Advanced Novel Planning & Draft Builder

Class Description

In this advanced novel class spanning five months, you will come with an idea for a novel, and leave with a solid start of a draft and a plan for where to go next. This class is perfect for those interested in eventually participating in the Novel Generator or Novel Incubator program.

In the first half of this class, we will focus on novel planning and outlining for a new or new-ish novel idea. We'll look at novels to understand story-building strategies from writers including Tommy Orange, Jabari Asim, Celeste Ng, P. Djèlí Clark, and Richard Powers. We’ll do in-class exercises designed to help you figure out what your story is and how to tell it. We’ll workshop ideas, shapes, storylines, and craft aspects of your novel including point of view, structure, and narrative stance.

In the second half, we will transition towards building your draft according to the outline devised in part one. The goals of this half of the workshop are to write or revise at least 80 pages in ten weeks, as well as to identify and correct any shortcomings in craft areas such as characterization, point of view, structure, plot, and scenes. Each class will begin with a brief, novel-specific writing exercise; the rest of the class will be devoted to workshopping. Students will also read select excerpts from novels as inspiration/examples of craft techniques. Feedback will be delivered using the novel in progress method: reading your pages (10-11, double-spaced) aloud in class each week and receiving on-the-spot feedback from your fellow novelists and instructor. Each student will have a 20-minute conference with the instructor midway through the course. At the end of class, you can submit up to 30 pages of new or revised scenes for evaluation and critique.

Please note: Class does not meet February 8th.

Important dates:

The application deadline for this class has now passed. Applications submitted after Tuesday, January 2nd, will not be reviewed and will not receive a response. The payment deadline for admitted students is Wednesday, January 10th.

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

Please note: In order to be eligible for acceptance into an advanced class, you must submit an application via the “See Directions to Apply” button above. You can then submit a separate scholarship application via the “Apply for Scholarship” button. We cannot consider applicants who only fill out a scholarship application without applying to the class itself.

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.