This version of Fundamentals of Fiction Writing is only six weeks long. We’ve condensed the course material from the longer versions of this course, and designed this fast-paced workshop for those students who want to start writing fiction now, or who don’t have the time to commit to a 12-week workshop. In this accelerated workshop, you can get all the fundamentals you’ll need to start writing short stories, a novel, or anything in between.
In this course you will:
- Develop effective creative writing techniques that can be applied to any long or short fiction form
- Develop believable characters and let them speak—and act—for themselves
- Learn how to set the stage, and make readers feel as if they are right there with your characters
- Discover the basics of plot—enough to prepare you to tackle any kind of fiction project.
Course Structure
This workshop will consist of six one-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures and associated textbook reading assignments, along with writing assignments incorporating the techniques learned in the session, which you will submit to the instructor for private review at the end of the first week of the session. In each session, work will be posted for group review and feedback. Throughout the workshop you will be able to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion and encouraged to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and posted self-directed writing and creativity exercises. (1.2 CEUs)
| Workshop length: |
6 weeks |
| Textbook(s) to purchase: |
Fiction Writers Workshop (by Josip Novakovich, Story Press) |
| Course Developer: |
Raymond Obstfeld |
| Tuition: |
$275.00 |
Workshop Outline
Session One: Getting Started
- Q&A to get you started in fiction
- The role of setting and how it relates to plot and theme
- Setting description
Writing Assignment: A 500-word scene where setting is of primary importance.
Session Two: Character Building
- Creating believable characters
- External and internal "markers"
- Drawing characters from life
Writing Assignment: "Profiles" of two characters, preferably in opposition to each other (maximum 250 words each).
Session Three: Characterization & Point of View
- Characterization techniques: narrative, dialogue, action
- Choosing—and maintaining—a point of view
Writing Assignment: Three characterization "studies" (preferably of one of the characters from Session Two), using each of the three characterization techniques discussed (maximum 250 words each).
Session Four: Dialogue
- The function of dialogue in fiction
- Writing realistic dialogue: Attribution, Voice, Dialect
- General rules of dialogue usage
Writing Assignment: A 500-word scene of dialogue (and related action) between two-three characters, written in first-person or in limited third-person viewpoint.
Session Five: Plot
- What is Plot?
- Conflict
- Units of plot: scenes
Writing Assignment: Write a series of connected scenes, up to 1,500 words maximum, using the techniques described in this session.
Session Six: Polishing Your Prose
- Drafts: The key to successful revisions
Writing Assignment: A complete short story, two to three short-short stories, or a novel chapter (maximum 2,500 words total).