Novel Revision Series: What’s Your Novel 'About'?

"What’s your novel about?” This simple question, all too familiar to most working novelists, is not as simple as it seems, and for many of us it’s surprisingly hard to answer. Yet working through the difficult process of answering it can be extremely helpful to us as we conceive and revise our novels, and eventually, as we try to sell and find readers for them. In this interactive class we’ll discuss three different ways to respond to the crucial question of what your novel is “about”—concept, premise, and theme—and apply what we learn to our own works-in-progress in a series of brief and potentially illuminating exercises.

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.