The course consists of 32 online evening sessions (Tuesdays 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm AEDT/AEST), and an additional evening session dedicated to the Faber Writing Anthology.
Stage One: Getting Started and Foundations
Session 1: Tuesday, 2 February
Introduction
Meet your tutor and fellow writers and set a goal for the course. After a broad look at genres, readerships and the place of YA in the contemporary publishing landscape, we’ll get to know each other’s story ideas and discuss the inspirations and big questions driving them.
Session 2: Tuesday, 9 February
Character
with special guest TBC
Who is at the heart of your novel and why? Let’s get to know the characters headlining your story and ask how they fit or break the mould of ‘typical’ teen, what drives them and what makes them the ideal main character for your story?
Session 3: Tuesday, 16 February
Structure: beginnings
How do you hook a reader from the first line and sustain their interest? We look at different ways to begin a novel and the ‘promise’ each offers for what’s to come. You’ll be challenged to try different approaches to your story’s opening and consider when your novel really starts.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 4: Tuesday, 23 February
Structure: plotting
How do you find the right plot beats to generate a compelling YA story? How are various plot threads woven together to form a cohesive and engaging plot that a teen reader will gravitate towards? We’ll explore ways to shape YA plots for maximum engagement.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 5: Tuesday, 2 March
POV and perspective
How do you choose a POV and tense to best tell your story? How does your POV character’s perspective impact the way the story is told? We look at crafting authentic teen worldviews for a richer story, as well as the impact of POV choices on the reading experience.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 6: Tuesday, 9 March
Voice
How do you create and sustain a distinct narrative voice? More importantly, how do you create a voice that is authentic in all the ways vital to YA literature? We look closely at the mechanics of voice and why it’s such an essential skill for crafting engaging YA stories.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 7: Tuesday, 16 March
Dialogue
In this session, we examine the key facets of dialogue: what is said, what is not said, how it is said and how it is (mis)understood, allowing us to better understand the relationship between dialogue, plot and character.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 8: Tuesday, 23 March
Story worlds
How do you build a story world that is consistent, authentic and engaging? How do you create a variety of active settings that intersect effectively with plot and character? Worldbuilding is not only the purview of fantasy writers—all stories need well-developed and fully realised worlds, even those set in contemporary spaces. We explore ways to ensure your story world comes to life on the page, drawing the reader in.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
EASTER AND ANZAC DAY BREAK
Stage Two: Going Deeper into Process, Practice and Craft
Session 9: Tuesday, 27 April
Digging deeper into character
After checking in with each other and the state of our writing projects, we look deeper into what motivates your characters—their secrets, their scars, the lies they tell themselves—and focus on how to develop a character’s emotional arc to resonate with teen readers.
Session 10: Tuesday, 4 May (with special guest author TBC)
Conflict and tension
Conflict—big and small, explicit and implicit, external and internal—is at the heart of all stories, driving the narrative towards the story’s climax. How do you maintain the right level of intensity and momentum to suit your story?
Session 11: Tuesday, 11 May
Twists and turns
While we might want our plot to follow a logical structure, we never want it to be predictable. How do you keep your reader guessing, while still ensuring each unexpected shift or revelation feels earned? We’ll look at midpoint reversals, cliffhangers, misdirection and using ‘breadcrumbs’ to effectively seed your novel’s twists and turns.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 12: Tuesday, 18 May
Narrative time
Not all stories are told chronologically and even when they are, you’ll inevitably need to hop, skip and jump through time to keep the pacing sharp. We’ll explore how to handle the shifting of time in your story, including the use of backstory, flashbacks and time skips. Importantly, we’ll look at how to effectively ground your characters in time and place.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 13: Tuesday, 25 May
Anatomy of a scene
How do you structure a compelling scene? How do you ensure that each scene best serves the overall narrative intention? What is the difference between scene and summary and how do you choose when to use one or the other? We’ll take a close look at how scenes are crafted, with a focus on beats, progression and story time.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 14: Tuesday, 1 June
Narrative balance
How much dialogue is too much? How much time should you spend exploring your character’s thoughts and feelings? How much descriptive detail is needed? Digging deeper into crafting effective scenes, we’ll explore how finding the right balance between action, internal narration, dialogue and description can make or break a scene.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 15: Tuesday, 8 June
Description and details
How can you create powerful images that bring your story world to life? In this session we’ll explore how to effectively incorporate sensory details into your descriptions of characters, setting and more. We’ll also look at how being intentional in which details you include (and which you leave on the cutting room floor) helps bring your writing alive.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 16: Tuesday, 15 June
Sentences: syntax, grammar and punctuation
Who’s up for a sentence bootcamp? We’ll look at how writing works at the sentence level, exploring the ways grammar, syntax and punctuation meet style, tone and rhythm to effectively tell your story.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
COURSE BREAK
Stage Three: Editing and Revision
Session 17: Tuesday, 20 July
