How to turn your first draft into a finished novel

A phenomenal opportunity for a small group for writers to receive feedback on their writing – and take their manuscript to the next level

So you’ve finished the first draft of your novel? Congratulations. Now’s your chance to make it the best it can possibly be. Led by novelists Imogen Robertson and William Ryan, this course will take you through the most common problems writers face at the editing stage, and offer invaluable advice on how to tackle them in your own work.

Ahead of the course, you’ll need to submit a 500-word writing sample and a synopsis, which will be used as a basis for the masterclass. Through talks and practical exercises, you’ll learn everything from how to improve structure and prose, to how to make your first chapter appealing to publishers. Plus, you’ll learn what editors and agents want to see in a first novel, during a guest session from literary agent Laura McDougall. Don’t miss out on this fantastic masterclass – book your place now and learn how to take your manuscript to the next level.

Content

• Why first chapters sell books – and how to bring out the strengths in yours
• Common problems with first drafts – and how to recognise them in your own work
• Testing your plot – does it progress logically? Does it include themes and a story that will engage the reader?
• Questioning your characters – what journeys do they undertake and why?
• Scrutinising the dramatic world you’ve created in your novel
• How to use further research to improve your story
• Attention to detail – checking your manuscript for errors
• Scenes, subtexts, padding and non sequiturs – how to look at your novel with a critical eye
• What agents and editors want to see in a first novel – and how to make your writing stand out from the crowd
• Tailored feedback on students’ writing samples and synopses
• Practical writing exercises with opportunity for feedback
• Q&A

Course preparation

• Ahead of the course, attendees are required to submit a synopsis and a 500-word writing sample from their novel. These documents combined should be no more than 1,000 words in length.
• Please email your synopsis and writing sample tomasterclasses.support@theguardian.com by 4pm on Friday 20 November. Or, if you sign up after this date, as soon as you can after you have bought your ticket.

What to bring

• Please bring along a printed version of your synopsis and 500-word writing sample to the class.

You may also be interested in…

• How to structure your novel: A weekend workshop
• Writers’ workshop with Tim Lott

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Tutor profiles

Imogen Robertson is the author of six novels, including Theft of Life, a Georgian mystery set in London against the background of the slave trade. She’s been short-listed for the Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger award three times.

William Ryan is the author of three crime novels set in Soviet Russia and a historical novel set in World War Two Germany, which will be published in 2016. His novels have been shortlisted for awards including The Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award and the Irish Crime Novel of the Year (twice). Find him on Twitter here.

Guest speaker profile

Laura McDougall is a literary agent with Tibor Jones and Associates. She started her career as an editor in the fiction department of Hodder & Stoughton, where she built a list encompassing historical and crime fiction, and worked with authors such as Stephen King and David Nicholls. Find her on Twitter here.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website