Crafting the Modern Novella

The next great American novella is waiting to be written; will you accept the challenge? Come survey various enduring works from the 20th century, and develop the skills to craft your own.

In order to become a good writer, it is recommended that you do two things: read a lot, and write a lot. Towards that end, this course explores the modern “novella”—a work of narrative fiction between 17,000 and 35,000 words—with particular emphasis on helping students write their own.

During class, students will participate in discussions on the structure, style, and literary significance of popular novellas like Richard Matheson’s “I am Legend,” or Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” What makes the characters in Truman Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” so captivating? How does the structure of Orwell’s “Animal Farm” effectively satirize the betrayed Russian Revolution (1905)? And how can studying these works make you a better writer?

While the first half of this course is a comprehensive survey of 20th century novellas, the second half is an intensive creative writing program. Students will learn various outlining techniques, and tricks to creating characters and settings that captivate. Later on, there will be workshops for dialogue, conflict, suspense, and style. The goal is that by the end of this program, students will have a completed draft of a manuscript to show for their efforts—and become authors of the very same form of literature they will have studied!

For the application...

Relevant experience

List any activities involving writing, including participating in writing clubs and poetry slams at your school, NaNoWriMo, writing fanfiction, etc.

Application Question (Core-specific free response)

Part A

This class is fast-paced. In order to keep up with the demands of writing, it’s important that you come to the first day prepared with an idea for your novella. It doesn’t have to be long—in fact, all you need is one well-crafted sentence, and you’re set! Here’s what I am looking for:

1. You describe a character.

2. You describe a conflict.

3. You describe the motivation for overcoming this conflict.

Example: A young woman, tormented by the loss of her first love, attempts to renovate a house that is infested with snakes.

The young woman is the main character. Renovating a house infested with snakes is a conflict. Why does she undergo this project? Well, as it turns out, she tears down the house much in the way she would tear down her own life—to clean it out, to try to forget about the past, to rebuild something that is new or better. Please note that in the example sentence I have given you, all of that information is implied. I also have not included the ending, any subplots, or other characters—that is something that will arise during the writing process.

The sentence I want you to write is just a starting point. What does your main character want? Why do they want it? What is getting in their way?

Also, please note that you do not have to stick to your original idea; should you enroll in this course, you are free to change your mind about the story at any point between now and the second week of class.

Enjoy the process, and I look forward to hearing what you come up with!

Part B

Please provide a 2-5 page writing sample. This should be something you've already written (for fun, for school, etc.) independently of this application. It's preferable if you have prose, however a paper or essay for school will also work. You may paste your sample into this box, or upload it as a PDF.