Chris Price from the IIML has dropped us a line about the upcoming Iowa Workshops in Wellington during January and February 2007. The 'Starting and Building a Novel' workshop with Curtis Sittenfeld (pictured) looks especially interesting; the application deadline is 10 November.

Sittenfeld passed through the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2001, and her first novel, Prep, was a huge success in the USA last year. It was named one of the Ten Best Books of 2005 by the New York Times.

Time magazine called her 'the Faulkner of awkwardness' (!) and her new book, The Man of My Dreams, comes with a hearty endorsement from Alice Munro.

Says Chris Price:

Anyone who's thinking they might want to embark on their first novel might be interested to know they can take a course with her during January and February at the IIML. 'Starting and building a novel' is particularly suitable for people who have only written short fiction before.

According to Sittenfeld, the workshop will illustrate the leap from short fiction to full-length:

How is the novel's longer form similar to and different from the form of stories? We will pay particular attention to structure and plot development, and the way in which the novel affords greater complexity in both.

We'll also analyse novels' ample opportunity for characters to be defined - and then to change. We'll read novels by authors who have created a sustained narrative arc while also breaking that arc into manageable, "bite-sized" pieces: Atonement by Ian McEwan; Happy Baby by Stephen Elliott; and Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore.

As with any creative writing class, language will be a major concern. Among the central questions we'll ask about language will be, what makes a given piece of work engaging and alive? How can a writer inject flair and energy into his or her work while maintaining clarity? In six weeks, students will produce between 75-100 pages, as well as an outline for the rest of the novel.

Course information and an application form are available from the IIML. Just phone (04) 463 6854, fax (04) 463 6865, or email modernletters@vuw.ac.nz. Or go online to the IIML website.