Fiction Writing: The Novel

About this Course

The author W. Somerset Maugham supposedly once said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” Even if you can’t know the exact rules, you can at least begin to unlock the mysteries of this enduringly popular form of fiction.

This course is divided into two parts. In the first, we’ll examine how to smooth out your prose, using seamless transitions and managing the pace of unfolding events. In part two, we’ll cover how to structure a novel in five focuses. You’ll look at how to use strong scenes to manage the progress of your hero’s quest through increasing levels of risk, past a point of no return and on to reversals that seem both surprising and inevitable.

Designed For

Intermediate and advanced writers of fiction who have a novel or collection of connected stories underway.

See Requirements

What You’ll Learn

• How to recognize and control narrative and psychic distance
• Ways to create smooth transitions between scene and sequel
• Techniques for managing fictional time and controlling narrative pace           

Get Hands-On Experience

• Workshop at least two stories or two chapters of your novel
• Generate 50 to 100 pages of smooth prose and a structural plan for your book

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