Every good story or novel has that moment when the conflict becomes so engaging that you feel that little thrill, that sense of “Now this is getting good!” The nature of that moment depends a lot on the story’s genre, but finding that moment as a writer is simply a matter of learning to know what you’re looking for. This class will examine this type of moment in a wide variety of genres, from middle grade to mystery to science fiction/fantasy to literary fiction. The class will use these examples to illustrate how writers can learn to see their narrative worlds as rich in potential for dramatic thrills.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF

You’re writing a novel, short stories, or any kind of creative writing that includes scenes.

You want to learn how to pull readers into a scene.

Your scenes often feel flat or like they’re missing something.

You want to better understand the elements that make up memorable scenes.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Michael Noll is the author of The Writer’s Field Guide to the Craft of Fiction and numerous short stories, which have been published most recently in Crazyhorse and The Best American Mystery Stories anthology. He also edits the website Read to Write Stories, which features more than 150 writing exercises based on published work and interviews with authors.