How To Write A Novel (Intermediate)

Our How To Write a Novel course

Next date: 12 May, 2012

This course is designed for new writers who want to write a novel and is aimed at more confident writers who feel ready for a more in-depth approach to the subject. You don't need to have any prior creative writing experience - most of our students don't.

Keeping it simple, keeping it friendly

Our online course is designed to be simple to fit into your life, simple to understand ... and very friendly.

Simple to fit into your life. Because the course is online, you can dip in and out whenever you want. As long as you have a few hours to spare each week, it doesn't matter what other commitments you have, or which times of day are most convenient for you.

Simple to understand. Our online course course environment is straightforward. If you can turn a computer on, your technical skills are probably fine. All our courses are hosted on our social networking site, The Word Cloud, so you can pop over right now to see how it feels.

Friendly. Our approach is highly interactive and supportive. You'll have your tutor to help you, but you'll also get loads of support and encouragement from your classmates.

Course Tutors

Your course tutor will be Rebecca Connell (left). Rebecca is the highly acclaimed author of The Art of Losing and Told in Silence. She is currently working on a literary detective novel. She is also an experienced writing tutor and editor.

Bookings info

Duration: 10 week course

Next start date: 12 May, 2012

Fee: £395

Syllabus: See detailed info below

 Each week, you will get an introductory video, detailed lecture notes, a discussion topic, a homework assignment and feedback on that assignment. In addition, all class members are encouraged to chip in themselves. Ask questions that have been bothering you. Get into debates with your tutors and classmates. Offer each other feedback. Set challenges. Have fun!

How to book: See schedule and bookings info

More about our online courses: Click here

Any questions?: Ask away

Course Syllabus

Introductory Period
Before the course starts, you'll be able to watch an introductory video from the course tutor and get to know your fellow students in a dedicated area of the Word Cloud site.

Week One: Ideas and Concepts
How do you generate ideas? How can you make them conform to a genre, and how can you judge if something is marketable or not? We explore the initial creative process, from finding the initial spark of an idea to crafting it into a genuinely sellable concept.

Week Two: Openings.
Agents’ time is precious; you need to grab them from the first page. We look at what makes people want to read on and what turns them off, as well as exploring the idea of “hooks” and how to plant the seeds that set up your story.

Week Three: Settings.
How can you make the world of your book feel real? We discuss the importance of time and place, how they affect mood and tone, and how the backdrop against which they exist can shape the personality of your characters.

Week Four: Aspects of Style, 1
Two key areas that new writers struggle to master are, “show, don’t tell”, and points of view. We investigate how you can subtly make readers understand your characters, rather than feeding them information, as well as when and how should you employ multiple perspectives, and how you can avoid shifting between different characters’ points of view.

Week Five: Aspects of Style, 2.
We explore the two mainstays of prose, description and dialogue. What should the function of description be? How does dialogue affect character perceptions, when should it be used, and how can you valuably use subtext?

 Week Six: Finding your Voice
Some authors are instantly recognisable from a few lines. We explore what makes a distinctive and original voice and how you can find yours, and look at the difference between authorial and narrative first/third person voices.

Week Seven: Characterisation and Inner Worlds.
Strong, believable characters that generate empathy can make a good novel into a great one. We look at how to create and build a character, from naming and physical details right through to the psychology and back-story that may not even make it on to the final page.

Week Eight: Plotting and Structure.
Without a solid, gripping plot and structure behind it, your novel won’t impress an agent in today’s world. We investigate the idea of the dramatic arc, look at plotting techniques designed to help you know where you’re going, explore how to utilise sub-plots and discuss the importance of pace and dramatic tension.

Week Nine: Rewriting and self-editing.
How do you know when your work is finished? We look at moving beyond the first draft, “killing your darlings” and knowing when to listen to others and when to trust your own judgement.