Instructor

Kali VanBaale

Class Type 

Workshop

Course Description

This online workshop will focus exclusively on novel chapters of a novel-in-progress. In novels, we face new moments and fresh beginnings over and over, and fresh beginnings mean questions. Where should this novel begin, with a prologue? In media res? Where should this next chapter pick up so as to smoothly transition from the chapter before it? This class will focus on story progression between chapters and address considerations such as linear and nonlinear structures, backstory, transitions, and more.

Each student will submit up to 12 pages of novel chapters (at any point in the novel) in two workshop sessions to receive rigorous feedback from peers and the instructor, and students will read and respond to 3-4 peer submissions per week.

There will also be writing and reading assignments between workshop sessions, and recommended reading examples each week.

This workshop can be demanding, but the goal is for each student to finish the course with several polished chapters of a novel-in-progress.

All genres welcome.

Textbook

No Textbook is Required