For emerging novelists ready to complete their first full manuscript, this rigorous course will guide you through the process of imagining, crafting and polishing your novels, as well as establishing a dedicated writing practice.

Presented by Australia’s leading independent publishing house Allen & Unwin, in partnership with the prestigious UK Publishers Faber & Faber, Writing a Novel is a highly practical, craft-focused program designed to help you find the focus you need to stay the distance and finish your manuscript draft over the course of nine months.

In the first three-month stage of this course (July– October), you will be given a proven combination of targeted writing exercises, whole-class workshops and carefully selected readings. These introductory lessons will give you an important foundation for writing your novel. You will be taken through essential concepts such as narrative structure, character development, narration, voice, plotting, scene setting and more.

In the second half of the program (February – May) you will continue to develop the craft and technical skills required to turn a rough draft into a work of art, while meeting a selection of industry guests. You will finish the course with a deep understanding of the novelist’s craft and how it applies to your own novel. These are lessons you can carry with you throughout your writing life.

During this course, you will be provided with:

• Feedback on 8,000-10,000 words of your work-in-progress, delivered through a mixture of whole-class workshops, and a personalised individual one-on-one consultation with your course director.
• Regular classes covering everything from research and narrative structure to style and tone.
• The ability to connect with fellow committed novelists, building a close-knit community of trusted readers.
• The chance to establish valuable industry connections with key insiders from the Australian publishing industry. There is no better way to get on the road to publication than to meet the people who know how to make that happen.
• A complimentary copy of a recent A & U publication.

In addition to dedicated course work, students who are submission-ready within three years of completing Writing a Novel will have the opportunity submit to the Faber Writing Anthology, a showcase of student work sent to leading literary agents and publishers in both Australia and the United Kingdom, and launched at a bespoke industry party.

*Please note that we recommend students to have already made some inroads to their projects before applying for Writing a Novel. This may be a chapter, or a few thousand words–anything that has helped you decide that your idea is strong enough to pursue through to completion. For those yet to put pen to paper, we recommend taking our Kickstart Your Novel program.