Journalism Writing Samples

The Center for Popular Fiction

 An article written at Southern Virginia University and published in The Herald, the school paper, in 2021, about a new program called The Center for Popular Fiction, headed by Orson Scott Card.

Southern Virginia University Professor Orson Scott Card often tells his students, “Stories will grab you by the heart and pull you through.” Students participating in Southern Virginia University’s new program, the Center for Popular Fiction, are learning exactly how to write these heart-pulling stories.  

The Center for Popular Fiction, first launched in 2019, is designed for students who want to become fiction authors for any genre, from children’s fantasy to science fiction. “What you need is a workshop then, that won't focus on characterization and symbolism: You need a place that likes and understands popular fiction. This is a place for those who buy books to read them, not to look good on their bookshelf,” Card says.

The Center for Popular Fiction provides classes and workshops, taught by Professor Card and Professor Karen Hufford. To complete the program, students must participate for two years, taking the Popular Fiction Practicum every semester, and at least one additional practical class taught by Professor Card. Professor Dallin Lewis says, “We really see it as an opportunity for students to think of themselves more as writers of fiction than simply students.”

“I don’t know of a writing course in the country that isn't about writing well, but about writing stories,” Card says. And that is what he is aiming to deliver in this program. Students aren't there to learn to write words - they are in college already. They should have learned that long ago. This program is designed to help teach how to write stories. To do that, the classes focus on topics like writing with clarity, building structure, using viewpoint, and understanding narrative and scenes. “I want them to write stories that plant characters in the minds of readers and write something that communicates and shows human life, not something artsy,” he says.

In the end, this program is designed to give students all the tools to become professional writers, providing lessons about techniques and personal stories about the writing business and cautionary tales about mistakes other authors wish they didn't make.

Lewis says, “This is to get students prepared to publish stories of their own.”