NVL 48 — Novel Workshop: Breaking Ground
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Christine Sneed
Date(s): Jan 16—Mar 20
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 18
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: No Status
Quarter: Winter
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 6:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 16—Mar 20
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jan 18
Instructor(s): Christine Sneed
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: No Status
Writing a novel is often compared to running a marathon, and for good reason. The challenge of sitting down day after day for weeks, months, or even years to craft an engrossing and dynamic manuscript is one of the most demanding literary feats—especially for debut novelists. Created for writers in the early stages of writing a book, this supportive and practical workshop will help you to structure a manuscript you’ll be able to see through to completion. We will begin by discussing novel-worthy ideas, helping you to create or refine premises that will grip readers from the first page. We’ll examine strategies for creating multidimensional characters with clear motivations and arcs and pair our craft discussions with excerpts from novels by authors including Joan Silber, Penelope Fitzgerald, and Juan Martinez. You will each be able to workshop up to 4,000 words of the opening pages of your work in progress, in order to ensure that you have an engaging, immersive beginning. This course offers a craft-focused, practice-driven foundation to help you make meaningful progress on your debut novel.
CHRISTINE SNEED
Author
Christine Sneed is the author of six books, including Little Known Facts, The Virginity of Famous Men, and Paris, He Said. She's received the Grace Paley Prize, a Society of Midland Authors Award, and the Chicago Public Library Foundation's 21st Century Award, among other honors. Her work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Prize Stories, New England Review, Ploughshares, The New York Times, and elsewhere. She is faculty director of Northwestern's School of Professional Studies' graduate writing program. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.