Story for
Novelists

Story for Novelists is an advanced-level course, ideal whether you are starting a new novel, partway through a draft, or looking to restructure an idea that’s not working as well as it could.

The course is suitable if you:

• Know there’s something wrong with your novel structurally and don’t know how to fix it
• Would like to dig into the mechanics of constructing a plot or learn how to fix story problems
• Want to get a new novel idea right from the start, to save time rewriting and editing
• Are intrigued by novel adaptations and would like to make your novel more optionable for TV or film
• Would like to develop new effective writing habits and routines, and take yourself more seriously as a novel writer
• Enjoy the discipline of deadlines and peer feedback
• Want to join a friendly and supportive small group of learners
• Can dedicate 7-10 hours per week for the duration of the course.

To get the most out of the course, if you’re starting a new novel, we recommend you have at least a rough outline at the start of the course.

This course allows you to:

• Understand the blueprint underlying all successful stories, and how to apply it to your novel
• Pin down an effective structure and at least the first 8–10,000 words of your novel
• Sharpen your character development, plotting and pace
• Gain a toolkit of practical skills for spotting story problems – and simple ways to fix them
• Further your understanding of professional expectations around genre, market and the publishing landscape
• Hone your selection, development and realisation of imaginative and effective ideas
• Further develop the professional skills novelists require (e.g. discipline, attention to detail, ability to work to deadlines)
• Practise giving effective feedback to other writers and receiving critical notes

Our training is taught 100% online in small groups with a designated tutor and moderator on-hand throughout. Each course is divided into sessions. These sessions are released one by one on a fortnightly basis.

There’s no need to log on at a set time. You can work through the learning materials whenever suits you, day or night, wherever you are in the world. Just allow 5-7 hours per session to complete the assignments and join forum discussions by the deadline.

Our teaching method is based on the science of active learning, where you’ll read, watch and practise exercises in your own time before submitting assignments for peer and tutor feedback. You’ll then review, share, reflect, and refine your work.

It’s both flexible and structured. Social and yet gives you space. You’ll emerge with a toolset you can apply to all your projects and a new network of writers you can trust. Find out more about how we teach.

In each fortnightly session you’ll learn to read like a writer, analysing extracts from key authors to get under the bonnet of the novelist’s storytelling and sharpen your technique. You’ll also read and respond to the work of your peers in every session, following our critiquing guidelines, to hone your judgement and editorial skills.

Session 1: What is a Story?

Discover the eight essential ingredients every successful story needs. We’ll look in detail at the first three building blocks: your protagonist, their desire and how to set up effective forces of antagonism from the outset of your story. Introduce the novel idea you’ll be working on and your protagonist to the group and tutor. Live group webchat with your tutor.

Session 2: The Bones of Your Story

Building on the essential building blocks, we’ll look in detail at the journey you’ll take your protagonist on, exploring your inciting incident and how to guide readers stage by stage through your story to its climax and resolution. You’ll share an outline synopsis with the group, and use John’s screenwriter template to express your story idea in a sentence, to test its skeleton.

Session 3: Laying Foundations

You’ll try out the screenwriter’s technique of ‘breaking a story’ into its constituent parts, questioning the different elements of your story using John’s formula to diagnose which need more attention. By the end of this session you should be able to deconstruct any story, spot common story holes, and know what to do to fix them. We’ll also look at novel openings, and think about how to best introduce your protagonist to your reader. You’ll share your opening pages with the group (up to 1,000 words) and receive tutor feedback by podcast. Live group Q&A with a guest author.

Session 4: Thinking in Three Acts

Uncover the role of the act in storytelling, and what the Hollywood model of beginning, middle and end can offer novel-writers. Think about the turning points in your story, and how they help you order your thoughts and generate drama. How will you use this story DNA in your novel? You’ll share your story in three acts with the group.

Session 5: The Secrets of Five Act Structure

Now you’ve cracked your beginning, middle and end, we’ll streamline your storytelling and help you exert more control over the middle of your narrative by dividing your story into five acts. A look at the importance of obstacles – internal and external – and how to create five acts by focusing on particular moments in your character’s journey which show them changing. Map out your story in five acts to share with the group, and have a one-to-one with your tutor to discuss your novel and progress so far.

Session 6: No Going Back

We’ll turn to the exact middle of different novels and look at what happens there. And find out why pinpointing your midpoint is such a valuable storytelling tool. Why this moment of no going back for your protagonist is so vital for audience-engagement, and how to use that to power through to the end of your story. Identify the midpoint of your story and share that passage with the group. Live Q&A with a guest.

Session 7: Building With Scenes

Introduces the basic building blocks of acts – scenes – and their properties. What every successful scene needs, and how to sequence them to progress a story, build tension and vary pace. Discover your secret narrative superpower: fractal storytelling. Write a scene, considering all you’ve learnt, and share it with the group. Live group webchat with your tutor.

Session 8: Writing for Your Reader

We’ll look at keeping your reader engaged with your story by developing empathy with your protagonist, using obstacles, and the role of change using John’s Roadmap of Change. Learn about the different types of cliffhangers from the best screenwriters out there, and how to create chapter endings that are surprising yet totally plausible.

Session 9: Show Not Tell

What you can learn from the screenwriter to help readers connect the dots and paint pictures in their own heads. Dramatising information, and how to write dialogue that drives a story forward. Try out the Kuleshov Effect and learn from Alfred Hitchcock on how to avoid unnecessary exposition by focusing on dramatic need. Live guest Q&A.

Session 10: Editing and Rewriting

A session focused around John’s basic rules of narrative structure, with his top tips and checklists to work through when editing and rewriting. From ways to ‘get your hooks in early’ and defer gratification, to advice on maintaining reader empathy and working out the theme or ‘big idea’ of your story. You’ll have a one-to-one session with your tutor.

Session 11: Quiet Writing Time

This is a four-week session focused on private writing time as you prepare to submit the first 8–10,000 words of your novel and synopsis for tutor review. The forums are open for discussion and peer support and critiquing. We’ll have a final group webchat with your tutor halfway through this session.

You can write as much of your novel as you would like during the course. But at the end of the course we invite you to submit (up to) the first 8–10,000 words of your novel (from the start, not selected excerpts, and a synopsis) for tutor feedback.

Underrepresented Voices in Fiction bursary (in-house) – We are committed to helping encourage more diverse talent on the publishing scene, and offer two bursaries covering 50% of the fees for each cohort of the course to writers from underrepresented backgrounds, including minority ethnic groups, working-class, writers with disabilities or chronic illnesses, LGBTQ+ and other communities that have been historically underrepresented in UK publishing.

To apply, fill out our course application form and select ‘yes’ to the bursary option. Please note that the bursary deadline is 4 weeks before the course begins.

Join our alumni – After your course, you can join our online alumni community where you’ll meet our growing network of past students. You’ll be able to.

• Rejoin your classmates in a private forum
• Continue to access an archived version of your course materials
• Meet alumni from other courses and share work for feedback
• Join discussions about screenwriting, script editing and the industry
• Attend live chats with guest writers and industry folk

Mentoring and one-to-one feedback – Our team offer mentoring, script reads and reports. We are happy to quote by job or script, or to arrange a longer mentoring scheme as you work on a specific story idea. We’ll create a package to suit you, so please email [email protected].