The Foundations of Fiction

Course details

Creative writing enthusiasts of all stripes—from accomplished novelists to novices struggling with their first screenplay—could benefit from a review of the basics. In this course, Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell dive into each of the key ingredients that make up great fiction, sharing tips that can help you conceive and write compelling novels, memoirs, short stories, or screenplays. Learn how to develop compelling characters, write sparkling dialogue, and decide on the right point of view for your tale. Plus, learn how to build memorable settings and turn story skeletons into rich, compelling plots.

Learning objectives
Creating memorable characters
Writing dialogue
Selecting a point of view
Using an unreliable narrator
Narrative style
Building a setting
Mood, atmosphere, and emotion
Crafting a plot, from the setup to the resolution

Concepts

1. What to Expect from This Course

01 - Welcome and what to expect
02 - How this course works

2. Foundation Block 1 - Character

03 - Appearance (foundation)
04 - Mini lecture - Too much information (foundation)
05 - Thought (foundation)
06 - Action (foundation)
07 - Goals (foundation)
08 - Mini lecture - What do they want (foundation)
09 - Uniqueness (advanced)
10 - Mini lecture - Five surprises (advanced)
11 - Flaws (advanced)
12 - Mini lecture - What needs fixing (advanced)
13 - Change (advanced)

3. Foundation Block 2 - Dialogue

14 - Too realistic or too fake (foundation)
15 - Mini lecture - A very bad conversation (foundation)
16 - The two types of dialogue (foundation)
17 - Mini lecture - Zoom in and zoom out (foundation)
18 - Dialogue tags (foundation)
19 - Characterizing dialogue (advanced)
20 - Mini lecture - Guess who's talking (advanced)
21 - Subtext (advanced)
22 - Dialect (advanced)

4. Foundation Block 3 - Point of View

23 - Who is telling the the story (foundation)
24 - Third person (foundation)
25 - Mini lecture - Two characters, one point of view (foundation)
26 - First person (foundation)
27 - Multiple first and third (advanced)
28 - Second person (advanced)
29 - Mini lecture - You should listen to me (advanced)
30 - Unreliable narrator (advanced)
31 - Mini lecture - Trust me, I'm lying (advanced)

5. Foundation Block 4 - Narrative Style

32 - Tense (foundation)
33 - Show and tell (foundation)
34 - Mini lecture - Slow it down (foundation)
35 - Flashbacks (advanced)
36 - Mini lecture - I remember when (advanced)
37 - Different formats (advanced)
38 - Mini lecture - Not your average story (advanced)

6. Foundation Block 5 - Setting

39 - Why we need a setting (foundation)
40 - Familiar settings (foundation)
41 - Mini lecture - Build a living room (foundation)
42 - Unfamiliar settings (foundation)
43 - Mini lecture - Instant scene (foundation)
44 - Mood, atmosphere, and emotion (advanced)
45 - Mini lecture - Singing (or crying) in the rain (advanced)
46 - Time period (advanced)

7. Foundation Block 6 - Plot

47 - The story skeleton (foundation)
48 - Act 1 - Set up (foundation)
49 - Act 2 - Journey and conflict (foundation)
50 - Act 3 - Resolution (foundation)
51 - Putting it all together (foundation)

Final Farewell

52 - Wrapping up

The Foundations of Fiction

Authors

Jessica Brody

Joanne Rendell