Accelerated Fundamentals Of Nonfiction Writing

This version of Fundamentals of Nonfiction 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 nonfiction 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 magazine articles, a nonfiction book, personal essays, etc.

“Write what you know.” How often have you heard that piece of advice? While it is certainly sound, as a nonfiction writer you also have an opportunity to “write what you want to know.” In other words, if a subject interests you, you can do the research, interview the experts, explore it to your heart’s content, and then write about it. Nonfiction appeals to the amateur historian/anthropologist/psychologist/biographer in all of us. But contemporary nonfiction is about a lot more than just facts and figures and interview quotes. Contemporary readers expect their nonfiction to be engaging, compelling and entertaining—as well as informative.

Course Level:  Beginner / Intermediate

Required Book:  Creative Nonfiction: Researching and Crafting Stories of Real Life, by Philip Gerard

Workshop Length:  6 weeks

Tuition:  $275.00 ($247.50 for VIP)

Start Date: View Accelerated Fundamentals Of Nonfiction Writing Course Schedule

Course Structure
This workshop will consist of six one-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures (text based) 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. During the second part of 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)

In this course you will:

  • Learn basic creative techniques associated with all types of nonfiction writing
  • Use creative exercises, hands-on writing assignments, and constructive critical feedback to develop practical skis and individual style
  • Understand the basics of interviewing, and learn how to bring your interview subject to life on the page.

If you’re ready to concentrate on magazine articles, see our Focus on the Nonfiction Magazine Article workshop; if you’re primarily interested in writing about your own personal life experiences, you may also want to check out our Fundamentals of Life Stories Writing workshop.

Who should take this course:

  • Beginning writers who want to start writing now
  • Writers interested in pursuing Nonfiction (any style)
  • Nonfiction writers who want to learn compelling, entertaining, and engaging nonfiction techniques

Register for Accelerated Fundamentals of Nonfiction Writing Workshop

Workshop Outline

Session One: Getting Started

  • Creative nonfiction
  • Descriptive writing
  • Using detail in your writing

Writing Assignment: A 500-word description of a public place—and the actions of the people in it—as though you were crafting a larger story about this place.

Session Two: Real-life Characters

  • An introduction to interviewing
  • Using quotes
  • Paraphrasing & summary
  • Adding description to interview material

Writing Assignment: A short “profile” of a real person, based on an interview (maximum 500 words). For a subject, you can use a friend or family member, or someone else you have reasonably easy access to (your boss, a local small businessperson, your minister, etc.). Use a combination of description, and quotes to portray not just the substance of the interview, but some aspect of the subject’s personality as well.

Session Three: Making Your Point—Logically

  • Structure & organization
  • Beginnings, middles and ends

Writing Assignment: Select a topic of your choice and write an opening (with an appropriate hook and lead), a summary of the body of the piece, and an ending (with an appropriate concluding device)—maximum 750 words.

Session Four: Style, Part I—Unity & Rhythm

  • Unity of viewpoint
  • Unity of pronoun
  • Unity of place
  • Unity of time
  • Rhythm and pacing

Writing Assignment: A complete article or essay on the topic of your choice, concentrating on the use of the stylistic techniques covered in this session (maximum 750 words).

Session Five: Style, Part II—Voice & Tone

  • Using an appropriate voice
  • How tone complements voice
  • Finding your voice

Writing Assignment: Put all of the piece together to write the first draft of an article, collection of related essays or other short pieces, or a chapter of a nonfiction book (maximum 1,500 words total).

Session Six: Polishing Your Prose

  • Drafts
  • Revision

Writing Assignment: An article, collection of related essays or other short pieces, or a chapter of a nonfiction book (maximum 2,500 words total). You may revise and rewrite the piece(es) you submitted for Session Five, based on the feedback you’ve received, or you may submit new work.