New This Fall!

Seven Bridge Writers’ Collaborative

Advanced Fiction Writing

With Rich Marcello

Wednesdays, September 16 – November 18, 2015

6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

The Parlor, The First Church of Christ, Unitarian

725 Main Street, Lancaster, Massachusetts

Course Fee: $200.00

Application Deadline September 9, 2015

Each three-hour class will be divided into two sections. In the first section, we’ll explore different aspects of the craft of fiction as detailed below. In the second section, we’ll focus on scenes written by the students, and provide positive, constructive feedback on how each author might further develop his or her work.

                                    Week One:    The Anatomy of a Scene
                                    Week Two:   The Fictive Dream
                                    Week Three: Point of View, Voice, and Time
                                    Week Four:   Plot, Tension, and Raising the Stakes
                                    Week Five:   Characters
                                    Week Six:     The First and Last Chapter
                                    Week Seven: Dialogue Versus Narrative Summary
                                    Week Eight:  How to Build a World
                                    Week Nine:   Common Issues
                                    Week Ten:    Putting It All Together

Prerequisites: Some level of previous experience writing fiction, either through class work or seminars or self-study. Each student must submit a sample of his or her writing, preferably a scene between six and ten double-spaced pages, as part of the application process for this class.

Rich Marcello is the author of three critically acclaimed novels.  The first, The Color of Home, was published in 2013 by Langdon Street Press, and melds together honest generative dialogue, poetic sensory detail, and “unforgettable characters who seem to know the complete song catalog of Lennon or Cohen.”  The second, The Big Wide Calm, was published in 2014 also by Langdon Street Press. The US Review of Books stated, “Marcello’s novel has a lot going for it. Well-written, thought-provoking, and filled with flawed characters, it meets all of the basic requirements of best-of-show in the literary fiction category.” The third, The Beauty of the Fall, will be published in 2016. Faulkner Award Winner Mark Spencer commented, “Few novels are as intelligent and relevant as The Beauty of the Fall. Almost none is as eloquent, compelling, heartbreaking, and ultimately, uplifting.”

Please submit an application  (found here) with writing sample and course fee (check only please) to: Paula Castner, 55 Fire Road 10, Lancaster, MA, 01523, no later than September 9, 2015.  Class size will be limited.