Writing the Literary Page Turner

Instructor: Nick Mamatas

Exciting plots and larger-than-life characters are the cornerstones of popular fiction and the emphasis of this course. Whether you're writing romance, mystery, science fiction, or suspense, the principles of writing popular fiction — interesting prose, characters with whom we can empathize, and a story that moves — are key.

In this course, we'll workshop your short stories and novel chapters, explore the history of the genres, perform writing and idea-generating exercises, and discuss  the magazines and publishers looking for your sort of fiction. The goal is to give  you a solid grounding in the demands of popular fiction from an editorial point of view, and a better understanding of your favorite genres.

Instructor Bio:
Nick Mamatas is the author of seven novels, over one hundred short stories, and dozens of essays and articles. His books include the novels Love is the Law and The Last Weekend, the short fiction collection The Nickronomicon, and   the how-to guide for writing short fiction and non-fiction,Starve Better. Nick's short fiction has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories, Asimov's Science Fiction, New Haven Review, and many other anthologies and journals. He has written about writing for The Writer, Fine Books & Collections, and Wonderbook.  His anthologies include the award-winning Haunted Legends (co-edited with     Ellen Datlow) and The Future Is Japanese (co-edited with Masumi Washington.)

Sessions: 8

Course Fee: $495

Thursday Nights  6:30pm – 9:30pm

September  17 – November 5, 2015

*Please email for details/questions, etc