Novel Writing Workshop

INSTRUCTOR: Cassandra Rose Clarke

TIME: Six Wednesdays, June 26, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 6:30–8:30 p.m. CDT

PRICE: Early bird price: $210 for members, $240 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Thursday, June 20. After Thursday, June 20: $240 for members, $270 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.

LOCATION: Online via Zoom and Wet Ink

LEVEL: All levels

CAP: 12

Do you struggle to keep your stories under 6000 words? Have you ever received feedback in short story workshops like, “I want more!” or “This feels like the start of something bigger”? Have you reached the point where you feel ready to immerse yourself in a piece of writing, rather than dole your stories out in bite-sized chunks, but you’re not quite sure how to venture into a longer form?

If so, then this is the workshop for you. We will focus exclusively on writing the novel, studying the particular challenges and expectations that arise when writing long-form fiction. We’ll talk about building structure and juggling subplots. We’ll look at ways to avoid the dreaded “sagging middle.” And we’ll attempt to answer that age-old question: Should I outline or not? In addition, writers will have the opportunity to see either their completed manuscript or an excerpt critiqued, depending on where they are in the process. Writers with no completed novels are welcome, as are writers of all genres.

This workshop will include set class time via Zoom and asynchronous assignments in Wet Ink, an online writing classroom.