Starting 2022

First time writing that year. Must train fingers to not substitute a 1 instead of a 2. I started the year off with an acceptance of a small, brief flash.

After last year’s novel in a year workshop at Story Studio I thought: Why not? And signed up for Jumpstart Your Novel with Sheree Greer. Sheree looks to be a queer writer hailing from Florida. There are not a lot of similarities between my and Sheree’s writing—mostly I loved the description of the class:

In this class, we begin with intellectual and creative inquiry, asking the tough questions of our characters, our stories, and ourselves.

This is the kind of work I shy away from on my own. Hopefully, I’ll be pushed to examine myself, my characters, and their motives.

https://www.storystudiochicago.org/classes/creative-writing/jumpstart-your-novel-with-sheree-greer/

Through readings and interactive writing exercises, we’ll explore strategies for developing our ideas into stories and our stories into novels. We will discuss how crafting compelling characters, pacing dramatic tension, and engaging the reader with rich, resonant scenes create a foundation for structuring our novels and seeing them through from inception to completion 

This generative, six-week course invites writers to rigorously investigate the ideas and topics that inspire their writing, develop the voices and scenes that bring stories to life on the page, and ultimately design a plan to set and sustain a commitment to finishing their creative work.

Week One: Beginnings

We’ll explore our ideas and their potential for story. Readings include interview excerpts featuring writers talking about how their novels came to be, how the journey from idea to story took shape.

Week Two: Compelling Characters

Whose story are we telling and why? Writing exercises and discussion will help us discover and develop the characters driving our narratives.

Week Three: Invitation

The first chapter of a novel is an invitation from writer to reader to embark on a journey. We’ll read first chapter excerpts and discuss the implicit agreement between writer and reader, characters and story, that informs the opening of a story.

Week Four: Dramatic Tension

Dramatic tension and story structure is all about stakes and what hangs in the balance for the characters who drive the plot of the novel. This week’s writing exercises encourage deep thinking about the shapes of our stories and the movement that keeps readers turning the page.

Week Five: Seeing It

Crafting rich scenes that engage the senses are essential in storytelling. This week, we’ll read scene excerpts and discuss our individual strengths and challenges in scene composition. Using what we notice in our work and the work of others, we’ll workshop approaches to setting, dialogue, and point of view to deepen our relationship to the scenes in our work.

Week Six: Doing What Works

From outlining and notecards to apps and journaling, we’ll discuss different approaches to planning, writing, and revising long-form writing projects like novels, collections, and novellas. Looking at various tools and techniques, writers will leave class with a plan of action for their book-length project.

Super excited—send good vibes for a successful class!