Live Seminar Via Zoom Saturday, May 6th & Sunday, May 7th

Class will meet 12PM - 5:00PM EST Both Days

Taught by Robert Anthony Siegel, the author of a memoir, Criminals (Counterpoint,) and two novels, All the Money in the World (Random House) and All Will Be Revealed (MacAdam/Cage.) His essays, articles, and short fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian, The Paris Review, The Oxford American, Tin House, and Ploughshares, among other magazines. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan, a Mombukagakusho Fellow in Japan, a Writing Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and a Paul Engle Fellow at the Iowa Writers Workshop. Other awards include O. Henry and Pushcart Prizes.

You have a novel to write, but you haven’t yet figured out how to start. Do you begin with a first line and continue from there with a second and then a third? Or do you need to have some kind of a plan? And if so, what kind of plan? How do you figure out what you need to know right now, so you don’t get stuck later?

This class is designed to answer those questions and get you started on your novel over the course of a single weekend. You don’t need to submit anything beforehand, and you don’t need to bring anything except pen and paper—and your ideas.

Together, we will learn the basic techniques that novelists use to plan out a novel. As part of that process, we will do a series of in-class writing exercises, “writing outside the story” to help build our understanding of characters and plot.

By the end of the class, you will have a clearer understanding of what your novel is about. You will have a first draft of a plot outline, and you will have made key decisions about structure, point of view, character, and voice.

Along the way, you will also learn:

• How to write outside the story, exploring character, voice, point of view, theme, and world in ways that prepare you to write the story itself.
• How to research characters and world to make your novel more vivid and detailed.
• How to think about structure and create an outline.
• How to set goals, create a writing schedule, and prioritize writing tasks so that you keep moving forward.
• How to keep yourself motivated and engaged through the ups and downs.
• How to learn from what you read and feed yourself creatively.

TESTIMONIALS:

"Full of richly drawn characters and jolting plot twists—Glasser’s time behind bars is especially chilling—Siegel’s debut novel works both as a parable of how quickly the high and mighty can fall, and as gripping drama. 'Money' well spent." -NEW YORK POST on ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

"Early in this novel, there is a wonderful scene—rich with embarrassment—in which Louis Glasser, the altogether unlikely hero, helps his Harvard-educated son buy a new suit. The son’s fortunes founder, but that’s nothing compared to the perils that overwhelm his father—a lawyer who operates on the margins and becomes the target of a criminal investigation. Siegel’s … portraits (loving and otherwise) of the Glassers, New York prosecutors, and various lowlifes are right on the money." -THE NEW YORKER on ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

"...Well-turned and elegant...Gloriously complex..." -ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION on ALL WILL BE REVEALED

"...A richly detailed and seedily seductive narrative." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on ALL WILL BE REVEALED

"Robert's unique skill as a teacher comes from his enthusiasm not only for talking, which is present in many talented professors, but for listening... He has a reputation for being the best kind of teacher: generous, knowledgeable, demanding, and always at the ready with excellent advice." -former student

"The level of discourse was challenging and interesting and I think part of the reason for that was the casual atmosphere of discussion, fostered by Robert. When people are allowed to speak in an open, non-threatening environment, wonderful things happen." -former student

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Robert Anthony Siegel
  
• Live Seminar Via Zoom on Saturday, May 6th & Sunday, May 7th. Class will meet 12PM - 5:00PM EST Both Days
  
• This class is limited to 15 students

Contact us HERE if you have any questions about this seminar.

Instructor Robert Anthony Siegel is the author of a memoir, Criminals (Counterpoint,) and two novels, All the Money in the World (Random House) and All Will Be Revealed (MacAdam/Cage.) His essays, articles, and short fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian, The Paris Review, The Oxford American, Tin House, and Ploughshares, among other magazines. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan, a Mombukagakusho Fellow in Japan, a Writing Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and a Paul Engle Fellow at the Iowa Writers Workshop. Other awards include O. Henry and Pushcart Prizes. Find his website here.