Fiction Writing Level 1 (Online) (Live Online)

Fiction Writing I is a 10-week workshop, which includes lectures, exercises, and the critiquing of student projects. It’s for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.Fiction is a wonderful conjuring act. With only words and the reader’s imagination, a work of fiction can sail across the world in pursuit of a whale, or time-travel to another dimension, or zero in on a few minutes in line at the local bank, enveloping the reader in a made-up story that feels real.To pull off this feat requires a balance of craftsmanship, daring, and insight into human nature. Here you will learn the time-tested elements of fiction craft and how to market your work.Whether you seek to write short stories or novels, mainstream or literary, comic or tragic, we’ll show you how to spin your thoughts into believable and spellbinding tales.This course gives you a firm grounding in the basics of fiction craft and gets you writing a short story (or two) or a novel. Course components:LecturesWriting exercisesWorkshopping of student projects (each student presenting work two times)Fiction I is for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Students must be 18 years or older.Syllabus:Introduction to Fiction: The different types and forms of fiction. Where to find inspiration and ideas. The importance of craft.Character: Where to find characters. Making characters dimensional through desire and contrasts. Creating character profiles. Showing vs. Telling. Methods for showing characters.Plot: Finding a major dramatic question. Shaping a beginning, middle, and end. The difference between short story and novel plots. Pros and cons of outlining.Point of View: POV defined. Exploration of the many types of POV.Description: Using the senses. Specificity. Techniques for creativity. Finding the right words. Merging description with point of view.Dialogue: The importance of scene. Dialogue's illusion of reality. Quotation marks and tags. Stage directions. Summarized dialogue. Characterization through dialogue. Subtext. Dialect.Setting/Pacing: Time. Place. Weather. Description of setting. Merging character and setting. How to manipulate time through pacing. Flashbacks.Voice: Voice defined. Exploration of the various types of voice. Tips for finding your voice. Understanding style—syntax, diction, and paragraph length.Theme: Theme defined. Types of theme. Weaving theme into a story.Revision: Exploration of the various stages of revision.The Business: Proper format for manuscripts. How to target publishing houses, literary magazines, and agents. Query letters.Note: Content may vary among individual classes.