Fiction Writing Course

Lesson 1 • Developing a Writing Practice

Establishes sustainable daily habits, workspace routines, and output goals. Consistent practice is the prerequisite for all skill development in later chapters.

Lesson 2 • The Core Elements of Story

Introduces character, plot, setting, theme, and point of view as interdependent systems. Students see how each element shapes the others before studying them separately.

Lesson 3 • Reading Like a Writer

Trains analytical reading habits that reveal craft decisions beneath the surface of published fiction. Develops the observational skills needed for deliberate writing.

Lesson 1 • Building Character from the Inside Out

Guides students from abstract psychology to concrete physical and behavioral detail. Produces characters who feel embodied and specific rather than generic.

Lesson 2 • Understanding Character Psychology

Explores how internal motivation, fear, and belief shape behavior on the page. Grounds character decisions in psychological realism rather than plot convenience.

Lesson 3 • Writing Diverse and Authentic Characters

Addresses the craft and ethical responsibilities of writing characters outside the author's own experience. Provides research and sensitivity strategies for authentic portrayal.

Lesson 4 • Protagonist, Antagonist, and Supporting Cast

Defines the functional roles characters play and how they create dramatic tension through opposition and contrast. Students design a cast that serves the story's needs.

Lesson 1 • Beginnings, Middles, and Endings

Addresses the specific craft demands of each structural section, from hooking readers to delivering a resonant conclusion. Students diagnose and fix common structural failures.

Lesson 2 • Subplots and Parallel Storylines

Shows how secondary storylines enrich theme, develop supporting characters, and create structural rhythm. Students integrate subplots without losing narrative focus.

Lesson 3 • Conflict, Stakes, and Tension

Examines the types of conflict and how escalating stakes keep readers engaged. Teaches techniques for sustaining tension across a full manuscript.

Lesson 4 • Scene Construction and Function

Defines the scene as the basic unit of fiction and teaches how each scene must advance plot, character, or both. Students learn to cut scenes that do neither.

Lesson 1 • Point-of-View Modes Explained

Defines first, second, third-limited, and third-omniscient POV with examples of each in published fiction. Establishes the technical vocabulary for all subsequent POV work.

Lesson 2 • Narrative Distance and Psychic Proximity

Teaches the spectrum from close to distant narration and how to move along it deliberately. Students control how deeply readers inhabit a character's consciousness.

Lesson 3 • Developing a Distinctive Narrative Voice

Separates author voice from character voice and teaches how diction, syntax, and rhythm create a recognizable style. Students identify and amplify their own voice.

Lesson 1 • Integrating Action and Interiority

Teaches how to weave physical action and internal thought into dialogue sequences for a fully embodied scene. Prevents talking-heads syndrome.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Effective Dialogue

Establishes what dialogue must accomplish beyond conveying information and how it differs from real conversation. Grounds all dialogue exercises in functional purpose.

Lesson 3 • Scene Drafting and Revision

Applies all scene elements—dialogue, action, setting, interiority—in a complete drafting and revision cycle. Students produce a polished scene ready for workshop.

Lesson 1 • Setting as Character and Mood

Reframes setting as a dynamic force that shapes character behavior and emotional tone. Students analyze how published authors use place to generate atmosphere.

Lesson 2 • Grounding Readers in Place and Time

Teaches efficient techniques for orienting readers spatially and temporally without slowing narrative pace. Prevents disorientation without overloading description.

Lesson 3 • Atmosphere, Tone, and Symbolic Space

Shows how recurring images, symbolic locations, and tonal consistency create a unified story world. Students identify and deepen the symbolic layer of their setting.

Lesson 4 • World-Building for Realist Fiction

Addresses the research and selection process for creating believable contemporary or historical settings. Students build a setting bible for their project.

Lesson 1 • Encoding Theme Through Story Elements

Shows how character arc, plot structure, setting, and imagery all carry thematic weight simultaneously. Students audit their manuscript for thematic coherence.

Lesson 2 • Understanding Theme in Fiction

Distinguishes theme from topic and moral, showing how theme functions as a story's central question or argument. Prevents heavy-handed messaging.

Lesson 3 • Avoiding Didacticism and Heavy-Handedness

Identifies the signs of over-explained theme and provides revision strategies for lightening authorial intrusion. Preserves thematic power through restraint.

Lesson 1 • Proofreading and Manuscript Preparation

Covers final error-checking and standard manuscript formatting for submission or workshop. Students produce a correctly formatted, error-free excerpt.

Lesson 2 • The Revision Mindset

Reframes revision as creative opportunity rather than corrective chore and establishes a multi-pass workflow. Separates drafting from editing to protect generative momentum.

Lesson 3 • Structural and Story-Level Revision

Addresses big-picture problems—pacing, plot holes, character inconsistency—before moving to sentence-level work. Prevents polishing prose that will be cut.

Lesson 4 • Scene and Paragraph-Level Revision

Focuses on scene function, transitions, and paragraph rhythm after structural issues are resolved. Tightens the mid-level architecture of the manuscript.