FICT 104 W — Fiction Workshop: Elevate Your Craft
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Evgeniya Dame
Date(s): Apr 1—Jun 3
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 3
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens Feb 24, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Spring
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 1—Jun 3
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 3
Instructor(s): Evgeniya Dame
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Feb 24, 8:30 am (PT)
Learning how to write skillful fiction is a lifelong endeavor. Once you are familiar with the basics—character, plot, point of view, structure—it’s time to elevate your craft, allowing you to generate more memorable and distinctive fiction. Designed for experienced fiction writers, this course will encourage you to embrace the joy of experimentation while developing more advanced techniques.
We will explore chapters from acclaimed craft books such as A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders and Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison, gaining fresh insights into character development, plot construction, and narrative voice. We'll analyze published fiction by esteemed authors such as Jhumpa Lahiri, Nicole Krauss, and Daniel Orozco, delving into the nuances of each author’s approach, including how to navigate transitions, balance summary and scene, and cultivate a distinctive voice.
During alternate weeks, students will engage in writing exercises to practice new techniques, leading to the creation of a longer piece—either a short story or a novel chapter of up to 4,000 words—for peer and instructor feedback. By the end of the course, you will have a robust portfolio of new work and a more skillful approach to writing fiction, supported by newly honed techniques.
We will explore chapters from acclaimed craft books such as A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders and Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison, gaining fresh insights into character development, plot construction, and narrative voice. We'll analyze published fiction by esteemed authors such as Jhumpa Lahiri, Nicole Krauss, and Daniel Orozco, delving into the nuances of each author’s approach, including how to navigate transitions, balance summary and scene, and cultivate a distinctive voice.
During alternate weeks, students will engage in writing exercises to practice new techniques, leading to the creation of a longer piece—either a short story or a novel chapter of up to 4,000 words—for peer and instructor feedback. By the end of the course, you will have a robust portfolio of new work and a more skillful approach to writing fiction, supported by newly honed techniques.
This course is intended for writers who have taken at least one previous fiction writing course. Since most of the learning in this course takes place asynchronously in threaded discussions on the Canvas classroom site, the live Zoom sessions are limited to 60 minutes per week.
EVGENIYA DAME
Author
Evgeniya Dame received an MFA from the University of New Hampshire, where she was a Fulbright Fellow from Russia. Her fiction and essays have appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, Ploughshares, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Joyland, Electric Literature, and elsewhere. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and received support from the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and Monson Arts. She is a fiction editor at Joyland and is at work on a story collection and a novel. Dame was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.