Getting a Great Start on Your Novel Summer 2013 Instructor: Jim Gavin Online Writers Studio Do you know

why I believe in the novel? It's a democratic shout. Anybody can write a great novel, one great novel, almost any amateur off the street. I believe this, George. Some nameless drudge, some desperado with barely a nurtured dream can sit down and find his voice and luck out and do it. Something so angelic it makes your jaw hang open. -from Mao II by Don DeLillo Course Outline: Writing a novel takes years. There are no short cuts, no formulas. You have to be willing to enter the wilderness and fight your way through. My goal in this class is not to get you through the wilderness, but to provide you with a map and some important tools to make you feel more confident on your journey. My hope is that by the end of the quarter each student will have written an opening chapter or section of a novel, along with a detailed outline of where they want to go from there. Materials We will read three novels this quarter Dog of the South, by Charles Portis, Model Home by Eric Puchner, and Brand New Human Being by Emily Jeanne Miller. Each book provides a different kind of joy for the reader, but in our discussions, as writers, we will be looking for models and strategies that will help us get started on our own novels. I will also provide selections from writers such as Graham Greene and Flannery OConnor, paying close attention to how they open a novel. We will also read The Art and Craft of Novel Writing by Oakley Hall. Besides offering a clear-eyed vision of the novel writing process, it is full of useful anecdotes about how different writers have approached the challenge of writing a novel. Week 1 A Democratic Shout: Intro to the Novel - Getting to know each other - Discuss: Brand New Human Being, and The Art and Craft of Novel Writing - Exercise: Jacket Copy Week 2 So it begins: First Chapters and Openings - Discuss: Brand New Human Being and The Art and Craft -Writing Exercise: The Hook Week 3 Character, Character, Character

Discuss Brand New Human Being and The Art and Craft Writing Exercise: The Dossier

Week 4 Mystery of Personality - Discuss Model Home and The Art and Craft - Writing Exercise: what do your characters want most? Week 5 Everybodys Talking: The Importance of Dialogue - Discuss Model Home and The Art and Craft.. - Exercise: character and situation through dialogue Week 6 The Texture of Your World - Discuss Model Home and The Art and Craft - Exercise: a stranger comes to town Week 7 Theres Only Two Stories in the World: Plot - Discuss Model Home and The Art & Craft - Exercise: Summary & Scene Week 8 Time Is On My Side: The Importance of Pacing - Discuss Dog of the South and The Art & Craft - Exercise: Three Outlines Week 9 Odysseyes: Getting Your Characters out of the House - Discuss Dog of the South and The Art & Craft - Exercise: point A to point Z Week 10 Chapter 2 and Beyond: What Happens Next? - Discuss Dog of the South and The Art & Craft - Exercise: the ending

!"#$%&'()*+,-.& Students have three grading options for Continuing Studies courses: Letter Grade (A, B, C, D, No Pass) - written work is required

Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) - attendance and participation (as determined by the instructor) is required No Grade Requested (NGR) - no work is required; No credit shall be received; No proof of attendance can be provided. (Not suitable for those requiring proof of attendance/completion.)&