Intro to Fiction: The Practice of Craft

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.

“Good prose fiction doesn’t write itself,” says instructor Andy Touhy. “And certainly it can’t move your readers to feel unless it’s crafted well. Your readers must be in good hands to hear the song."

In this five-week course, we’ll dive into the elements of fiction craft: characterization and character desire, patterns of conflict and plot, point of view, scene and summary, and more. Online meetings will take the shape of lively conversation, in-class and out-of-class exercises, and the sharing of our work for discussion—all with a focus on understanding and practicing our use of these building blocks. We’ll also read a host of published fiction for pleasure and guidance on effective choice-making when creating narrative.

“In the end,” Andy says, “my goal is for participants to gain the toolkit they need to read as writers, be more confident storytellers, and write moving fiction.”

About The Writing Salon's Remote Classes

Due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, The Writing Salon is running all classes in a remote learning format. You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.