Begins Thursday, August 7th, 2025

Class will meet weekly via Zoom for 2 Hours on Thursdays at 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Central

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us. 

Instructor Samantha Mabry is the critically-acclaimed author of four novels for young adults, including A Fierce and Subtle Poison (2016), All the Wind in the World, which was nominated for the National Book Award in 2017, Tigers, Not Daughters (2020), which, in addition to winning both the Reading the West Award and the Writers League of Texas Award, was optioned for film by Lionsgate Productions, and, most recently, Clever Creatures of the Night (2024). Samantha hosts a newsletter about reading the top 100 novels of the century, as recently chosen by The Atlantic, called Reading the 100. Read more about Samantha in this recent profile in D Magazine.

Learn more about Samantha in our Meet the Teaching Artist series.

When agents and editors receive a submission by a new writer, they often know by the end of the first page, roughly only 250 words in, whether or not the book is “for them.” 

In this three-week workshop, we will look at the basic elements of storytelling, specifically tone and tension, that will grab a reader’s attention, and we will explore the ways in which you can implement these elements starting in the very first lines of your novel.

Come prepared to share your work and give and receive feedback. 

COURSE TEXTS:

We will read short excerpts from writers such as Karen Russell, Barbara Kingsolver, and J.M. Coetzee, as well as segments from the film Nope, written and directed by Jordan Peele, and the podcast S-Town, hosted by Brian Reed.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Week One: We will analyze outside readings, podcast episodes, and films to illustrate successful methods of establishing tone and tension.

Week Two: We will begin analyzing your own first pages (shared via email in advance), as well as continuing to analyze outside sources.

Week Three: We will continue to analyze your own first pages, explore the evolution of some of my own first pages that occurred during and after the process of editorial feedback, and discuss takeaways.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• An understanding of how the establishment of tone and tension is crucial, right from the very beginning of the story.
• A memorable and distinctive first page of your novel.
• The confidence to submit early pages to potential journals, agents, and editors.
  

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class meets weekly via Zoom. Come prepared for a super fun class with live interaction on Zoom each week and plenty of writing, reading, and talking.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

• Instructor: Samantha Mabry
• Begins Thursday, August 7th, 2025
• Class will meet weekly via Zoom for 2 Hours on Thursdays at 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Central
• Tuition is $225 USD.