with Amy Shearn
 
This class is for writers who are curious about writing a novel, but don't quite know where to start. We'll lay the framework with generative writing prompts designed to help you make those important early decisions, and to demystify the craft of fiction writing. We'll cover story arc, character development, point of view, creating scene, voice, and more -- including process. In each class, we'll look at examples, do some writing, and then share and discuss what we've written in a gentle, encouraging way. No outside work will be required (this is not a workshop where we critique each other's work). We'll also cover some of the most common missteps aspiring novelists make, and how to avoid them! All experience levels welcome. 
 
Optional: Want an extra hour of one-on-one attention?
Amy will provide written feedback on up to 6k words of a manuscript OR a novel outline/proposal for a total of an extra hour of consultation time. Please choose this option in the drop-down menu when purchasing this workshop. This extra time will be scheduled directly with the instructor.
 
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WHERE:
Online via ZOOM
(link will be sent the week of 1st class)
DATES:
7 Wednesdays
Sept. 11, 18, 25, Oct. 2, 9, off, 23, 30
TIME:
10am-12pm
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LIMITED TO 7 STUDENTS
For more info, call 203.227.3250 or email info@WestportWriters.org
 
 
About the Instructor...
Amy Shearn is the award-winning author of the novels Unseen City, The Mermaid of Brooklyn, How Far Is the Ocean From Here, and the forthcoming Dear Edna Sloane (Red Hen Press, 2024) and Animal Instinct (Putnam, 2025). She has worked as an editor at Medium, JSTOR, Conde Nast, and other organizations, and has taught creative writing at NYU, Sackett Street Writers Workshop, Story Studio Chicago, the Yale Writers' Workshop, and elsewhere. Amy's personal essays have appeared in many publications including the New York Times Modern Love column, Slate, O: The Oprah Magazine, and in the recent anthology The Lonely Stories. Amy has an MFA from the University of Minnesota, and lives in Brooklyn with her two children. You can find her at amyshearnwrites.com or @amyshearn.