“Her books are celebrations of the
persevering human spirit”
—The Washington Post

Jane Smiley’s course at Cavallo Point, Aug 30-Sept 2nd

The Long View: Building a Novel, Deepening Character, and Revising with Purpose

Day One

Finding the Story Worth Telling

Morning Lecture
Drawing on ideas from 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, Jane explores what makes novels endure across centuries. Participants examine narrative perspective, voice, setting, and the relationship between character and plot.

Topics include:

  • What gives a novel lasting power

  • Choosing the right narrative perspective

  • Character as the engine of plot

  • Building scenes that create momentum

Writing Exercise
Identifying the emotional center of your manuscript.

Workshop Critique
The first group of participant manuscripts is discussed with detailed editorial feedback.

Day Three

Finishing the Novel

The final session focuses on transforming a promising manuscript into a finished work ready for submission.

Topics include:

  • Diagnosing recurring weaknesses

  • Creating satisfying endings

  • Preparing a manuscript for agents and editors

  • Developing a sustainable writing practice

Workshop Critique
Final manuscript discussions, followed by individual recommendations for revision priorities and next steps.

Fiction and the Novel with Jane Smiley

Spend each morning workshop (9 a.m. - 12 noon) with Jane and a group of up to twelve other writers. Each participant will submit up to twenty pages of fiction for review by the workshop group. The writing should be literary fiction and may be part of a larger work or a stand alone story. The workshop meets three mornings (Mon, Tues, Wed) and each participant will receive focused feedback from the group on their craft. Workshop packets with all submissions will be available for online download after August 15th. 

Jane Smiley is one of America's most acclaimed novelists and an inspiring teacher of fiction. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her landmark novel A Thousand Acres, she is the author of more than twenty works of fiction and nonfiction, including Moo, Horse Heaven, Some Luck, Early Warning, Golden Age, Perestroika in Paris, and her newest novel, Lidie. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and are celebrated for their richly drawn characters, expansive vision, and masterful storytelling.

Equally renowned for her teaching, Smiley has guided generations of writers through the art of fiction with the same intelligence, warmth, and literary insight that distinguish her novels. Drawing on the principles explored in her acclaimed work of literary criticism, Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel, she helps writers strengthen character, deepen narrative structure, and approach revision.

As a special evening event at the Catamaran Writing Retreat at Cavallo Point, Jane Smiley will give a reading from her acclaimed new novel, Lidia, followed by a conversation with readers and a book signing.

Jane Smiley's workshop invites writers into the larger architecture of fiction—how memorable novels grow from compelling characters, carefully structured scenes, and an understanding of literary tradition.

Register for course




Day Two

Structure, Revision, and the Shape of Narrative

Using examples from great novels as well as participants' own work, Jane examines how successful fiction balances pacing, tension, and emotional development.

Topics include:

  • Large-scale structure

  • Managing multiple storylines

  • Revision as discovery rather than correction

  • Strengthening transitions and narrative momentum

Writing Exercise
Reimagining an existing scene from a different structural approach.

Workshop Critique
A second group of participant manuscripts receives in-depth discussion and critique.

Throughout the Workshop

Each participant receives:

  • A close reading and constructive critique of their submitted manuscript

  • Practical revision strategies tailored to their project

  • Small-group discussion with no more than twelve writers

  • Reading recommendations drawn from Jane Smiley's extensive knowledge of classic and contemporary fiction

Participants are encouraged to read selections from 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel before the retreat, using its insights into the history and craft of fiction as a foundation for the workshop discussions. Manuscript critiques throughout the three mornings provide individualized guidance while allowing the entire group to learn from each project's challenges and strengths.

This format complements the intimate atmosphere of the Catamaran Writing Retreat, giving writers both a broad understanding of the novel as an art form and practical editorial guidance they can immediately apply to their own manuscripts.