As any agent or editor will tell you, it’s not enough to write beautifully. Have you ever read a novel that was splendidly written and yet, you didn’t finish it?  Ever written a story and asked yourself, “What the heck was this about?”  How do you craft a story that’s compelling as well as beautiful? 

In this weekend intensive, we will explore the ground zero of storytelling—the essential dramatic and structural elements of scene and story.  We’ll discuss the elements of scene—the fundamental building block of story—with examples from literature both high and low. Then we’ll turn to the larger issue of story—learning what makes different kinds of narratives “tick”—before turning to the biggest question, the possibilities for structuring the novel.

This is an intensive workshop, with five, two-hour Zoom sessions designed to solve some of the grittiest problems of storytelling.

Lecture, discussion, in-class exercises and exercises between sessions. Open to writers of all levels. www.communityofwriters.org