Class

Natures of Narrative Structure: Seeking Your Novel's Shape

How do we determine the shape of a novel? What options do we have? Many of us have been taught to structure our fiction a bit like a triangle, following rising action to climax to denouement. This is the shape that many stories in contemporary western writing, from books to films, take. But it is far from our only option.

In her book Meander, Spiral, Explode, Jane Alison describes how we can turn to natural forms, like spirals and wavelets, to structure our fiction. In We Were Witches, Ariel Gore suggests that we invert the triangle, creating a deepening. In “The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction,” Ursula K. Le Guin argues that fiction can be shaped like a bag holding elements in relation to each other.

In this class, we’ll explore various structural shapes for a novel, and the techniques we can use to determine the shape of our own fiction. This class is suitable for writers at any phase of the writing or revising process.

All classes listed on the Loft website take place in Central Time.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.