Writing the Novel

Semester and Year	SP 2013
Course Number	WRTNG-UG1547
Section	001
Instructor	Lara Vapnyar
Days	Wed
Time	6:20 PM - 9:00 PM
Units	4.0
Level	U
Foundation Requirement

Description

The main objectives of this course are to provide students interested in writing a novel an awareness of the various techniques available to them and to help them develop their own approach to novel writing. We examine every aspect of the craft of novel writing: plot, structure, point of view, narrative voice, dialogue, building of individual scenes, etc. Students learn to study texts from the unique perspective of a writer. The class becomes a community of writers working in a safe, honest and considerate environment, presenting their own fiction, responding to the writing of others, and discussing questions about literature, editing, and publishing. Each student writes a novel outline and two chapters. Reading assignments include works by a variety of classic and contemporary authors, such as Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Junot Diaz, and Jennifer Egan.

Course Type

Advanced Writing Courses (WRTNG-UG)