The Cornerstones of Fiction
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DATE
Thursdays
March 20-April 24, 2025
March 20-April 24, 2025
TIME
1:00 - 2:30 pm
COST
FREE
LOCATION
CounterPulse Theater
80 Turk Street, San Francisco
80 Turk Street, San Francisco
The Cornerstones of Fiction
Have you ever wondered what principles all stories share? Or how you can use story essentials to
But mostly, we'll have fun exploring how these principles are used to make great fiction. This class is intended for writers of all levels, from folks just starting to put pen to page, to experienced writers looking to recharge their creative batteries.
make your writing come alive? In this 60-minute class, we'll dive into the fundamentals of
storytelling: Plot, Character, Setting, and Theme. Through fun writing exercises, you'll develop
narrative skills you can use to make your writing sing. We'll also examine stories by Justin Torres, George Saunders, Carmen Maria Machado, Venita Blackburn, Peter Kispert, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and others.
At the end of the six weeks, you'll have a better understanding of what makes characters complex, plots satisfying, settings feel real, and how authors steep their stories in theme.
At the end of the six weeks, you'll have a better understanding of what makes characters complex, plots satisfying, settings feel real, and how authors steep their stories in theme.
But mostly, we'll have fun exploring how these principles are used to make great fiction. This class is intended for writers of all levels, from folks just starting to put pen to page, to experienced writers looking to recharge their creative batteries.
Patrick Jones - Course author
Ben Adams
Ben Adams is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, The Enigmatologist (Ravenswood Press), The Resurrectionist (Ravenswood Press), and Relativity (BHC Press). Currently, he’s pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at University of San Francisco, and is Editor in Chief at Four Leaf Collective.
Raya North
Raya North, a candidate for a Masters in Creative Writing, grew up in the North Bay. Her own writing tends towards dystopian, feminist storylines and in her spare time she likes to rock climb, sing, and sleep.
*This Spring, we are partnering with USF's MFA Program in Creative Writing to offer free student-run workshops to writers in the community taught by MFA candidates. Student Teachers are supervised by their professor, Laleh Khadivi. All workshops in this series are free.
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