Fiction Writing: Story, Structure, and Form

The process of writing fiction can be both exciting and overwhelming. Whether you're working your way through a first draft or you find yourself at a standstill with a completed draft, simple decisions about the structure and form of your novel or short story can help generate new ideas and make a project more manageable.

Beginning with story structure—what story is being told and how is it being told?—we will examine the essential elements of character motivation, rising action, reversal, crisis, climax, and resolution. We will define the relationship between story, plot, structure and theme, discuss point of view and narrative voice, and learn how various stylistic choices shape a novel.

In an analysis of novel forms, we will evaluate how your novel is structured in terms of time, scope, and environment.

Lastly, we will discuss strategies for completing your project. We will explore the ways in which different writers approach the process of writing a novel and the tricks they use to keep themselves going. We will also design a writing structure that serves you and your project best.

During this class, we will focus on examining and exploring ideas and applying them to your individual projects. You must have a novel or short story draft underway, or, at the very least, a complete outline. Though there will be no workshopping, you should come with a willingness to discuss your project at length within a group setting.

You should have a novel or short story draft in progress or a developed outline.