Class Description
The only thing worse than staring at the first blank page of our novel is staring at the fiftieth, hundredth, or hundred and fiftieth page with no idea what should happen next. As writers, we peer into the fog ahead, lost in a wilderness of options. Fortunately, there is a map that not only tells us what to do at any point in our story, but also guides us, step-by-step, to a thrilling showdown and satisfying conclusion. The cinematic three-act structure is the cornerstone of storytelling in our society, and once we understand it, we can find our way out of any story. Bring your work-in-progress novel or short story to this workshop to gain new insights and direction. We’ll examine your work step-by-step to find patterns in the stories that allow us to map out the next move or rearrange existing events. You’ll have the opportunity to workshop your story structure with the class. Be prepared to create notes that will help you move forward when you return to your writing place.
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.