Class Details

Most workshops focus on the first part of a novel, but the ending is as important. In this critique session, we will specifically critique the last chapter of your work without requiring people to read an entire manuscript.

To participate, each student will submit a synopsis, the first page, the middle page (yes, the page in the exact middle of the manuscript), and the last chapter. During the workshop, you'll swap manuscripts with another participant and exchange critiques as a way to put theory into practice. You'll be taught how to evaluate an ending and guide the writer to opportunities to deepen the ending.

Class will be taught via Zoom on December 9th at 8 PM -10 PM eastern time. You will receive links to the video recording after the class along with any other handouts or slides. 

Class requirements

You will need a completed story with multiple chapters and be willing to do some preparation ahead of the class in order to have your story properly critiqued. This story can be a rough draft but does need to be a complete story. 

You also must be able to use Zoom on a computer. The tablet form has limited functionality. (Note: You don’t need a web camera, although they’re useful, but you do need a working microphone, the internet and some speakers so you can hear us).

Once you have registered you will receive a confirmation email with instructions and links on how to submit your work before the class. You will also receive a couple of reminder emails to submit before the class. 

About the Instructor

Mary Robinette Kowal is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Lady Astronaut series and the Glamourist Histories. Her novel The Calculating Stars is one of the few works to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards in a single year. She is also a recipient of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and multiple Hugo awards. A professional puppeteer for over twenty years, Kowal’s background in physical performance informs much of her approach to character in prose. She shares this craft expertise as a core cast member of the long-running, Hugo-winning podcast Writing Excuses. Kowal served as the President of SFWA and is an accomplished audiobook narrator. At home, she explores communication through a different lens with her cat, Elsie, who uses Augmentative Interspecies Communication buttons to “talk.” She also has an asteroid named after her.