Drafting the Novel

Time: 10am–12pm on Saturdays

Session frequency/length: One 2-hour session per week

Course length: 8 weeks

This class is ideal for you if:

You have an idea for a novel, or maybe even have a few chapters written, but you feel lost when you think about building a full-length story out of your beginning pages.

Class overview:

Do you have an idea for a novel but feel in over your head when it comes to writing the full draft?

Completing a book is an extremely challenging process that requires ample amounts of insight, stamina, confidence, and faith.

This writing workshop smooths your path to completing your first draft by providing you with thoughtful guidance and a steady support system as you work toward a completed manuscript.

What you’ll learn:

Writing a book often feels like wandering in the wilderness; this workshop will equip you with a compass and a map.

In this eight-week course, we’ll explore key aspects of craft related to long-form narrative, including character, plot, theme, and pacing. We’ll also discuss the soft skills involved in completing a book, identifying and addressing the key psychological challenges that stand in your way.

Instead of working in isolation, struggling with each new novel-related decision, you'll get support from a community of like-minded writers who help inspire and motivate you on your writing journey.

“What I found most valuable were the "soft skills" discussions. I've learned a whole lot about narrative craft during my writing lifetime, but I haven't ever given soft skills the same sort of rigorous analysis. It was immensely helpful to be able to put names to certain blocks/issues and develop strategies to address them (and also commiserate with my fellow classmates!). Now, whenever I begin to falter while writing, I can go back to those lessons and strategies. I'm much more secure in the knowledge that it's all part of the process.”

–Annie T.

You’ll leave class with:

• A firm grasp of the key literary techniques you’ll need for constructing a compelling novel-length narrative
• Practical strategies for overcoming the psychological challenges involved in tackling a book-length project
• A strong support system that solidifies your goal-setting, time management, and accountability as you work toward completing your first draft

Class structure:

In each class, we cover a key aspect of craft related to novel writing, as well as a particular psychological challenge or roadblock that writers face while writing books—and how to overcome it.

You’ll also share portions of your work in progress with the instructor as well as a novel partner (another student in class who is working on a book with similar content or themes as yours), and take part in supportive, insightful discussions about how to keep your story moving forward.

This class does not use a traditional workshop model in which a student’s work is discussed by the entire workshop. Instead, it relies on small group discussions that focus on author-led conversations to help writers clarify their path forward.

Class format

I offer a hybrid class format, which means you have the option to attend Fresh Ink classes over Zoom or in person. (I ask that you only attend in person if you are fully vaccinated.)

I hold classes in my home in the Cherrywood neighborhood, where I have a classroom area set up for writers. In-person attendance is limited to six writers.

Questions?

Have questions about whether this workshop is right for you? Please feel free to email me with questions at [email protected], or you can set up a 10-minute video chat with me about the course here.

Complete Your Novel in 2022

Drafting the Novel is part of a year-long course package called Complete Your Novel in 2022. When you purchase the package, you’ll receive a significant discount on all three novel courses: Drafting the Novel, Completing the Novel, and Revising the Novel.

You can read more about the Complete Your Novel course package here.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Fresh Ink Austin, Kirkwood Road, Austin, United States