Craft focus: narration in fiction (advanced)
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Course Code: HW056
Duration: 1 session
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Center for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
In this advanced course you'll explore what point of view is in fiction and learn how to control and manipulate this element of craft to give your stories direction and depth. You'll learn the strengths of point of view and the challenges it presents, and you'll be given the opportunity to experiment with narrative and character perspectives through a series of writing activities. This course is suitable for those with some experience of creative writing.
Please note: this course will have a 2-hr lunch break.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
- What is point of view? Who speaks and who sees.
- Understanding the strengths and challenges of point of view
- Point of view and story structure
- Switching points of view.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Give and receive feedback with confidence
- Identify different functions of point of view
- Avoid point of view 'slips' in your fiction and gain greater control over this essential element of craft
- Generate fiction using a variety of points of view.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an advanced level course suitable for those with some experience of creative writing. You must be an enthusiastic reader of fiction and fluent in English.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will learn through a variety of methods including interactive tutor presentation, analysis and discussion of published texts, group work, and guided writing exercises.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no additional costs. Please bring writing materials.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Why not try one of our term-long courses in fiction such as Writing fiction, Short Story Writing or Starting your novel? If you feel ready to submit your work for rigorous constructive feedback, you can enrol on Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop.
Collect the other Craft Focus courses on offer to give key elements of your writing the special attention they deserve. You may also enjoy a Reading for writers course, or the Craft of fiction reading and writing group. There are lots of options to develop your fiction available via the online prospectus. If you need help finding the right one, just give us a call!
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Maria Thomas is an award-winning writer of short fiction. She has taught writing at the University of Virginia, and as a Promising Scholar and Margaret McBride Lerhman Fellow at the University of Oregon where she studied for her MFA in Fiction. She is currently a PhD candidate in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she researches creative writing pedagogy and working on a novel. Maria sits on the editorial board of acclaimed literary journal, Short Fiction.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
