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Workshop Descriptions & Instructors
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Wayne Johnson Novel Solutions Telling the Tale, a Nonfiction Workshop Story Structure for the Screen
Novel Solutions You’ve been working on this thing for . . . how long? Months, years? It’s supposed to look like a novel, but now that you’ve got it in front of you, it looks more like a six-legged cow, or a bus with wings. You’ve begun to wonder what exactly a novel is. Maybe you’re not writing one. You might be writing a cycle of stories. Or a reminiscence. Or a book, with some unifying structural element. In this class, we’ll look at ways of ordering narrative to create a variety of satisfying longer works. We’ll examine traditional linear plot structures, as well as the episodic and cyclic, using examples from contemporary literature. Students will not bring novels to class; rather, they will bring an opening chapter, or a middle chapter. Or even notes, or notions. We’ll consider the possibilities. Always, the structural solution will be novel to the writer, will fit his or her narrative impulses. Telling the Tale, a Nonfiction Workshop All of us encounter dramas in life that seem tailor-made for narrative. But when sitting down to pen these “ready-mades,” we often find that they don’t come to life; they drag, or simply seem to lose their once-brilliant shine when committed to paper. So, we ask, how do writers such as Bill Bryson, Jon Krakauer, and Sebastian Junger write such engaging narratives? Or Tobias Wolff, Mary Karr, and Jeannette Walls? This class will examine a variety of nonfiction forms, from the memoir to the specific-subject yarn drawn from a decades old once-hot news item. We’ll discuss the two major necessities of writing nonfiction, compression and conflation, and how to use both with integrity and confidence, along with a host of powerful techniques drawn from fiction. Participants will write and share with the class a variety of exercises that develop core craft for the nonfiction narrative. By the end of the class, all members will see the world of story in a fresh and inviting way, and that the story is in the telling. Story Structure for the Screen We all love well-made movies—in fact, so much so that we sometimes think of our experience of them as “movie magic.” But how is this magic created? In this class, we’ll take a look at a number of films to examine the basic elements of story structure that burst onto the screen to create engaging movement, riveting visual experience, and emotionally satisfying drama. We will also read and discuss portions of award-wining screenplays such as Chinatown and The English Patient, identifying the techniques and strategies employed by writers of these very successful film narratives. This is an interactive lecture course; participants, through immersion in written and visual media, will gain a greater appreciation for film narratives that will enable them to create their own movie magic. Biography
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by Instructor Sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education Last updated on February 10, 2009 |
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