Quote: Extremely tentative syllabus: PART I: Clarifying the goal, roughing out a plan - Instructor(s) and students introduce themselves, self-identify their writing strengths and weaknesses, and describe their current project and major problem with it. Instructor talks about what a novel is and does, and why we want to write them. Genre, Target length, Course schedule, and Students' responsibilities for doing exercises and constructively critiquing toward each other. - Overview of the elements of writing and Brainstorming --- The elements of writing: character, plot, and setting, and how they are woven together to create a story. ---What really resonates, Envision the book, Finding examples and other resources, Analyzing examples, Triangulating between multiple examples, Working from what you know to fill in what you don't know, Identifying problem areas for particular students and attempting to remedy them, Recommendations of how-to-write books - Character ---Character Arc, Motivation, Personality, Techniques for creating/choosing, Archetype and role in the plot - Plot ---Plot templates and structures, Typical plots by genre, Teleology and theme, Suspense resolution and reader emotions, Target length, Outlining, acts, chapters, scenes, and motivation-reaction units - Setting ---Metaphysics and magical or technological what-ifs (as informed by theme), Technology level and culture, Plausibility and consistency - Motivation of the Writer ---Finding inspiration, Making time, Butt-in-chair, Tell a friend or keep a secret, Identifying mental blocks and self-sabotage, PART II: Once the plan is established, move on to details of style and pacing - What belongs in the first 3 chapters --- Hook, Establishing Setting, Introducing character, Initial incident, Contract with the Reader, Destabilizing the universe, Setting up a relationship between characters ----- Dialogue, Naming, Exposition, Protagonist, Antagonist, Love interest, Mentor, other topics as requested by students - Thickening the Plot and making tension rise --- Developing characters, relationships, theme. Plot twists and complications. ----- Other topics as requested by students - Bringing strands together, building toward an explosion --- Consolidating factions to 2 (usually). Developing their irreconcilable opposition. Making confrontation inevitable. ----- Other topics as requested by students - Climax and resolution --- Separate climaxes of internal conflict, external plot, and relationship plot. PART III: Revision - Identifying and strengthening plot strands and themes - Tightening, condensing, and cutting - Steady stream of answers and new questions, removing or adding foreshadowing to increase suspense - Consistency checking and proofreading - Researching markets, writing queries and synopses, mailing the manuscript

Quote: Original post by sunandshadow
Hmm. It's always so dead in this forum I didn't think there would be enough people for a workshop. And, last time I tried to run a workshop, people seemed really unwilling to do actual writing assignments. It would be completely impossible to run a novel workshop if people weren't willing to write character descriptions and plot outlines and first chapters and, eventually, a novel.