Date: Course begins Wednesday 2 March 2016
Course fee: £4,000
This course will change your life. That’s not hyperbole on our part. Under expert supervision, you’ll take on one of the most demanding tasks any writer can face – to work on creating the first draft of a original novel. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it is one of the most rewarding life experiences any creative person could ask for.
Led by award-winning writer Monique Roffey, during this 6-month course expert tutelage and feedback will assist you with every aspect of the writing process, from technical workshops to help you build worlds and give depth to your characters, to motivational tricks to keep you going when things get tough.
As the course progresses, you’ll learn critical reading techniques which will transform the way you look at writing forever. Through one-to-one tutoring, constructive assessment and rigorous feedback sessions, you’ll learn what makes your personal style distinctive, and develop your voice in ways you may never have expected.
A supportive group environment with specified deadlines will keep you on-track and ensure you either have or are well on the way to having a finished manuscript in your hands by the end of the course. And that’s not all. You will have the opportunity to meet working editors and agents who will offer their professional advice for getting published. This isn’t just a writing class, it’s an achievement to be proud of.
If you’re interested in signing up for How to complete the first draft of a novel and would like more information please email masterclasses.support@theguardian.com or contact us on +44 (0) 20 3353 3099 between 9.30am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. If you’d like us to contact you, please click here and tell us what time works best for you.
Course programme
The course will consist of two 12-week semesters.
Week 1: Introductory motivational workshop - Wednesday 2 March
There will be an extended discussion about the nature and purpose of the course, the language of giving and receiving constructive critical feedback, the expectations, ambitions and intentions of the group. The discussion will cover literary tastes, as well as individual projects to be embarked upon or projects still forming. Participants will be asked to bring and read out a short extract (one page maximum) by their favourite author. A warm up exercise will be set.
Week 2: Workshop focusing on point of view and voice - Wednesday 9 March
The discussion will centre around a close look at choosing the right point of view for your novel and why this is an essential decision in the early stages of planning and writing the first draft of a novel. We will also discuss the merits and drawbacks of the choices of each point of view. Subjects covered will also include voice, and a look at the narrator’s voice, as opposed to a writer’s personal voice, style/aesthetic. Other subjects covered will be the unreliable narrator, perspective, and free indirect style. An exercise will be set.
Week 3: Workshop focusing on character and dialogue- Wednesday 16 March
This workshop will focus on the people of the novel and how they talk. We will be discussing persona versus archetype, identifying and constructing credible fictional characters. We will look at authenticity in dialogue and how dialogue can be used to express character, show rather than tell external detail, convey information, as well as advance the plot. Short and long pieces of dialogue will be examined. An exercise will be set.
Week 4: Workshop focusing on plotting, and capturing the first draft of a novel - Wednesday 23 March
This workshop will focus on the process before approaching a fist draft. We will look at everything from doing research, brainstorming, collecting and harvesting ideas, and Hilary Mantel’s notion of “growing a tale”; we will also discuss the tricks of the trade such using scene cards, journals and note keeping, building characters and choosing POV, thinking about signs and symbols. We will discuss the idea of drafting a novel as opposed to capturing one perfected single draft, writing chronologically as well as non-chronologically, how to cope with big setbacks and wrong turns and the problems of the often unreliable super-ego. We will discuss the process of learning how to develop reliable editorial skills along side the creative muse. An exercise will be set.
Weeks 5 – 21: Intensive critiquing and editing workshops - 30 March, 6, 27 April, 3, 4, 11, 18, 25 May, 1, 8, 14, 15, 22, 29 June, 6, 13, 20 July
Please note - there will be no class on April 13 and 20. Replacement classes will be held on Tuesday 3 May and Tuesday 14 June respectively.
Three students will read work and receive feedback per session, for 45 minutes each. Students will have their work critiqued by the tutor and the group four times each during this period (once a month). There will also be a 45-minute session at the start or the end of each workshop where further literary extracts or pre-set texts will be discussed and further technical exercises set, or for visiting speakers to hold seminars and answer questions.
Weeks 22 – 23: Individual private tutorials with the tutor - Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 July
Six students will be seen each week. Students will receive complex and thorough assessment of their work, advice for improvement and editing notes, and a detailed plan for finishing their projects and future writing.
Week 24: Closing workshop - Wednesday 3 August
There will be a thorough summation of the course. Further practical and philosophical advice will be given about the discipline, ethos, and challenges of writing and the literary industry. The individual projects of students will be celebrated and commended.
Profile of the course tutor
Monique Roffey is an award-winning writer, born in Trinidad. Her latest novel, House of Ashes, based on the 1990 coup in Trinidad, was shortlisted for the Costa Fiction Award, and Archipelago won the OCM BOCAS award for Caribbean Literature in 2013. In 2010, her novel The White Woman on the Green Bicycle was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Encore Award. Find out more about Monique on her website.
Assessment
Writers who successfully complete the course will receive a successful completion certificate from UEA, which will be made on the basis of ongoing assessment and a final submission of at least 10,000 words.
Timings and specifics
The course will have places for 12 participants who will meet for one three-hour session per week (6.30pm - 9.30pm) for a period of six months at the Guardian Building, 90 York Way, Kings Cross, London N1 9GU.
Submission process and deadline
The course is selective and prospective candidates will be required to supply the following in their application:
- 2,000 words of sustained prose
- A brief contextual statement of what this work is trying to achieve
- A covering letter detailing why you feel the course would be of benefit
Please note that prospective students may be asked to attend an interview to assess their approach to writing and their interest in the course.
Submissions can only be made electronically and should be emailed to: masterclasses.support@theguardian.com. On receipt of your application, you will receive an electronic confirmation.
The deadline for application is Wednesday 17th February 2016. All candidates will be notified as to the result of their application no later than 10 days post submission.
Please note that no correspondence will be entered into with unsuccessful candidates.
Refunds
Refunds will not be given to students who miss sessions or drop out of the course once the full fee has been paid.
More information
If you would like more information about the course or have any questions please email masterclasses.support@theguardian.com or contact us on +44 (0) 20 3353 3099 between 9.30am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. If you’d like us to contact you, please click here and tell us what time works best for you.
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