$59 for Members $119 for Non-Members PLEASE NOTE: This class has been rescheduled from Wednesday, April 15 to Wednesday, April 22. If you signed up for the 4/15 class, there is no need to sign up again, you will receive updated information to your inbox. Experience this introduction to non-Western, non-linear storytelling structures using case studies ranging from The Thousand and One Nights to Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Western storytelling traditions decree that a linear structure, along with the three act structure, the hero’s journey, and a rising self-esteem arc, is a mandatory feature of a satisfying story. This class challenges that assumption by exploring non-linear structures, specifically cyclic and nested structures, using examples from non-Western stories and films. Writers will come to understand how these non-linear structures allow for thematic stacking, embracing of moral complexity, and a synthesis between form and content to explode the idea that a straight line is the best way to tell every story. TAKE THIS CLASS IF: You write anything from fiction to non-fiction, prose, screenplays, or poems. You’re interested in exploring how cultural values dictate forms. You suspect there is a way to go deeper into your work but can’t seem to cram it into a tidy, three-act, linear structure. You’re interested in possibility. The deadline to register for this class is Wednesday, April 22 at 5:00 PM CDT. Can’t make it to the live class? No problem! All classes are recorded and made available to students until July 31, 2026. CONTINUING YOUR WRITING JOURNEY SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION The WLT is committed to making our online classes accessible to all writers including writers who do not have the financial means to pay for programming. Five (5) seats in this class have been set aside for scholarship recipients to attend free of charge. Please fill out this application no later than 2 days prior to the class to be considered for one of the scholarship seats. We do not ask for any corroborating documents; we only ask that you help us understand your situation. If you are selected for one of the available seats you will be notified via email (from wlt@writersleague.org) no later than 24 hours before the start of the class. Please note, each writer is limited to no more than four (4) total scholarship seats per catalog season.
