The Road Trip Novella: A Road Map for Long Fiction

INSTRUCTOR: Patrick Stockwell

TIME: Six Tuesdays, July 23, 30, August 6, 13, 20, 27, 6:00–9:00 p.m. CDT

PRICE: Early bird price: $210 for members, $240 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Wednesday, July 17. After Wednesday, July 17: $240 for members, $270 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.

LOCATION: Online via Zoom

LEVEL: All levels

CAP: 15

Long form fiction can be intimidating. Where do I start this thing? What are the characters doing? Why try to write it at all? Who’s going to even care about the story I want to tell?

The road trip novella is a perfect introduction to long form writing. With its built-in structure, writers are able to turn their attention to character development and effective, relatable story telling. This six-week workshop with award-winning author Patrick Stockwell will focus on weekly readings and generative writing exercises to explore the strengths and traditions of the road trip narrative.

Participants will leave the class with a new understanding of structure, characterization, and good story-telling. As this is a learn-by-doing workshop, they’ll also leave with a well developed outline and a solid opening chapter or scene of their own road trip.

This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.

This project is generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.