From Idea to Publication: A Deep Dive into Genre Fiction

This intensive course guides students through the craft of writing commercial and upmarket genre fiction, while incorporating real-world insight into paths to publication. Students will engage in active craft techniques for idea, character and plot development. They will learn to use their own life experience, memories, identity exploration and cultural background to create a more authentic narrative that feels fresh and original. Through the course of 15 weeks, students will develop their own idea into a novel-length story concept, and then into the first chapters of a manuscript. Students will gain an understanding of the upmarket and commercial genres marketplace including mystery, suspense, thriller, romance, science fiction, fantasy, and women?s fiction, and their many subgenres. Over the course, students will work with critique partners, gain insight into the current publishing landscape, break down the literary agent query process and the relationship between authors, agents and editors.