Taking stock: preparing for revision
Where is your story at? What is actually happening on the page and what is missing? Are there significant gaps between your intention and what a reader can interpret from each scene? We use outlining techniques to take stock of where you’re at and to help us prepare for revision.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 18: Tuesday, 27 July
Introduction to structural editing
Structural editing focuses on refining your story’s ‘big picture’ elements, such as characterisation, plotting, pacing and themes. We’ll go over the key stages of a structural edit and how you apply a big picture analysis to your story. Importantly, we focus on key tips and tricks to help you identify structural concerns.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 19: Tuesday, 3 August
Structural editing in practice: Causality versus coincidence
One key area of revision is pulling at the threads of your plot and taking note of which unravel too easily. We look closely at causality versus coincidence and how each impacts the level of reader engagement and connection to your story, as well as how a focus on causality can help you tighten your plot’s threads.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 20: Tuesday, 10 August
Structural editing in practice: Wrangling sub-plots
What role do subplots play in your novel? Do they enrich the main storyline or take up too much space? We take a magnifying glass to the subplots in your novel to ensure they’re working as they should.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 21: Tuesday, 17 August
Structural editing in practice: The ensemble cast
We put your cast of characters, minor and major, to the test and ask: are they believable, fleshed-out and engaging? Do any of your minor characters pull focus? What role does each character play in the narrative and do they play it effectively? Is the relationship between plot and character really singing?
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 22: Tuesday, 24 August
Introduction to line editing
with special guest TBC
Here we’ll look at the nuts and bolts of editing, making sure we know what red flags to look for at sentence level, and learn some tips and tricks to whip a manuscript into shape.
Session 23: Tuesday, 31 August
Line editing in practice
In this session we’ll look closely at a chapter from your novel and apply line-editing techniques to refine the story at the line level, fixing issues around clarity, style, tone, and expression.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 24: Tuesday, 7 September
Workshop intensive
Having spent time digging deeply into your story, revising your ideas and opening up new avenues of exploration, we’ll split into smaller groups for intensive workshopping. Pick your most troublesome chapter or the scene that illustrates your biggest roadblock and subject it to some robust workshopping with your peers.
Stage Four: Revising, Polishing and Looking Outwards
Session 25: Tuesday, 12 October
Structure: Endings
As we begin our final stage of the course, we turn our minds to endings. What marks a satisfying conclusion to a story? Is a hopeful ending necessary in a YA novel, and what does ‘hope’ actually look like? How many threads can you leave unresolved? We look at novel endings and what makes them work (or not work!).
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 26: Tuesday, 19 October
Articulating theme
What is your novel about? What is it really about? Novels are living, contrary, ever-shifting beasts and what you set out to write in the beginning is rarely where you end up. So now that you’ve spent so much time developing your novel, what is the ‘hook’ at its heart? What themes have you uncovered along the way? How do you effectively articulate these ideas within the novel as well as when it comes to talking about it to others? We look at ways to solidify and articulate themes in preparation for compiling effective submission materials.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 27: Tuesday, 26 October
Synopsis
Everyone dreads writing a synopsis, but not only is it a helpful tool for writing and revision, it’s also a key part of the submission process. In this session we’ll explore what makes a good synopsis, what to include (what not to include) and some helpful formulas to get you started.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 28: Tuesday, 2 November
Pitching your work part 1: the written pitch
Submissions require a strong written sales pitch, both for your story and for yourself as the author. In this session, we focus on developing a cover letter for your novel that can easily be repurposed for different submission methods, including crafting an enticing blurb.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 29: Tuesday, 9 November
Pitching your work part 2: the verbal pitch
What’s your elevator pitch? We’ll be talking public speaking and publicity, as well as putting together (and practising) a compelling pitch to get readers and publishers interested.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 30: Tuesday, 16 November (with special guest literary agent)
Guest Literary Agent
This session, we will meet a literary agent who will speak to you about the publishing industry and their role in it, and their relationships with their clients.
In the second hour of class, we will workshop extracts from two students’ novels-in-progress.
Session 31: Tuesday, 23 November (with special guest publisher)
Publishing Pathways Now
This session offers a clear-eyed view of the contemporary YA publishing landscape, including acquisitions, submissions, timelines, and author–publisher relationships. You will hear from an esteemed YA publisher as they share their thoughts on the industry and what makes a YA novel desirable in today’s publishing climate.
Session 32: Tuesday, 30 November
Final Readings and What Comes Next
In our final session, writers will share excerpts from their work and reflect on the progress they’ve made. We’ll discuss sustaining writing practice beyond the course, next-draft strategies, and possible pathways forward.
All sessions are held online on Zoom. The exact course content could be adjusted based on the group’s experience and concerns. The details of the course are at the discretion of the Course Directors and Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin.
