Department of English

This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of writing fiction. Over the semester, we will advance from writing a single sentence, to plotting and completing stories, to navigating the complexities of character and voice. In addition to writing your own stories, you will closely study works by authors such as Chang-Rae Lee, Jesmyn Ward, Vladimir Nabokov, James Baldwin, Jhumpa Lahiri, Curtis Sittenfeld, Colson Whitehead, and others. Class discussions and workshops will focus on understanding what makes texts “work,” analyzing how authors use language to construct meaning, and learning to use language intentionally to create specific resonances.