One Day High School Novel Writing Class
at Creative Learning Connection
( from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Course description:

In an eight-hour class author Ed Ditto will introduce a small group of students to the fundamentals of fiction with an emphasis on novel-writing.

During the morning session he'll cover:

• Getting started. What readers need to know and what writers need to tell them.

• Characters and dialogue. Creating real people on the printed page.

• Dramatic structure. The classical basis for most Western fiction.

• Good prose. The art of beautiful language.

• Tools of the trade. Word processing, web resources, and research.

In the afternoon session Ed will conduct a group creative writing exercise. Students will spend one hour writing a short story based on what they've learned, and then Ed will lead group reading and analysis of each student's work. The goals of this exercise will be to foster students' ability to think critically and objectively about fiction, and to teach them how to learn from the strengths and weaknesses of other writers.

This course is based on Ed's writing curriculum: “Gunrunner Moon” and “Lessons in Novel-Writing.” Students are encouraged to bring laptops, although pencil and paper are fine. This will be an all-day class – please bring beverages, snacks, and a lunch as desired.


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Please contact Catherine Jaime at cmmjaime@alum.mit.edu or 256-325-3305 if you have any questions, or if you would like to be on a contact list for future classes.

Ed’s “Lessons in Novel-Writing” guide and the “Gunrunner Moon” novel are currently for sale at CLC.  We hope to offer the class again later in the year.