OWC 303 B — Novel I: The Powerful Beginning
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Samina Ali
Date(s): Jan 15—Mar 27
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Weds/Thurs
Grade Restriction: Letter grade only
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Please Note: Weekly class schedule: 1 Wednesday, January 15, 5:30 - 6:30 pm; 9 Thursdays, January 23, January 30, February 6, February 13, February 20, February 27, March 13, March 20, and March 27, 5:30 - 6:30 pm. No class on March 6.
Tuition: $1240
Refund Deadline: Jan 17
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 15
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Weds/Thurs
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 15—Mar 27
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1240
Refund Deadline: Jan 17
Instructor(s): Samina Ali
Grade Restriction: Letter grade only
Enrollment Limit: 15
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Please Note: Weekly class schedule: 1 Wednesday, January 15, 5:30 - 6:30 pm; 9 Thursdays, January 23, January 30, February 6, February 13, February 20, February 27, March 13, March 20, and March 27, 5:30 - 6:30 pm. No class on March 6.
This course is not open to the public, but rather by admission only. For more information on the Online Writing Certificate Program and its application process, please click here.
The beginning of a novel is crucial: establishing a contract with the reader, raising narrative questions, setting the tone and mood of the book, and, of course, introducing the main characters. We will begin by making sure that your novel starts in the right place, with a conflict compelling enough to reveal who these people are, and to ensure that they are making meaningful choices that lead to dramatic action. The challenges that our characters face up front help us to know who they are at the beginning of a book, and also set up expectations for how they might change by the end. Students will spend time thinking about the trajectory they envision not only for their protagonists but also for the secondary characters, and discussing issues related to characterization, such as point of view, dialogue, and voice. In this course, everyone will write and workshop an opening section of up to 5000 words.
The beginning of a novel is crucial: establishing a contract with the reader, raising narrative questions, setting the tone and mood of the book, and, of course, introducing the main characters. We will begin by making sure that your novel starts in the right place, with a conflict compelling enough to reveal who these people are, and to ensure that they are making meaningful choices that lead to dramatic action. The challenges that our characters face up front help us to know who they are at the beginning of a book, and also set up expectations for how they might change by the end. Students will spend time thinking about the trajectory they envision not only for their protagonists but also for the secondary characters, and discussing issues related to characterization, such as point of view, dialogue, and voice. In this course, everyone will write and workshop an opening section of up to 5000 words.
SAMINA ALI
Author
Samina Ali's novel Madras on Rainy Days received France's Prix du Premier Roman Étranger award, was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award in Fiction, and was named a best debut novel by Poets & Writers. Among other places, her work has been featured in The Economist, The Guardian, and Vogue and on NPR. Ali was also a featured presenter at the Nobel Women's Initiative 2017 international conference. Her book Pieces You'll Never Get Back: A Memoir of Unlikely Survival will be released in spring 2025. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.