Class Description
First drafts of novels can be messy, amorphous, and daunting. Some writers feel that extensive critical feedback can be counterproductive before the first draft is finished, yet they find themselves losing their focus without support and guidance. In class, we will do exercises, discuss craft issues—characterization, plot and outlining, point of view, voice, dialogue, setting—and read short scenes from each other's work, providing guidance and feedback in an environment that recognizes the specific challenges of the novel in progress. Before the last class, all writers will be invited to submit twenty-five pages of their novels to receive a written critique from the instructor, or have a one-on-one meeting to discuss the writer's work with suggested strategies for finishing the manuscript. Please bring the first page (double-spaced) of your novel to the first class.
Authors discussed in class may include:
- Zadie Smith
- Stephen King
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Rachel Joyce
- Elizabeth Strout
- Julie Orringer
- Dan Chaon
- Haruki Murakami
- Ian McEwan
- Francesca Segal
Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To apply or find out more, check out our scholarships page.
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.