Novel Writing I: The Powerful Beginning

(EGL 134 W)

If you want to write a novel but are unsure how to sustain a piece of long fiction, then this threecourse series is for you. This Fall, Malena Watrous, author of the forthcoming novel, If You Follow Me, will teach “Novel Writing I: The Powerful Beginning,” helping students to mine and develop their material and build strong opening chapters. In the Winter, “Novel Writing II: Continuing Your Novel” is designed to help students deepen their awareness of the craft of novel writing and get over the hump of the middle section. In the Spring, “Novel Writing III: A Plan for Success” will show students different structural ways to bring the pieces together and write a satisfying ending. These courses will provide students with the regular deadlines, creative assignments, and supportive feedback that benefit writers at all stages. We will also discuss practical aspects of becoming a novelist, such as how to find an agent and get your work published and read.

Novel Writing I: The Powerful Beginning

Have you always wanted to write a novel, but been unsure how to start this daunting task? Regardless of your previous writing experience, this course will provide you with the guidance and feedback to help you create a great opening chapter. In this course, you will read like a writer, studying the craft of several highly esteemed contemporary novels and discussing them with your peers. You will receive weekly writing prompts, doing short exercises designed to illuminate various techniques that novelists often use. By the second half of the course, you will complete and workshop your opening chapter, and you will create an outline to help you continue writing with purpose and confidence after the quarter ends.

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Malena Watrous, Former Stegner Fellow

Malena Watrous received an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow. Her short stories have been published in such literary journals as StoryQuarterly, TriQuarterly, and The Massachusetts Review, and her nonfiction has appeared on Salon.com and in Real Simple and The Believer. She also writes regular book reviews for the San Francisco Chronicle. Watrous is the author of the forthcoming novel, If You Follow Me.