Novel Essentials (Kristie Smeltzer)

This class will meet in person for 8 sessions on Thursdays (Sept. 17 to Nov. 5) from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Additional one-on-one sessions will be scheduled with Kristie. This class is limited to 8 students.

Description

Writing a novel is like an author’s brain running a marathon. To be successful, the writer must complete a hearty amount of training and planning. This class will provide structure to your novel-writing preparation, enabling you to feel confident when it’s go-time for your book. 

Participants will meet with Kristie one-on-one early on to talk about their novel and set personal goals for what they intend to accomplish during the class. The course will include sessions on novel structure, character development, scene/chapter structure, point of view, and more. Near the class’s conclusion, writers will meet with Kristie again to revisit their goals and plan to sustain momentum going forward.  

Class sessions will blend lecture, discussion, and hands-on individual activities for participants to apply what they’ve learned to their novel-in-progress. Writers will leave the class with the following: 

• A plot outline of their novel
• Core character development done for main characters
• Clarity on the best POV to use
• Confidence in knowing the anatomy of scenes and chapters
• And stronger creative writing skills to get their novel across the finish line

 This class is a good fit for novelists in the planning stages as well as those with a partial draft or a rougher full draft. If you’ve found yourself stuck in the novel-writing process, this course can help you get unstuck.

About the Instructor

Kristie Smeltzer's fiction has been published by Scribes*MICRO*Fiction, MonkeyBicycle, Atticus Review, and others. She is currently working on several novels. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of Central Florida. Kristie has taught at WriterHouse since 2016, and her students have gone on to publish their work in literary magazines, with small presses, and through large publishing houses. She also helps others tell their stories as a developmental editor and writing coach. Learn more at www.kristiesmeltzer.com.