APUC11004 - Writing Nonfiction: Turning Facts Into Gripping Scenes

Course Description

Led by New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, whose narrative nonfiction works include Seinfeldia, When Women Invented Television, Sex and the City and Us, and Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted, we will learn, step-by-step, how to conduct research to craft rich, novelistic narrative nonfiction that readers can't put down—and how to turn those raw facts into riveting scenes, whether you're working on a journalistic piece or a book. We'll discuss interview techniques for getting those telling details that will make your scenes jump off the page, and we'll go over the many other treasure troves available to you, from archival research to weather records and photographs. We'll also discuss how to fill in the inevitable gaps in your research without fudging the facts. At the end of this class, you'll be able to research like a pro and come back home with the raw materials of a narrative that jumps off the page while staying true to the facts.

Notes

Online registration deadline for Winter - 23W1: Thurs, Feb 16, 5 pm CT

Online registration deadline for Spring - 23S1: Thurs., April 6, 5 pm CT