{"id":5166,"date":"2025-02-20T13:56:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T18:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/?p=5166"},"modified":"2025-02-20T13:56:20","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T18:56:20","slug":"interested-in-becoming-an-author-take-the-novel-writing-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/2025\/02\/20\/interested-in-becoming-an-author-take-the-novel-writing-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Interested in Becoming an Author? Take the Novel Writing Course!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u201cThere is no \u2018right\u2019 way to write a novel\u2026 it is always a unique process of discovery,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/emerson.edu\/faculty-staff-directory\/frederick-reiken\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Rick Reike<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/emerson.edu\/academics\/academic-departments\/writing-literature-publishing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>n<\/strong><\/a>, a professor within Emerson\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/emerson.edu\/academics\/academic-departments\/writing-literature-publishing\"><strong>Writing, Literature &amp; Publishing<\/strong><\/a> department. He is also the author of three books, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hachettebookgroup.com\/titles\/frederick-reiken\/day-for-night\/9780316132848\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>most recent of which<\/strong><\/a> was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. For twenty-six years, Reiken has guided ambitious writers through the unpredictable journey of novel writing. Since his first semester at Emerson in the fall of 1999, he has been teaching WR 652: Novel Workshop, a graduate course designed to help students navigate the challenges of drafting and revising a novel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-5166_424e35-d6 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-5166_424e35-d6 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-5166_424e35-d6\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Meet the Professor: Rick Reiken\u2019s Approach to Novel Writing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/cafe-photo-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Table in a cafe next to a window, covered with a cup of cof\" class=\"wp-image-5168\" style=\"width:275px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/cafe-photo-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/cafe-photo-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/cafe-photo-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/cafe-photo-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/cafe-photo-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/cafe-photo-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/green-leafed-plant-near-table-QnUywvDdI1o?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Toa Heftiba<\/strong><\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/green-leafed-plant-near-table-QnUywvDdI1o?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\"><strong>Unsplash<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Reiken first began writing novels in his early twenties, perhaps by accident. Inspiration struck during the summer after his junior year of college while working on a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina. \u201cI was doing research on wild horses for my undergraduate thesis project,\u201d he says. \u201cThe island was seventeen miles long and maybe half a mile wide. I walked ten miles or more each day, often at long stretches, and for the first time in my life, I was spending extended periods without any other human contact. I&#8217;d get into a trance-like state, in which I began imagining a novel, or actually several novels, that I might write. I would think through the opening chapters in my mind and wonder if I could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn\u2019t until years later that Reiken actually made his first attempt at novel writing on paper, eventually completing a draft and a full revision. \u201cAlthough it did not turn out to be a publishable book, the process taught me a great deal about what does and doesn\u2019t work when writing a novel,\u201d he asserts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following this first attempt, Reiken worked as a journalist for several years. \u201cBy then, my approach to telling stories, mostly due to the nature of my job, was much more outwardly focused,\u201d he says. During that time, Reiken started a new novel, which took two years, eventually becoming his first published book. Looking back on his writing process at this time, Reiken says that \u201cthe more [he] looked outward at things, with greater psychic distance, the more intimate [his] writing seemed to become. That felt like a radical discovery at the time.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked about any rituals or habits that help him stay productive, Reiken says, \u201cI write longhand and usually start a story or chapter of a novel somewhere other than my desk. I get a lot of work done in <a href=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/2024\/07\/29\/5-local-coffee-shops-to-check-out-while-you-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>caf\u00e9s<\/strong><\/a> and often I get ideas when I am driving and will pull over into a parking lot and write.\u201d Through his years of trial and error, Reiken continues to hone his unique writing rhythm\u2014a process he encourages his students to practice as they begin their own novel writing journeys in WR 652.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-5166_5e5394-c2 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-5166_5e5394-c2 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-5166_5e5394-c2\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Inside the Workshop<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The novel writing workshop helps students explore story premise, stylistic approaches, point of view, and revisions while focusing on the opening chapters of a novel. Like all Emerson writing workshops, this course emphasizes the importance of feedback and collaboration in the writing process. \u201cThe weekly focus on their own novels-in-progress and those of other students, including having to give written and oral feedback, can create an immersive, multilayered experience. Students often tell me they learn as much or more from other people\u2019s workshops as they do from their own,\u201d says Reiken.