OWC 101 A — The Writing Life: Form and Theory of the Novel
Quarter: Fall
Instructor(s): Ammi Keller
Date(s): Sep 22—Dec 1
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Grade Restriction: Letter grade only
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:15 pm (PT)
Please Note: No class the week of November 23
Tuition: $1290
Refund Deadline: Sep 24
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 15
Status: Registration opens Aug 17, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Fall
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:15 pm (PT)
Date(s): Sep 22—Dec 1
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1290
Refund Deadline: Sep 24
Instructor(s): Ammi Keller
Grade Restriction: Letter grade only
Enrollment Limit: 15
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Aug 17, 8:30 am (PT)
Please Note: No class the week of November 23
This course is not open to the public, but rather by admission only. For more information on the Writing Certificate Program and its application process, please click here.
This first course in the OWC series introduces the fundamentals of novel design. Students will read and analyze two published novels, developing their own ideas about how authors create the effects they do on the page. The class will look first at a commercially popular novel, considering such key questions as: How does the inciting incident prepare readers for the climax? How do scenes build on the tension of previous scenes, raising the stakes? And how do characters’ internal drives interface with external challenges to create a meaningful plot? The class will then revisit these questions with a work of literary fiction, considering whether and how these fundamentals apply to a quieter novel. Weekly discussion questions and writing prompts will help students think about how best to construct their own books. In the second half of the quarter, students will share a section of their novel-in-progress for supportive discussion by the class, gaining vital insight for the drafting and development they will be doing in workshop throughout the remainder of the certificate program. This course will also help students to develop the habits of successful fiction writers. The goal is for each student to reach a better understanding of how to shape a novel, a better grasp on the individual writing process, and a greater ability to constructively self-evaluate.
This first course in the OWC series introduces the fundamentals of novel design. Students will read and analyze two published novels, developing their own ideas about how authors create the effects they do on the page. The class will look first at a commercially popular novel, considering such key questions as: How does the inciting incident prepare readers for the climax? How do scenes build on the tension of previous scenes, raising the stakes? And how do characters’ internal drives interface with external challenges to create a meaningful plot? The class will then revisit these questions with a work of literary fiction, considering whether and how these fundamentals apply to a quieter novel. Weekly discussion questions and writing prompts will help students think about how best to construct their own books. In the second half of the quarter, students will share a section of their novel-in-progress for supportive discussion by the class, gaining vital insight for the drafting and development they will be doing in workshop throughout the remainder of the certificate program. This course will also help students to develop the habits of successful fiction writers. The goal is for each student to reach a better understanding of how to shape a novel, a better grasp on the individual writing process, and a greater ability to constructively self-evaluate.
AMMI KELLER
Novel Writing Certificate Instructor, Stanford Continuing Studies
Ammi Keller’s teaching focuses on the intersection of mindfulness and creative writing. Her short stories have appeared in American Short Fiction, The Common, Revel, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, and elsewhere. She has edited fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for Soft Skull Press and has received residencies from the Lambda Literary Writers Retreat and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Keller was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Nancy Kress, Beginnings, Middles and Ends, 2nd Edition (ISBN 978-1599632193)
(Required) Kevin Wilson, Nothing to See Here (ISBN 978-0062913494)
(Required) Stephanie Soileau, Should the Waters Take Us (ISBN 979-8217347025)
(Required) Stephen Koch, The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop (ISBN 978-0375755583)
(Optional) Louise Desalvo, The Art of Slow Writing: Reflections on Time, Craft, and Creativity (ISBN 978-1250051035)
(Optional) Jessica Brody, Saves the Cat! Writes a Novel (ISBN 978-0399579745)
(Required) Kevin Wilson, Nothing to See Here (ISBN 978-0062913494)
(Required) Stephanie Soileau, Should the Waters Take Us (ISBN 979-8217347025)
(Required) Stephen Koch, The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop (ISBN 978-0375755583)
(Optional) Louise Desalvo, The Art of Slow Writing: Reflections on Time, Craft, and Creativity (ISBN 978-1250051035)
(Optional) Jessica Brody, Saves the Cat! Writes a Novel (ISBN 978-0399579745)