Course description
The course will provide an introduction to writing a novel, from the first nurturing of an idea to the completion of a full draft and beyond. You will look at how to set down a draft, providing help with important decisions involving style and structure. This will be done through group discussion, some reading and analysis, as well as a variety of straightforward writing exercises, all undertaken in an encouraging and enjoyable environment.
This short course will cover the essentials for anyone beginning a piece of long-form fiction, under the guidance of a published novelist. It will open by asking the big initial questions: how will I tell my story? What sort of novel do I want to write? Where and how will I find inspiration and sustain it throughout the writing process? From there, it will look in more detail at how to set down a draft, providing help with important decisions involving style and structure. This will be done through group discussion, some reading and analysis and a variety of straightforward writing exercises, all undertaken in an encouraging and enjoyable environment.
Course structure
This course will give you the confidence to turn an idea into a novel from the first nurturing of an idea to the completion of a full draft and beyond. You will learn how to:
- hone an initial concept
- plan, write and develop a draft
- edit and improve your work after completion and define its place in the literary market
Sessions will include:
- Reading and writing: how to find inspiration and manage your influences
- Routine and discipline: finding the time to write
- Research: knowing what you need and when to stop
- Planning and preparation: getting the novel ready to be written
- Style and setting: how to establish a sense of time and place
- Point of view and characterisation: developing a narrative voice
- Arcs and structure: deciding where your book is going and how it will get there
- Closure: how to bring your story to its conclusion
- Where to go next: a look at the publishing industry
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Suitability - Who should attend?
This course is suitable for beginners and also those who have already started to write fiction and are looking for guidance as they embark on their first piece of long-form work.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
No Qualification