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also likes to focus extensively on pacing, an element of novel writing that many students struggle with. \u201cIn some cases, there is an impulse to put too much into the first chapter, and many elements compete aesthetically for the attention of the reader. In other cases, the pace of the novel moves too quickly through its opening scenes and does not take the time to ground the reader in the most important situational details that cue the reader on how the novel should be read.\u201d These issues, which Reiken maintains can be easily resolved once noticed, are integral to the writing process. \u201cI am a firm believer that once you are able to write a successful novel opening of about fifty pages with the narrative traction that comes with a good story framework, everything else can build on that,\u201d he says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/professor-gesturing-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5173\" style=\"width:420px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/professor-gesturing-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/professor-gesturing-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/professor-gesturing-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/professor-gesturing-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/professor-gesturing-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@headwayio?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Headwa<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/black-smartphone-near-person-5QgIuuBxKwM?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">y<\/a><\/strong> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/black-smartphone-near-person-5QgIuuBxKwM?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\"><strong>Unsplash<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In addition, Reiken encourages students to take several lessons from the novel workshop into their writing careers. First, he hopes students resonate with the fact that \u201cthe style you choose for a novel is inextricable from the content, and so it\u2019s important to become conscious of what your stylistic choices are with regard to things like point-of-view, structure, timeframe, etc.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, as mentioned above, \u201cThere is no \u2018right\u2019 way to write a novel,\u201d Reiken emphasizes. \u201cIt is always a unique process of discovery, in which you will usually come to understand the story more by writing and revising it than by thinking about it or outlining. The feedback you get in a workshop class will hopefully galvanize this process, as you consider different, and sometimes even contradictory, takes on what you\u2019re writing.\u201d And even so, Reiken also reminds students that \u201call feedback is subjective and even when everyone in the class agrees on something, it is not always the right advice for the narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reiken continues to integrate his own writing journey lessons into the classroom as well. \u201cAll of my novels started out as something else and then morphed into what they became,\u201d he says. \u201cIt seemed accidental each time, and I\u2019ve learned to go with the unexpected. So, I do urge my students to follow the unexpected discoveries that they make, even if it opens up new pathways that were not part of the original plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, the goal of Reiken\u2019s novel writing workshop is to \u201cget a writer thinking about a variety of artistic possibilities, in precise ways. Once students engage in this process, a lot of magic can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-5166_fad5aa-37 .kt-block-spacer{height:20px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-5166_fad5aa-37 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#eee;width:80%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-5166_fad5aa-37\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Student\u2019s Perspective: Vivian Walman-Randall<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivian Walman-Randall, a recent December \u201824 graduate of the <a href=\"https:\/\/emerson.edu\/majors-programs\/graduate-programs\/creative-writing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Creative Writing MFA<\/strong><\/a> program, credits the novel writing workshop and Professor Reiken as integral to her Emerson experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Going into the workshop, Vivian\u2019s novel concept was about a woman in her twenties who becomes a climate refugee after an unprecedented disaster. \u201cAlthough I knew what the important themes for my book were. Figuring out the actual timeline of the story and different locations and characters was really a lot of the work that I did while in the workshop,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt really helped me just to hear [Professor Reiken] affirm the idea of the story. When I entered the class, I still wasn\u2019t sure if the narrative would intrigue people. After that, hearing his advice for where to add chapters and scenes was always beneficial. It helped me build out a lot of the scaffolding for the story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivian benefited greatly from the theoretical and structural advice that Reiken would teach within the class. \u201cHearing elements of the novel and various structures broken down and explained clearly really worked for my brain. It gave me more knowledge in my tool belt. I loved how I could apply the thinking Rick offered not only to the books and manuscripts we read in class, but also to the books I was reading on my own, and my own work.