Class Description
Writing a novel means navigating a shifting landscape of plot, character, conflict, 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, we’ll be focusing on key elements such as characterization, point of view, structure, plot, and scene work—all aimed at producing more clarity and a purposeful shape for your novel. You will also be provided with prompts designed to help you produce at least 100 new or revised pages on your own.
Each session begins with a craft discussion or novel-specific writing exercise to generate fresh insight and momentum. The majority of class time will be devoted to workshop discussions, where students share up to 10 pages in advance and receive detailed feedback from peers and the instructor. Each student will be workshopped up to three times in the course of the class. Midway through the term, 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 from the instructor after the term is over. Alongside our practical work, you’ll read selected novel excerpts that speak to the unique demands and possibilities of long-form storytelling.
This workshop offers a focused and supportive environment for novelists committed to deepening their craft and advancing their manuscripts with purpose and care
Please Note: Class does not meet Tuesday, November 24th.
Important dates: The application deadline for this class is Wednesday, September 2nd. All applicants can expect to hear back within one week of the application deadline. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed and will not receive a response. The payment deadline for admitted students is Wednesday, September 16th.
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.