Topics in Fiction Writing: Starting a Novel – Simon Han

A novel, Eudora Welty says, is an object formed from life that contains its own life. How do we as writers begin and sustain the lives of our novels? We will study works from authors such as Toni Morrison, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Nicholson Baker, exploring how a novel arrives and builds: its movements through time, its textures and frictions, its points-of-view and distances and intimacies. Alongside reading, we will write our own novels with an emphasis on process, experimenting with multiple premises and beginnings, to be shared in a supportive workshop setting. Through generative exercises, journaling assignments, and self-reflections, we will work toward a final portfolio that includes the first thirty pages of a novel, as well as a roadmap for writing beyond the class. Note: The course is designed for students starting a novel from scratch. If you’re currently writing a novel and would prefer to build on it for this class, email simon.han@tufts.edu prior to enrollment to be considered for an alternative track. This course is open to students who have completed the college writing requirement and at least one semester of ENG 5.