\u201d Some of these pivotal books that Vivian mentioned include <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/158400\/the-god-of-small-things-by-arundhati-roy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The God of Small Things<\/strong><\/a> <\/em>by Arundhati Roy and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/110490\/the-road-by-cormac-mccarthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><strong>The Road<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>by Cormac McCarthy.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"769\" src=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/calligraphy-pen-1-1024x769.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5170\" style=\"width:392px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/calligraphy-pen-1-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/calligraphy-pen-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/calligraphy-pen-1-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/calligraphy-pen-1-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2025\/02\/calligraphy-pen-1-2048x1538.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@aaronburden?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Aaron Burden<\/strong><\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/fountain-pen-on-black-lined-paper-y02jEX_B0O0?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Unsplash<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In terms of the collaborative aspect of the course, Vivian maintains that in her experience, workshops have almost always been a very productive space, especially at Emerson. \u201cI appreciated all of my classmates&#8217; encouragement about my story, and it was their enthusiasm about the narrative that really got me to believe in this novel,\u201d she says. \u201cFor me, one of the most helpful things about the workshop is hearing what questions readers have\u2014it helps me know what I need to expand on and what can be left up to interpretation. I always leave workshop with my notebook pages full of different questions, and it\u2019s working through these questions that really helps me hone in on my story and build the world in a way that works for both the narrative and the reader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the course, Vivian faced challenges as simple and daunting as knowing what to write next. \u201cEven when I know where my story needs to go, trying to figure out the next steps to get there is often the hardest part. The only way to solve it is by writing and trying different things out,\u201d she reasons.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But overall, now as a recent graduate, Vivian maintains that Emerson and her <a href=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/2019\/03\/18\/qa-creative-writing-alum-gina-tomaine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Creative Writing MFA<\/strong><\/a> have prepared her in so many ways. \u201cFor starters, I feel like I am so much more equipped to do longer writing projects than I was when I entered the MFA. Coming into this program, I had a half-written novel that was sort of in a million, disconnected pieces, and that I didn\u2019t really want to write anymore. Being in the MFA, I was able to give that novel a rest, and work on a new one [in the novel writing workshop]. I quickly realized that was what I really wanted to write about. I had a lot of great support for this novel and its progress, which the program really provided for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Advice for Aspiring Novelists<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We asked Professor Reiken and Vivian if they had any advice for current students or aspiring authors based on their own novel writing experiences. \u201cFigure out what you\u2019re really interested in,\u201d says Vivian. \u201cIt\u2019s okay not to jump into the novel right away,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt\u2019s more important to think about what matters to you as a writer and what you feel drawn to write about. Also, read contemporary work! I\u2019m so glad I spent my MFA mainly reading things by living authors. I\u2019m leaving the program with a whole mental bookshelf of work that\u2019s influential to my own writing and that I want my own work to be in conversation with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, Reiken is an advocate for staying as long as you can within an open creative space, getting the story down within the style, voice, or technique you have chosen. \u201cThe rest can be figured out later,\u201d he says. \u201cThe main task is to carve out space in your life to write, whenever and wherever you can\u2026 When you start to connect with the narrative you are writing and feel pulled to return to it because you can anticipate how the narrative space may unfold, that\u2019s a good sign that you are \u2018in\u2019 and that you\u2019ve found a narrative approach that you can stay with for a full-length novel.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThere is no \u2018right\u2019 way to write a novel\u2026 it is always a unique process of discovery,\u201d says Rick Reiken, a professor within Emerson\u2019s Writing, Literature &amp; Publishing department. He is also the author of three books, the most recent &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/grad-life\/2025\/02\/20\/interested-in-becoming-an-author-take-the-novel-writing-course\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3410,"featured_media":5170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"kt_blocks_editor_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,203,19,22,395],"tags":[659,68,91,121,660,459,175],"class_list":["post-5166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-writing","category-emerson-masters-programs","category-popular-fiction","category-publishing-and-writing","category-why-emerson","tag-author","tag-emerson-college","tag-grad-school","tag-mfa","tag-novel","tag-novel-writing","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Interested in Becoming an Author? 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