Class Description
Writing a novel means navigating a shifting landscape of plot, character, and voice, where clarity often emerges only through careful revision. This workshop is designed for novelists who have already engaged deeply with craft and made significant progress on a first draft. Over ten weeks, you’ll write, revise, and refine at least 100 pages, focusing on key elements such as characterization, point of view, structure, plot, and scene work—all aimed at helping your novel take clearer, more purposeful shape.
Each session begins with a brief, novel-specific writing exercise to generate fresh insight and momentum. The majority of class time will be devoted to workshop discussions, where you’ll share up to 10 pages and receive detailed feedback from peers and the instructor. Midway through the course, you’ll have a one-on-one, 20-minute conference to discuss your project’s needs and next steps.
At the end of the workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to submit up to 20 pages of new or revised material for an in-depth critique. Alongside our practical work, you’ll read selected craft essays and novel excerpts that speak to the unique demands and possibilities of long-form storytelling.
Please note: Class does not meet Thursday, November 27th.
Important dates: Applications for this class are due Monday, September 1st, at 11:59PM (EST). Late submissions will not be reviewed or receive a response. All applicants can expect to hear back within one week of the application deadline. The enrollment deadline for admitted students is Wednesday, September 8th.
Writing Roadmap: We've created a simple, goal-based writing roadmap to help you find the perfect GrubStreet course for your writing needs.
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
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.