Sustaining Wonder to Finish Your Novel

Class Description

In Daniel Mason’s North Woods, a character offers advice on how to best tend an apple orchard, telling his daughters, of placing a stone in the forks of a tree branch, “Like all Charms, it will lose its magic once it becomes a method.” Cultivating an apple orchard is actually quite an apt metaphor for the creative act of writing a novel! As writers, we often develop methods to help us sustain the long-term commitment of writing a book. But what happens when those methods lose their magic?

In this seminar, we’ll cover writer’s block, creative rest, the importance of “thinking time,” playfulness, and wonder, writing beyond writing, and how to balance “butt in chair time” with the fresh air and exploration that so often informs our written work. Writers can expect to leave class with a long list of actions, ideas, and possibilities to help them sustain the wonder and devotion necessary for completing their novel.

Class Format

This class will take place in-person at our Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport neighborhood.

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.