paragraph outline and seven pages of the first book. Here’s what NYT’s best-selling author Jayne Ann Krentz said about my latest single title release, Blue Rules: Sharp, sassy, modern version of a screwball comedy from Hollywood’s Golden Age except a lot hotter.”
DiAne Gates
“Since June of 2013 Margie Lawson has a special label on all my drafts—AM—meaning After Margie. Margie’s Immersion Classes have changed my writing style. Forever. Her deep editing has enabled me to detect errors before being ripped to shreds at weekly edit group. My husband (who hates to spend money and formerly hated seeing a piece of type written words in my hand) now asks to read or listen to my latest rewrite. Thanks, Margie!”
Nikki Duncan
“Margie Lawson’s Immersion Master Class immerses writers in tips and techniques designed to deliver depth and emotion and richness to the stories we love to write. I now read and write on a new level that makes every story a new excitement.”
Monica Corwin
“I just completed my second immersion master class, this one on the advanced side. Margie doesn’t write your book for you, nor does she teach the cliche show don’t tell. Margie teaches you to show AND tell AND all the while let’s you learn for yourself what you are capable of as a writer.”