Class

4-Week: Skip the Boring Parts–Structuring Your Fiction

These words were famously Elmore Leonard’s advice to aspiring fiction writers—but the problem is determining what the boring parts are in one’s writing. In this advanced, multi- week course, we will study and practice revision techniques from writers including George Saunders, Sandra Scofield, and Matthew Salesses to tighten and sharpen our fiction.

We will examine structures and approaches we can use to more effectively shape our writing, and we will read and discuss short stories that exemplify each week’s topic. We will also use craft readings, group discussions, and a peer-workshop activity to strengthen and challenge our understanding of the features of concise, compelling fiction. Students should be familiar with fundamental aspects of fiction writing (including character, tension, voice, and audience), and they’ll be asked to bring their own work (~5-15 pages) to use for in-class exercises.

Please email [email protected] at least two to three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this class. PLEASE NOTE: the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.