I took the Faber Writing a Novel (WAN) course in 2022. I have had several novels published, books I am proud of, but I took the WAN course because I’d changed genres and wanted a deeper dive into the craft. I started the course with a first draft of Bone Lands, which I wrote during the Covid lockdowns and committed to developing over 2022 by sweeping aside other commitments, enrolling in WAN, and taking time for revising, rewriting and more revising.
We had excellent teachers, who brought skills, experience and good humour. As a group we examined various texts and discussed what was happening in them and how they worked. Because I had a full draft to apply these lessons to, the learning was much deeper. I learnt how to handle time or pacing or character development and more. I could see the issues in my own text, not as something to bear in mind when I got down to writing.
As a group we functioned well. Because entry to the course was by application everyone had a project, a good standard of writing, an ability to take on criticism, and an understanding – to varying degrees – of the industry and what it wants, as well as how it works. This led to interesting and spirited discussions which fed into our learning. The feedback from the teachers was always useful but it was up to us, as it always is in a learning environment, to put the work in to get the most out of the course.
I don’t see an end to learning how to write. Publication is an honour, but the learning goes on, as well as the exploration and the need for curiosity.
Learn more about Writing a Novel here.