Questions of how and where to begin a book plague novelists at every level of accomplishment. How do we capture the imagination of our readers and hold their attention? How do we hook them without offering gimmicks? In this class we’ll draw inspiration from some of classic and contemporary literature’s great openings and try to figure out how and why they work so well. Then, through in-class exercises, we’ll look at how you can employ these techniques in your own novel projects. We’ll workshop student novel openings through constructive and supportive discussion. Our focus will be on how we sculpt the raw materials of an early draft into compelling first sentences, paragraphs, and chapters that will urge both general readers and editors to turn to page two and beyond.

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through exercises and assignments; provide feedback on writing you produce in our weekend; critique writing you bring from home.

The focus of this workshop will be two-fold: examining your existing drafts through constructive, encouraging dialogue; and generating new work through in-class exercises. We’ll look at a select few essays on craft and a handful of published stories to help illustrate the ideas brought up, and we’ll discuss such issues as character agency, point-of-view choices, scene development and dialogue, and plot construction. We will workshop one full story from each student. By the end of the week, you’ll not only have a solid handle on revision plans for your own work, but you’ll also come away with a deeper understanding of multiple craft elements—an understanding that you will be able to bring to your next projects.

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through exercises and assignments; provide feedback on writing you produce in our week; critique writing you bring from home.