You’ve got the characters, setting, and plot. But what makes a reader care about what happens? This craft intensive explores the dramatic principles that create emotional tension, raise the stakes, and keeps readers invested from the first page to the very last sentence.
craft, close reading, workshop
6
Sessions
Wednesdays, December 9, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Advanced
Learn how stories work and how to write your own. Explore fiction fundamentals, learn to read like a writer, and experiment with new approaches in a welcoming, beginner-friendly class. No big idea needed: just curiosity. Leave with a fiction toolkit and five new story starts.
craft, close reading, workshop
6
Sessions
Tuesdays, October 13 - November 17, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Introductory
Master the craft of suspense. Explore tension, pacing, stakes, structure, and scene design and the art of keeping your readers emotionally invested in your story from beginning to end, whatever genre you’re writing in.
generative, craft, workshop
8
Sessions
Thursdays, October 15 - December 10, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
History is never a single story. Through Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s critically acclaimed novel Half of a Yellow Sun, we’ll explore African storytelling traditions in which understanding, meaning, and narrative emerge from the accumulation of many lives and perspectives.
close reading
6
Sessions
Tuesdays, October 27 - November 17, 2026
5:00-7:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Every story starts with a few essential questions: Who is here? Where are they? What are they up against? Explore character, setting, and plot as you learn to build fiction from the inside out—and leave this beginner-friendly class with a solid short story draft of your own.
generative, craft, close reading
6
Sessions
Mondays, November 2 - December 7, 2026
10:00-12:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Introductory
Great dialogue sounds natural, even as it’s doing more than you think. Learn to write conversations that reveal character, move the story forward, and feel alive on the page, then put those techniques to work in a dialogue-driven scene of your own.
craft, close reading
1
Session
Thursday, November 5, 2026
5:00-8:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Advanced
Go beyond the fundamentals and explore the subtler craft choices that give fiction depth and resonance. Dig into structure, subtext, psychic distance, pacing, and implication while experimenting with new approaches and sharpening your creative instincts. Leave with a stronger sense of your storytelling voice.
craft, close reading, workshop
8
Sessions
Thursdays, January 14 - March 11, 2027
7:10-9:10 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Intermediate
In this intermediate fiction class, you’ll expand your storytelling toolkit, digging deeper into point of view, scene construction, dialogue, narrative voice, and structure. You’ll write, workshop, and revise a new story of your own in a low-pressure, supportive space.
craft, close reading, workshop
8
Sessions
Mondays, January 25 - March 22, 2027
10:00-12:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Intermediate
Dig into what makes your fiction distinctly yours: your obsessions, instincts, strengths, and the patterns that shape your voice. Study bold, rule-breaking stories, then workshop and substantially revise a story or novel chapter while exploring practical next steps toward publication.
craft, close reading, workshop
10
Sessions
Thursdays, April 1 - June 10, 2027
7:10-9:10 pm PT
In Person
Fiction
Advanced
Take your fiction further by focusing on the choices that give your work its distinct texture and emotional weight. Deepen your command of voice, style, and structure; revise a complete story or chapter with intention and precision; and leave with practical next steps toward publication.
craft, close reading, workshop
10
Sessions
Mondays, April 5 - June 14, 2027
10:00-12:00 pm PT
Online
Fiction
Advanced
This asynchronous course features online workbooks, including ten essential templates in Word and Excel to kickstart your writing life, and resources professional writers use to get published.
November 20, 2029
Online Asynchronous
Fiction
© 2022 Hugo House
6
Sessions 
In Person
Fiction
Advanced
