Structuring Your Novel with David Hassler

Instructor: David Hassler
Date: Sunday, March 30
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Location: IWC
Cost: $57 Nonmembers, $39 members, $33 student/teacher/senior members

This class will examine approaches to making sure your novel's structure and pacing keep your readers turning the pages to follow those marvelous characters through the perfect settings you've developed. We'll discuss the approaches set out in Robert McKee's classic Story and Larry Brooks's Story Engineering, plus we'll consider the age old "planner versus pantser" debate. Writers with a only a basic novel idea and some notes will learn great methods to approach the daunting task of shaping those ideas into a solid plot, while writers mired in a wandering early draft should find a guide to help them untangle the plotting thickets. Even those with polished drafts that just don't quite sing should gain some fresh insight for honing their work. Writers are encouraged to bring a one-page synopsis of their work in progress for discussion.