Class

Introduction to Fiction

Learn to write fiction in a non-intimidating environment with fellow beginners. We’ll cover important aspects of craft, including plot, structure, and characterization, while reading work that epitomizes well crafted story. Writers such as Octavia Butler, Min Jin Lee, Jamaica Kincaid, Orhan Pamuk, Edogawa Ranpo, Margaret Atwood, Han Kang, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Shirley Jackson, Alice Munro, Nuruddin Farah, Tommy Orange, and Isabelle Allende will be looked at.

We’ll read and write in class, discuss what makes compelling fiction, and go home with writing prompts and exercises to continue our work. Because this is a beginning class, student work will not be workshopped in depth, but time can be made for sharing and discussing work, if desired. By the end of class, students will have an increased skill set in the basics of writing fiction and an understanding of how to approach a blank page with confidence.

This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book; we encourage participants to be fully vaccinated and masked in the interest of everyone’s safety. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.