Class Description
About the GrubStreet Novel Generator:
The Novel Generator is a nine-month program designed to help 14 students write the first drafts of their novels. The course is divided into three phases, each with its own structure and goals. Phase I, which lasts for six weeks, focuses on craft, through a combination of lectures, exercises, and discussion of a common text. Sometime during this phase, students will have an initial one-on-one meeting with the instructor to discuss their project. In Phase II, the class meets for fourteen weeks of workshopping using the Novel in Progress method—scenes read aloud in class for on-the-spot feedback. Towards the end of Phase II, students will be divided into small groups for weekly accountability for the remainder of the course. At the end of Phase II, students will submit 20 pages of revised or new work to the instructor, and will each have a one-on-one meeting with the instructor to discuss those pages, the novel’s structure, and the student’s vision for the book as a whole. Phase III includes three class meetings, with students writing independently as they finish their novel drafts.
Students have entered this program with as few as 10 pages written and as many as 150. No matter how far along, all writers will be asked (through exercises and class discussion) to re-examine their initial concept and, if necessary, to make changes to shore up their plots. Writers who have already written a substantial number of pages will get the most out of this program if they feel open to all possibilities for their novels.
The Novel Generator can work as a companion to the Novel Incubator, but it is not an alternative to it. The Incubator is for students who have completed a strong first draft of a novel; the Generator is designed to push students toward that strong draft, whether or not they ultimately enroll in the Incubator or pursue other revision strategies.
Please note that there are two Novel Generator sessions. The Fall start takes place remotely via Zoom. The Spring start takes place in-person at GrubStreet's Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport
Key Dates and Information:
Location:
- The 2025-2026 Fall Novel Generator will take place on Zoom. Writers everywhere are encouraged to apply.
Application Info:
- Application Opens: Monday, April 14, 2025
- Submission Deadline: Monday, June 16, 2025 at 11:59pm EST
- Decision Notifications: The week of July 14, 2025
Program Dates:
- Program Duration: September 2025 - May 2026
- Class Time: Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30pm EST
- First Day of Class: Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Free Information Sessions:
Financial Info:
- Tuition Total: $2,570
- Scholarship Info: Available in the amount of 25% to 75% off the total tuition cost. The optional and brief application is attached at the end of the standard program application for your convenience.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.