FICT 92 W — Writing Character-Driven Fiction
Quarter: Fall
Instructor(s): Evgeniya Dame
Date(s): Sep 24—Dec 3
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Please Note: No class the week of November 23
Tuition: $1040
Refund Deadline: Sep 26
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens Aug 17, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Fall
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Sep 24—Dec 3
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1040
Refund Deadline: Sep 26
Instructor(s): Evgeniya Dame
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Aug 17, 8:30 am (PT)
Please Note: No class the week of November 23
While plot may be the engine of prose, character is its beating heart. Long after we’ve forgotten the details of a story, we remember Olive Kitteridge’s severity, Arthur Less’s shyness, or the keenly observant protagonists of Katie Kitamura. In this writing-intensive, generative course, we will develop vivid, memorable characters and build stories around them, approaching the study of character through observation exercises, research-based prompts, and close reading of the work of writers such as Evan S. Connell, Elizabeth McCracken, and Charles D’Ambrosio. In the first half of the course, students will create a portfolio of characters to serve as a springboard for future fiction; in the second half, they will develop one of these into a short story or novel chapter (up to 3,000 words) for instructor and small-group feedback. Open to short story writers and novelists of all levels, the course is designed to deepen and enliven your fiction through more dynamic and layered characterization.