Since 1991, Shelley has taught at the University of California Extension in Berkeley, San Francisco and Santa Cruz (Mystery and Suspense Writing), as adjunct faculty at Antioch University, and since 1995 at Writers on the Net (four courses: Mystery and Suspense Writing, “The I’ve always Wanted to Write Fiction Course”, How to Get Your Book Published, and an ongoing workshop for students completing one of the other classes), at College of Marin (fiction writing), and at writers conferences including the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference, the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference, and the Jack London Writers Conference. Shelley also has ongoing private workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area. Several former students and clients have gone on to become published authors, some with many books, and several as award-winners. She is cited in the acknowledgments or dedications of many books written by former students (see client/student raves), most recently, in February of 2007, in the thriller STIGMA, by Philip Hawley, Jr., a Harper Torch paperback. From his acknowledgments page: (Thanks to) My teachers...Shelley Singer, who taught me the importance of precision in both thought and word.

Sorry--no more openings in the at-home workshops. Check back again in a few months.

Here are the classes she teaches throughout the year on Writers on the Net:

Click here for a current listing of classes!

Mystery and Thriller Writing
Along with class material on the basics of mystery fiction writing, there’s a workshop atmosphere: class discussion and writing exercises, submitting work to the group for feedback. The students will be at different points in their work. Some will have only the desire, some will have an idea, some will have a few chapters, some will have a finished draft of a novel. The goal is to motivate you to continue writing and improving after the class ends. Includes material on the business of mystery writing-- queries, proposals, ms guidelines, marketing, networking, organizations, agents.

The I've Always Wanted to Write Fiction Workshop
Covers storytelling and plot, style, drama, conflict, character, dialog and description, setting, point of view, synopses and outlines, structure, organizing and revising. Students begin by brainstorming story ideas. Through class feedback and workshop exercises geared to help them work on their own stories or novels, they work on character and plot development, narrative form, structure, setting, dialogue, hooks, synopses and outlines.

The Ongoing Workshop
This workshop is designed for those who have taken some of the other courses and want to go on from there. No lessons, no lectures, just writing and feedback from the class. Start a new book or story, go on with one you’ve already begun developing. An alternative to the one-on-one tutoring, you can take this workshop as often as you want for as long as you want to.

Getting Published
This course covers: Finishing the ms--what it looks like and how it reads. What to look for in an agent and how to look.. Query letters to agents and editors: Tell them what it's about, tell them about you.Proposals. Submissions—how long should they get to read it? Advances and contracts: What is an advance? What to expect. The book contract and why you probably shouldn't negotiate it yourself. Working with the editor, the production process, deadlines. Publicizing your work.