Welcome to the Novel Writing Workshop! Over the next seven weeks, we’ll be covering core skills to help you draft, workshop, and edit a novel from start to finish. It can feel a bit daunting, but we’ll make it manageable.
First, let's cover some general tips to help you:
Every writer faces an individual journey. This may be your first time starting a novel, you might have dozen unfinished drafts, or maybe you've already completed a novel that's ready for revision. Wherever you are, use the materials from this course in the ways that help you. If there's advice that doesn't fit your genre or style, it's completely okay to ignore it.
Derive your motivation from within. When you write, look for what you enjoy about the process. Focus on what you like about your story. Sure, it's tempting to limit your writing based on statements like "Stories about (fill in the blank) sell really well," or "My friend said they can't stand stories about (fill in the blank)." Write the story that only you can write. Write the story that you must write — the one that won't get out of your head because that's the one you're thinking about when you think about writing.
Every writer has unique habits. We all have ways of getting our writing done. No two writers follow the same strategies — some prefer plotting out their drafts, some go by the seat of their pants, and most are somewhere in-between. This course is not about changing who you are as a writer — it's about supporting whatever habits help you get the book written. I'll introduce a variety of approaches, but not every approach works for every writer. Use what works for you, don't worry about the ones that don't.
Don't confuse product and process. The story you write is a product — whatever stage your story is at, those words you have now are the product of all your past writing experience. But as writers, we are in a continuous process of becoming our future writing selves. And our stories spend 99% of their existence somewhere between the started and finished. Our stories live in a near-continual state of incomplete. And that's normal. That's okay. As a writer, you will always have more words within you just waiting to be written.
Setbacks will happen. Sure, people can tell you to "cheer up" or some other nonsense, but here's the reality: writing is hard. It's fun, it's amazing, it's cathartic — and also hard. There will be days you don't feel like writing. There will be days you feel like every word you've ever produced is just a terrible waste of time that no one will ever read. And that's okay. We don't need every day to be a good day. The fact that you've written something makes you a writer. The goal of the course is simply to help the words get a little bit easier each day.
Feedback is important, but not all feedback is helpful. Positive feedback helps you know what to keep doing in your writing, and negative feedback helps you see where your writing doesn't connect with readers — both types can be helpful, but only when thoughtful and thoughtfully delivered. Saying "This story is great!" doesn't help a writer know what to keep doing. Dissecting every single comma splice doesn't tell us whether the plot is working. Look for readers and editors who help you make your story stronger. No one else can write your story for you.
You can't please everyone — and it doesn't help to try. Whatever genre you write — whether romance or horror or literary or speculative or (fill in the blank) — you will have fans who love that genre, and audiences who simply don't get it. Your first and only obligation as a writer is to yourself — write the story that you need to write. In that process, you will naturally share aspects of the human experience that others will relate to. From there, look for audiences who understand your story. Seek out those who "get" you. They will provide feedback to help you clarify your voice and make your story more believable.
Sharing Drafts
Online: Sharing via Google Drive
Print: Bring Story Copies Prior Week
Sharing Length: 5,000 words (20 pages) per workshop. (We can update based on everyone's preferences)
Exercises to Enter Flow State
Word Lists
Mind Maps
Freewriting
Character Conversations
Homework Goal: 1,000-2,000 words this week (150-300 Words/Day)
Outrunning the Inner Critic
Progressive Feedback: Being a Supportive Workshop Reader
First Workshop
Homework Goal: 1,000-4,000 Words (150-600 Words/Day) OR Prior Week's Word Count +25%
First Drafts Don't Need to Make Sense
Second Workshop
Homework Goal: 2,000-5,000 Words (150-700 Words/Day) OR Prior Week's Word Count +25%
Balancing Life and Writing
Third Workshop
Homework Goal: 3,000-7,000
Fourth Workshop
Fifth Workshop
Wrap-Up Workshop
Course Evals