NVL 151 W — Novel Workshop for Manuscripts in Progress: Invention and Revision
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Sarah Stone
Date(s): Jan 14—Mar 18
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 16
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 14—Mar 18
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 16
Instructor(s): Sarah Stone
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Hilary Mantel said, “A novel should be a book of questions, not a book of answers.” As we write and revise our novels, we seek to deepen the narrative questions that draw readers in, connecting our urgent themes to our books’ dramatic arcs. This course is suitable for anyone who has a novel or novella in progress, whether traditional or innovative in structure, and has taken at least one creative writing workshop. Whether you are stuck on Chapter 3 or unsure how to revise a rough draft, this course will help clear away stumbling blocks. We'll discuss how to structure plot, reveal character complexity, craft compelling beginnings and endings, and explore POV, voice, and world-building. We will read and discuss selections from novels by Elena Ferrante, Zadie Smith, Dara Horn, Joy Williams, Kazuo Ishiguro, and others. You will post up to four writing exercises or selections from your novel (up to 1,250 words each) for brief, specific, supportive feedback from your peer group and instructor. In our live (optional but highly recommended) Zoom sessions, we’ll combine reading and craft discussions and writing exercises with time for your own craft and process questions. By the end of the course, you will possess a deeper understanding of your characters, your story, and the path forward for your novel.
SARAH STONE
Author
Sarah Stone is the author of Hungry Ghost Theater, a finalist for the 38th annual Northern California Book Awards; The True Sources of the Nile; and the forthcoming Marriage to the Sea. She is co-author, with Ron Nyren, of Deepening Fiction: A Practical Guide for Intermediate and Advanced Writers. She has written for Korean public television, reported on human rights in Burundi, and looked after orphan chimpanzees at the Jane Goodall Institute. Her work has appeared in Image, Ploughshares, StoryQuarterly, The Millions, Scoundrel Time, The Believer, Alta Online, and elsewhere and was included in the distinguished stories list of The Best American Short Stories 2021. She received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.