Courses

Finding the best point of view for a story is like picking the door through which to enter a house. In this course, we will examine how the choice of perspective lets other elements—story, plot, characters—fall into place. What kind of story is better served by an intimate first-person narrator? How can we control the tale with an omniscient point of view? Is second person inadvisable? What about switching halfway? Taking inspiration from Francine Prose, Ursula Le Guin, Haruki Murakami, Jennifer Egan, and other masters, we’ll dive into the intricacies of available choices, including first, second, third-person limited, omniscient, and alternating points of view. We’ll also examine how authors manipulate the distance between narrator and character to drive the story. In the first half of the course, students will work on short prompts, trying their hand at different points of view. In the second half, they will have a chance to explore one perspective in depth, drafting a short story or a novel segment (up to 5,000 words) to submit in small groups for light and constructive peer and instructor feedback. By the end of the course, you’ll know exactly whose eyes your story should be seen through—and why.