Novel II: The Enigmatic Ending

Class Description

Writing a novel is often like breaking trail in deep snow. You work hard to open up the pathways, you write up to a certain point, but then you have to do the hard work all over again to go forward. Sometimes, when distractions or confusion occurs, you might end up a fair distance from where you intended to go. This kind of thing happens to the best of us (my hand is up!). But we can avoid these frustrating wrong turns or missed pathways with better planning. Even those of you who “pants” your novels—who go where inspiration takes you—will find some help in an approach that maps out what you have so far so you can get to the end you really want. In this class, we’ll look at the beginnings and middles of your novels, mapping the narrative arc and brainstorming the overall story shape, so you can see the ending that makes the most sense to you and to your story. We’ll look at examples from novels like Swing Time (Zadie Smith), Less (Greer), The River at Night (Ferencik) and others (spoilers are inevitable here), to see how authors create symphonic endings, escalated endings, and other forms. You’ll leave this six-week class with a good sense of your novel’s storyline and with ideas for closing scenes and themes.

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.