Story and Concept

Catalog description

How do authors generate creative ideas? How do they know when to reveal certain information? Do the chapters flow naturally from the broader story concept, or should they be planned? What makes for a rich environment? These are the types of questions we will consider in this course. With these in mind, students will conceptualize a writing project of significant length. The focus will not be on the writing of actual scenes or chapters from this work, but on the drafting of plot arcs, detailed outlines, character sketches/development, world-building, and thematic development. The concepts developed in this course may indirectly or directly inform writing projects in future courses.