Are you part way through your novel, and struggling to find the momentum to keep going? Or have you finished a draft of your novel, but find that it only really ‘gets going’ halfway through? In an intimate group of ten writers, your tutor will guide you through a workshopping process designed to strengthen the opening chapter of your work-in-progress, at the level of the line, the paragraph, and the story, giving you skills you can continue to apply to your manuscript as a whole.

Over the course of six weeks, you will pull apart the first chapters of your favourite published novels, work out what makes them sing, and apply these techniques to your own first chapters. You will use the opening chapters of your novels to investigate the most important questions you’ll need to ask of your work as a whole. The second hour of each class will be dedicated to a thorough workshopping process.

The course will finish with a look towards the future, thinking about strategies to keep you going on your manuscript.

By the end of the course you will have:

• An understanding of how to engage in a sensitive yet rigorous writers’ workshop.
• Received constructive feedback on ~3,500 words of your writing, so that you can measure your improvement.

Your course includes:

• A complimentary copy of a recent A&U publication
• On completion of the course, alumni discounts on future Faber Writing Academy courses and books from the Allen & Unwin website.

This course is a useful introduction to the more rigorous workshopping process which underpins the longer, intensive Faber Writing Academy Writing a Novel course.