How to Write Page-turning Novel Chapters (Kristie Smeltzer)

This seminar will meet online for one session on June 21 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Description:

Chapters can be tricky to write effectively. They must feel like a complete unit—satisfying in their own right—while also building towards the whole story. They’ve got to answer some reader questions while inspiring new ones, keeping folks reading after bedtime.

In this seminar, we’ll discuss the different types of work that chapters can do. We’ll explore chapter structure and techniques to infuse chapters with both character and plot development. We’ll also discuss how genre norms inform chapter expectations in fiction. If you’re ready to progress past episodic chapters to tautly written tension builders, this seminar’s for you.

Participants will leave with greater confidence in their ability to write page-turning chapters. Fiction writers will get the most out of this seminar, but creative nonfiction writers (primarily memoirists) may also benefit from participating.

About the Instructor:

Kristie Smeltzer's fiction has been published by Scribes*MICRO*Fiction, MonkeyBicycle, Atticus Review, and others. She is currently working on several novels. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of Central Florida. Kristie has taught at WriterHouse since 2016, and her students have gone on to publish their work in literary magazines, with small presses, and through large publishing houses. She also helps others tell their stories as a developmental editor and writing coach. Learn more at www.kristiesmeltzer.com.