Harley Woods’ Capstone Project

My name is Harley Woods. I am a graduating senior of the class of 2023, achieving a Bachelor of the Arts in Creative Writing.

Though the majority of WWC campus knows me as a journalist and editor, my passion lies with fiction. I have always had an interest in writing novels and films and poetry with dreams of becoming a well-known name.

Thus far in my life I have been published a total of six times by sources outside of Warren Wilson College. In June 2022, I had an opinion article about Oklahoma’s new abortion ban released in the Oklahoman Daily Newspaper. My first publications include two works of short-fiction published in anthologies, local to Oklahoma City where I grew up. A flash-nonfiction piece of mine titled “Spaghetti” was published in Aug. 2022 in a Free Spirit anthology titled “Sentences.” My poem “Peace Comes in Threes,” which I wrote in my forms and theories in poetry class, was published in the Strange Fruit Zine in Apr. 2022. Set to be released in Nov. 2023 is another poem of mine titled “Consumption,” finding a home in a Black Spot Books publication titled “Under Her Eye,” centered on highlighting women in the horror genre.

As I entered my final year of college, I began to consider what impressive new feat I could achieve. While there are many opportunities for students in the creative writing department to read their peers’ works in progress, I found that there was a lack of opportunity to read each other’s final works.

Because of my unique position as an experienced editor — both through the Peal Literary Magazine and The Echo news — I have been granted the esteemed honor of being able to serialize my first novel in this corner of the newspaper. While most students who want to publish their work can submit to The Peal, I have been an editor for the past two years. Members of editorial teams are not allowed to submit their work. Additionally, The Peal is unable to publish long-form fiction.

Through extensive communication and arm-pulling, Jay Lively has allowed me to arrange this Capstone Corner for the serialization of my novel.

I am delighted to introduce WWC to this format. Publication was not always as easy as it is today. Serial novels date back to the seventeenth century, though is most commonly recognized through Charles Dickens. Writers of the Victorian era essentially had two choices when it came to publishing novels: they could write a three-volume novel, or release installments of their novels through newspapers. Serialization also increased readership due to the easy access of the middle class.

While this was primarily a time-centric method of publication, contemporary authors have continued to utilize this format, as recent as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” written by Hunter S. Thompson in 1971.

I sincerely hope you enjoy each installment of my work and eagerly anticipate the release of the next. Each chapter will be released as an external file with an introduction and preface.