“Putting the Pieces Together: Information Gathering and Structure in Narrative Nonfiction” with Michael Hall

Anyone can put words and ideas on paper or on the computer. Gathering relevant information and creating structure, on the other hand, is hard. Deciding how to put together your thoughts, anecdotes, scenes, sentences, and paragraphs can send the smartest writer into fits.

In this class, award-winning Texas Monthly journalist Michael Hall will talk about information gathering strategies used to develop full and rich stories, including how to conduct interviews, how to get people to open up and tell their stories, and how to develop sources. Students will then learn to break down words and ideas and put them together into a structure that makes sense and a finished piece that flows smoothly. Students will study several pieces of narrative nonfiction to see how various writers (including Hall) have dealt with this sometimes terrifying issue of structure. Students will come away with practical ideas for putting together a story and seeing the forest as well as the trees.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF: 

You want to learn about information-gathering tools used to develop full and rich stories.
You want to learn common approaches to structure in nonfiction.
You tend to get lost in a piece of writing and struggle to end it.

The deadline to register for this class is Wednesday, May 1 at 5:00 PM CDT.