I’m writing from the other side of Independence Day.

	Eli Cranor

And you know what that means, right? It means summer break is on the downhill slide. When I was a kid, the “Back to School” commercials didn’t run until after the Fourth. Talk about bitter irony. The one day that was supposed to scream freedom elicited the exact opposite emotion in me. My parents, too. They were teachers, and after the last firework popped, we knew our days were numbered.

I no longer feel that way. The sense of dread withered when I started teaching creative writing at Arkansas Tech University. These days, I look forward to the start of each new semester. So much so, I started working on my syllabi last week.

I have three classes this fall, two of which I’ve taught a couple of times already. The third one — “Drafting the Novel”—is new, and to be quite honest, a little scary.

When I started teaching creative writing, I told my students straight up, on the first day of class, that I didn’t think writing was something that could be taught. Talk about a sales pitch, eh? But what I really meant was that if they only did what was required for that class, then they’d still have a ways to go in regard to becoming polished, publishable writers.

This is my fourth year at ATU, and many of the students in the Drafting the Novel class first had me for Intro to Creative Writing. They’ve also had me for Fiction Workshop and The Modern Crime Novel. In short, the new novel class is a culmination of everything I’ve taught them, and I thought it might be fun to share some of the same tips and tricks with you.

Over the next few weeks, as I go about drafting lectures and putting the finishing touches on syllabi, I will also share my notes with you.

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Judging by the number of retired doctors, lawyers, teachers, and (insert profession here) who come up to me after events and say, “You know, I’ve always had an idea for a novel…” I’m betting that this new creative writing series will appeal to a good number of you.

If not, I’m sorry. I’ll see you in a few weeks.

Like any good teacher, I’m going to start with a review, a summary of what I’ve taught in previous classes, which will include the power of the “6-word” story and the legendary (and probably fictional) tale of Hemingway’s famed one-liner.

From there we’ll build our way toward some actual prose, covering all the traditional workshop cliches, and hopefully throwing in a few curves along the way. I’ll linger on the short story form. Yes, it’s an entirely different beast from the novel, but I still think it’s best for novice writers to start small and work their way up. I’ll explain why in columns to come.

And then, finally, it’ll be time to start talking “Spirit Boards” and “Puke Drafts” and all the steps that comprise the novel-writing journey, as well as the revising and polishing stages that follow. For the most part, I’ll be making it up as I go, which is basically how I write my books. But that doesn’t mean the same process will work for you.

Jerry Spinelli, an all-time-favorite-author-turned-dear-friend of mine, once told me that writing was like stepping into a batter’s box. Some guys squat, some stand tall, while others find a middle ground. It’s the same when it comes to telling stories. There’s no right way to do it, but you still have to know what it is you’re trying to do.

Stick with me over the next few weeks, and I’ll tell you what I've learned. If I do my job right, it shouldn’t take long. Which reminds me of the first rule of good writing: keep it short.

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