Instructor Thao Thai is the author of Banyan Moon, the July 2023 Read with Jenna title, Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, and Book of the Month selection. A recipient of the 2024 Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Award, her work has been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Southern Living, Elle, Lit Hub, and other publications. She holds an MFA from The Ohio State University and an MA from the University of Chicago. She also publishes romance novels under the pen name, Nora Nguyen, where her debut novel was named one of NPR's 2024 Best Books of the Year and Amazon's Editor's Picks.

This class is limited to 10 writers.

Who is this class for?

This online writing workshop is designed for novelists who want to refine their opening pages and engage readers from the very first line. It is open to beginner and intermediate-level fiction writers looking to polish their works in progress. Whether you are drafting a new novel or revising an existing manuscript, this course will meet you where you are.

What to expect:

When we think of the books that have stuck with us, we often remember the opening scenes. We can point to character, imagery, or hook as the element that draws us in. But crafting a strong opening is a matter of balancing many additional tools—language, interiority, pacing, and narrative framing. When executed successfully, such openings can feel like doors, set ajar just enough for a reader to want to slip in and explore.

In this online fiction writing workshop, you will work together with instructor Thao Thai and a small group of fellow writers to leverage all the craft tools at your disposal to invite readers to linger in your work. Now, more than ever, it is essential to ensure that the opening pages of your novel capture emotional and narrative urgency, pulling a reader—or an agent—into your pages. You will read examples of openings that stick, catalogue different craft techniques, and learn practical tools for editing your work to maximize the conflicts and tensions on the page, even within a brief span.

A large part of this creative writing course will also be dedicated to workshopping one another's opening pages and providing careful, productive feedback for revision. Enrollment is limited to 10 writers, ensuring each participant receives meaningful attention and personalized guidance.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will walk away with polished first pages (5–10 pages) of a novel. Workshop attendees will receive feedback on their writing samples in class from both the instructor and fellow participants.

Readings

Readings may include excerpts from work by Elizabeth Strout, Lauren Groff, Victor LaValle, and others TBD.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Craft Lecture and Close Readings – Explore techniques used in memorable opening chapters, examining how published authors hook readers through character, imagery, pacing, and narrative framing.

Week 2: Workshopping – Students will share their opening pages and receive feedback from peers and instructor in a supportive, structured workshop setting.

Week 3: Workshopping (continued), Revision Strategies, and Q&A – Continue workshop sessions, learn targeted revision strategies for strengthening first pages, and participate in an open Q&A on craft and the submission process.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Through close readings, students will learn what strategies are employed in diverse opening chapters and how those strategies can translate to their own work.
• Students will receive personalized feedback from peers and instructor on their own opening chapter.
• Students will walk away with a game plan for revision and a survey of tools they can use to strengthen their opening pages.
• Students will develop practical editing skills to maximize conflict and tension on the page.
• Students will produce polished first pages (5–10 pages) of a novel, ready for further revision or submission.

PRAISE FOR THAO THAI:

“Thao Thai captures the complexities of familial love with an unflinching yet gorgeously lyric eye. Banyan Moon is an ambitious and masterful debut!" —Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas

“Heart-shatteringly beautiful. Banyan Moon is a love letter to keepers of secrets, to motherhood, family, and survival. Thao Thai is a major talent whose exciting, impressive, and poetic prose will grow into you, like a strong and lush banyan tree deeply rooted in the rich Vietnamese literary heritage.”—Nguyễn Quế Mai, internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child

“Banyan Moon is an intricately woven story of three generations of women, surviving and living each in their own way. This novel has everything you want: desire, betrayal, grit, tenderness, pride, love, and—most deliciously, most brazenly—the dirty secrets and sacred secrets we make and keep to protect what we hold dear.”—Meng Jin, author of Little Gods and Self-Portrait with Ghost

“A beautifully written, page-turning novel that explores the traumatic legacy of war and the intimacy of family conflict with fierce grace and psychological acuity. Banyan Moon is a celebration of life in all its forms and a joy to read.”—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Exiles

“Tender, gripping, and heartbreaking. A haunting page-turner that reexamines lineage, motherhood, and what it means to be a survivor—in every definition of the word.  A welcome debut from a stunning voice who will forever impact the Vietnamese American canon.” —Carolyn Huynh, author of The Fortunes of Jaded Women

"Banyan Moon offers an honest and aching exploration of the gulf between generations—how we misunderstand those we love the most, the unintentional hurt we cause them, how we struggle to find the language to connect. But it’s also a novel of hope, a story of forgiveness, a reminder that even though we can never fully know the people closest to us, it is worth the try."—Tracey Lien, international bestselling author of All That’s Left Unsaid

"Thao Thai pierces the veil between the living and the dead in this haunted and beautifully rendered debut. This is a story about mothers and daughters, the chasm where misunderstandings accrue, and enduring tenderness despite the little hurts we may inflict on our loved ones. Most affectingly, Thai gives us characters who mourn lost origins, but who still get to decide what home looks like. A spellbinding and intricately layered story, Banyan Moon celebrates Vietnamese women."—E.M. Tran, author of Daughters of the New Year 

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE: