Taming the Unruly First Draft

There are two main types of novel writers: those who write a short, skeletal first draft and must then flesh it out, and those who write a sprawling, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink draft and must then excavate the story from within a mass of extraneous pages. Through exercises and in-class structural assignments, this seminar will provide strategies for both types of writers to tame their unruly beasts, be they stubborn, skinny drafts or the extra-wide, expansive variety. Please bring a copy of your novel draft to class (either on a laptop or, if you prefer, hard copy), as you may need to refer to it for some of the exercises.

Part of GrubStreet's Special Topics in the Novel, a group of classes dedicated to exploring different craft elements of novel-writing. For more class offerings, click here.