I'm a STEM major forced to take a narrative writing class and I'm drowning

[GreatMamuka]

I'm a computer science major. I write code. I write lab reports. I do not 'tell stories.' But my university requires a creative writing elective for graduation, so here I am in a narrative writing class with a bunch of English majors who've been writing stories since they were kids. I feel like I'm in a foreign country where I don't speak the language.

The professor talks about 'voice' and 'pacing' and 'character development' and I nod along but I have no idea what those words mean in practice . My last story came back with comments like 'the dialogue feels wooden' and 'the conflict resolves too quickly.' I don't even know how to fix that. Has anyone else been a non-writer in a writing class? How do you survive? Are there like... formulas for stories?

I need structure, not vibes.

 

[MateoBrown]

Here's the secret: narrative has structure. It's not magic vibes. Think of it like this:

• Character development = the character's variables changing over time
• Conflict = bugs in the system that need fixing
• Pacing = how fast the program runs through different sections
• Voice = the unique syntax/style of your code

For dialogue specifically: read screenplays. Seriously. Aaron Sorkin scripts are great because you can see how conversation builds. Also, every line of dialogue should either reveal character or advance plot. If it doesn't do either? Delete it.