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  • Seminar
  • Online: Zoom
  • Adult (18+)

At Stake: Building Tension in Fiction

No Longer Enrolling

  • $150.00 Non-Member
  • $130.00 Member

Class Description

Stories don’t need to begin with a car chase or a gun going off to draw readers in. Every chapter doesn't need to end with a cliffhanger to keep them engaged. Tension in fiction is created in a variety of ways. Through close reading and discussion, you’ll learn how to craft compelling characters, chose fresh plot lines, manipulate pacing, and highlight setting in ways that support the central conflict of your story. This class will walk you through how to move your characters closer to their goals while introducing complications that raise stakes, putting at risk what your characters want and need. In an attempt to raise reader questions while keeping them grounded in scene, you will learn to create the kind of intense curiosity that keeps readers reading!

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.

Scholarships Format/Location

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.