Novel: From Theme to Scene

Do you have a strong premise for a novel, but don't know where to begin? This four-week course will provide students with exercises to flesh out their ideas into fully-developed, conflict-driven scenes with vivid descriptions, credible characterization, and impactful dialogue. We will also work on outlining techniques to plan scenes and scene-sequences that develop into a formidable story arc over the course of a novel-length manuscript. Whether you are working on a literary novel or a work in any genre (horror, mystery, fantasy, scifi, romance, etc.), the course's generative exercises will focus on the fundamentals of storytelling which run across all genres. Using ideas on the mechanics of fictional prose from writers like Matthew Salesses (Craft in the Real World), Samuel R. Delaney (About Writing), and Stephen King (On Writing), we will have plenty of inclusive resources to draw from for guidance and inspiration. By the end of this workshop, writers will have written a sequence of scenes for a novel with an outline of its entire breadth. 

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.