Courses

Starting a novel is an exciting venture—and one that can soon turn daunting. Unlike the compressed energy of a short story, the novel’s world spools out over time and often involves the management of layered plots and a large cast of characters. But these challenges are also opportunities. In this course, we will look at published novel beginnings to discover the narrative engines of the early chapters. We will also investigate the way writers such as Brit Bennett, Samantha Harvey, Scott Turow, and Jhumpa Lahiri maintain narrative tension throughout their books. We will talk about how this tension shapes finished work from these writers and from students’ own favorite writers. Through short writing assignments, we will try out different approaches to our own novel beginnings, and each student will be able to workshop one early chapter for helpful feedback.