Writing a Novel
6-week course + individual tutorial on an extract from your novel
Mondays, 7.15 – 9pm
13th March – 24th April 2023
(no class on 10th April, Easter Monday)
Ralli Hall, Hove
£250
Maximum 9 participants
'One of the things that made this course so enjoyable was Susanna's enthusiasm for us, her students, and our work. She clearly loves teaching - and is brilliant at pin-pointing what a piece of writing is trying to do, as well as suggesting how to do it.
She is entirely undogmatic about how to approach writing. She really listens and gives intelligent but non-prescriptive responses. Every session was thought-provoking and stimulating and really specific about how and what works in fiction.'
Kate E.
Perhaps you're just starting to write a novel, finding ideas for your first draft, or are in the middle of writing your novel now. Perhaps you have a draft that isn't quite there yet and you're not sure why it isn't working or what to do next. Perhaps you've made several attempts to start a novel but have never managed to sustain it. This course is designed to help writers at all these stages.
Some things we'll cover: getting started (or finding new pathways, if you're already working on your novel); developing ideas and characters; narrative voice and point of view; sense of place and atmosphere; storyline and shape. There will be plenty of time to share your work for feedback and discussion (but no pressure to read aloud if you prefer not to) and to see your work develop week by week. If you have to miss a session, you can catch up with the activities and writing prompts in your own time.
Your 45-minute one-to-one tutorial can be held up to two months after the course ends, on Zoom or by phone. In this session you'll receive detailed editorial feedback, with written notes, on up to 4,000 words of your novel. You are also welcome to show a plan or outline for the whole novel. If you're just starting out, don't worry that you might not have enough to show. By the end of the six weeks you should have the beginnings of your novel and plenty of ideas to develop and discuss.
This is a mixed-level course. It will help to have some experience of writing fiction but, if you're not sure that this is the right course for you, do get in touch to discuss.
Most participants from the Writing a Novel course have gone on to join the MA-style Fiction Workshop so that they can continue to develop their novels in a supportive environment with regular constructive feedback. The next ones will run later in the summer and again in the autumn term.
Susanna Jones has many years' experience teaching and mentoring novelists, from complete beginners to writers at MA and PhD level. For many years, she was the main fiction tutor on the MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway University of London. She'll help you find new ways into your material, ways of developing and shaping your fiction while honing your own voice and learning how to use it, or use it better. In a friendly and supportive atmosphere, you'll find that the ideas come easily, your confidence as a writer will grow and you'll have fun in the process
Ralli Hall is at 81 Denmark Villas, Hove BN3 3TH2, just 2 minutes' walk from Hove Station.
Preferred payment method is by Bacs. You can also pay by credit card or PayPal. You can secure your place on the course with a non-refundable deposit of £40. The remaining balance is due by 1st March 2023.