Start Your Novel

In this class you will have the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to take your novel idea and turn it into an outline and the first chapters of the novel. You will have the opportunity to learn to introduce your main characters and conflict without getting bogged down in detail. In addition, you will have the opportunity to develop your narrator's "voice," or his or her typical word choices and tone. Next, instruction will be given on how to introduce the "story universe," the particular place and time the characters inhabit. You will also have the opportunity to learn to introduce the inciting event that sets the story in motion and the protagonist on his or her journey.
Finally, instruction will be given on the necessary hooks to keep readers interested and foreshadowing the ending from the beginning.
You will learn the techniques for beginning a novel through reading sample chapters from a classic novel "The Great Gatsby," recognized as a great 20th novel, and available free online. This novel will be used as a model in all of the novel writing courses.
In addition, students will participate in weekly writing exercises toward the completion of their novel chapters. Finally, weekly live chats will be held to discuss the assignments.

Week 1: Getting ideas; the difference between "short story scope" ideas and "novel scope ideas"; deciding protagonist and main conflict, and developing your idea into an outline
Read: outline of "Great Gatsby"
Write: Your novel idea and novel outline

Week 2: Where to begin? Deciding the correct place in the story events to open your novel. Introducing the main characters, the narrator, the major conflict, and major story questions.
Read: The first chapter of "The Great Gatsby"
Write: Your Chapter 1/first pages of your novel (amount of writing is flexible and individual)

Week 3: Further developing the story universe. Introducing minor characters, symbols
Read: chapter 2 of "The Great Gatsby"
Write: chapter 2/next pages of your novel

Week 4: The journey begins: the inciting event.
Foreshadowing future events. Introducing themes and metaphors.
Read chapter 3 of "The Great Gatsby"
Write: chapter 3/next pages of your novel



Instructor: Stacia Ann

About The Instructor: Stacia Ann is an Linguistics Lecturer and Writing Instructor at the University of California. She has a doctorate of Education, Master's of Art in English/TESOL. This instructor has taught writing classes for over ten years. She also teaches academic writing and English as a Second Language at the University of the Pacific. A published author including works of short fiction and academic nonfiction including contest winning stories.