Your instructor

Angela Rydell, MFA, has taught creative writing through UW-Madison Continuing Studies since 2006. Programs include Write-by-the-Lake Writer's Workshop & Retreat, School of the Arts at Rhinelande, Writers' Institute, and Weekend with Your Novel. She has also taught at Edgewood College and in the national program "Senior Summer School," been a poet-in-residence in elementary schools, and is the lead judge for the 2010 Wisconsin People & Ideas poetry contest. She is a recipient of Poets & Writers' Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. Her work has appeared in Poets & Writers, The Sun, Alaska Quarterly, Prairie Schooner, Beloit Poetry Journal, Crab Orchard Review, and other journals.

Who this course is for

Beginning fiction writers looking for help getting started.
Anyone bogged down in the midst of a fiction project
Veteran writers who want to get recharged, refocused, and refreshed.

How to register

Online: Register now online with our secure server.

Mail: Print and mail our registration form.

Telephone: Call 608-262-2451 or toll-free 800-725-9692 to register. Our phone is answered M-F, 7:00 am-4:30 pm Central Time. At other times please leave a message, and we will return your call.

Success Stories

Instructor Angela Rydell nominated for a Pushcart Prize

Angela Rydell's poem "The Stepmother and the Mosquito Bird," published in The Cleveland Review, was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. You can read the poem here: http://clevelandreview.org/the-stepmother-and-the-mosquito-bird-by-angela-rydell.Angela teaches “Poetry Writing: Getting to Good” and “How to Write Compelling Fiction” for UW-Madison Continuing Studies. Angela also teaches in person for us and will be teaching flash fiction next June in the annual writers’ retreat in Madison.

How to write compelling fiction

Learn to write stories others can't stop reading

Most people have probably heard the dictum: Write what you know. The acclaimed writer Flannery O’Connor had a slightly different approach: “Start with anything you can make real.” This class will focus on helping writers get past those difficult beginnings and explore ways to take what you can make real on the page and turn it into well-crafted fiction. Each lesson will include techniques, examples and exercises so that you can put what you’re learning into practice immediately.

In seven easy-to-understand lessons, you’ll learn specific techniques to help you develop your fiction. Among other topics, we’ll cover:

Gathering material
Developing characters
Point of view
Conflict and plot
Crafting believable and interesting dialogue

You will receive prompt feedback and enjoy an ongoing discussion with your instructor, all included in the basic fee of $135. For a total fee of $175, you’ll get all of this plus a detailed critique of up to 2,000 words of your own writing. Work at your own pace; you have up to a year to finish the course.

You can start our workshops anytime, and there are no required hours to log on. It's all done with one-on-one correspondence with the instructor using email. Some classes have materials on a web site, but you can access those at your leisure with a password that we will give you. We have writers from around the world participating in our workshops, and we have success stories. A lot of great writing gets accomplished via email. Because of the one-on-one nature of our workshops, you'll find them an excellent "coaching" or mentoring situation that will keep you going. And if you want to just work on your own-hey, that's fine too. Of course you can do the suggested exercises on your own and pass on the feedback if you'd rather do that. We're also here throughout the year if you have questions.

Costs

Registration is just $135, which includes instructor feedback and answers to your questions. If you choose the $175 level, you will receive an additional detailed critique of up to 2,000 words of your writing.

Work at your own pace and take up to a year to finish. You will earn 1.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), (1.3 CEUs if you sign up for the critique option), when you complete this online writing course. Register and start the course at any time.

Student Comments

"The self-paced nature worked very well for me. No pressure. Excellent, timely feedback phrased in a constructive and encouraging way. Above all, I liked having an instructor who I could "feel" really cared about my development and was always accessible for questions. Not easy to do in an online course!" -Tom Annino, Glen Mills, PA

"The critiques were extremely valuable. A Angela is the perfect kind of writing coach: She doesn't coddle you for fear of hurting your feelings (what good is that to aspiring writers?), and she is eager to let you know when you've done well and, more importantly, why something works." -Sara Green, Madison WI

"Thanks so much for the excellent advice and insight. Having Angela's analyses of my course work has been invaluable in working towards writing good fiction." -Gregory Renz, Lake Mills, WI

"The course pushed me to explore areas of my writing I had not touched upon. That was great. We all need a little push now and then. When you work out of your comfort zone, you find out things about your writing and yourself. Angela gave great feedback and was a positive influence...very encouraging throughout the process." -Janice Giordano, Tomball, TX

"Your critiques targeted what was specifically wrong, not general comments...insightful on how to improve." -Kelley Lortz, Rolla, MO

"The structure of the course helped me get into the rhythm of writing continuously. While the information in the lessons was helpful, it was the back and forth interactions with an instructor that I enjoyed the most. Angela's feedback allowed me to start catching mistakes in my writing (not giving a strong sense of place, or shifting the POV) in ways I would not have before." -Megan Detire, Bever Dam WI

"I really appreciate the insight you are giving me into my writing. It is making me look at my written words more closely than I have ever before." -Richard Reynolds, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Your contact

Your contact for more information about How to Write Compelling Fiction is Laura Kahl, 608-262-3982, lkahl@dcs.wisc.edu.

For more information about online learning contact Lori O'Neill at 608-263-6322 or toll-free 877-336-7836 or email LSAonline@dcs.wisc.edu.

Also of interest

Explore other online writing classes.

The same writing staff that bring you these great online classes also provide individualized writing critique services. Learn more by visiting our writing critique services web page.

Subscribe to the Writing News, our free e-mail newsletter and 3-4 times a year you will receive a detailed e-mail with information about our upcoming writing programs, and news about student achievements or opportunities for writers. To subscribe send a blank join-writing-news@lists.wisc.edu.