NVL 59 — First Chapters: Novel Workshop
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Tom Kealey
Date(s): Jan 5—Mar 9
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1040
Refund Deadline: Jan 7
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens Nov 30, 8:30 am (PT)
Novels get only one chance to make a good first impression: Chapter One is that opportunity. In this course (based on the popular Stanford undergraduate class of the same name), we'll read a variety of opening chapters from novels by authors such as Jennifer Egan, Mohsin Hamid, and Elena Ferrante, studying what makes them work. We'll examine their techniques for characterization, voice, and narrative design to learn how novelists build worlds that readers can't wait to explore. Using what we've learned, everyone will outline, write, and edit a first chapter (up to 5,000 words) of their own creation. In a supportive workshop, we'll practice how to enchant and inspire our readers to move on to Chapter Two and beyond. The final goal is to have a revised first chapter, a short outline for the rest of a book, and a sharper sense of how to write an opening chapter to a novel readers won't be able to put down.