Fiction

Perhaps you’re about to embark on writing a novel—after all, National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November! Or maybe you have a novel in progress, but feel like you could use a little help... more

How short can a story be? Consider Ernest Hemingway’s six-word classic: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." A tale told quickly can offer untold riches, which swell inside a reader long after the telling... more

Big things can come in small packages—their own perfect beauty tied to their size. The short short story is literary proof that great fiction can come in a small package ... more

If you want to try your hand at a mystery or thriller, or have already started but aren’t sure how to pull it all together, this workshop will get you going and give you tips for how to stay on track.... more

“What makes a story compelling?” asks instructor Andy Touhy. “More importantly, what are the ways to make it compelling? In this workshop, we’ll begin to really think about how to tell a good tale (short story or novel)... more

“Our bodies are full of stories,” says instructor Nayomi Munaweera. “We are receptacles of history, biology, memory and dream. Some of us have the important and ancient job of transmuting this internal knowledge into works of fiction. And yet how does the novelist do this strange and unseen work... more

In this class, you'll develop concrete skills and narrative techniques through fun writing exercises designed to help you master your craft. At the end of five weeks, you'll have a better grip on how to use these techniques (for developing character, setting, and plot) as tools for building your story... more

In this class, you'll develop concrete skills and narrative techniques through fun writing exercises designed to help you master your craft. At the end of five weeks, you'll have a better grip on how to use these techniques (for developing character, setting, and plot) as tools for building your story... more

You have a story to tell—maybe you’ve ventured to write it down. But something falls short and you don't yet feel confident enough about technique to make it sing. In this five-week course, we’ll dive into the elements of fiction craft... more

“We all have our favorite writing rules—rules that have come about sometimes as simple pet peeves but more often for valid reasons," says instructor Lori Ostlund. In this class, we will practice breaking those rules ... more