This intensive, two-day, masterclass is aimed at unpublished writers who aspire to see their novel through to completion, and who are prepared to put in the hard work necessary to make that dream a reality.

The course will be led by S J Watson, whose debut novel, Before I Go to Sleep, found publishers in 37 countries and 34 languages around the world. During this masterclass Watson will talk candidly about how his experience on a creative writing course helped him complete his novel and the insight it has given him into becoming a successful first-time novelist. He will be joined by guest speaker Helen Dunmore on day one of the course who will offer her expert guidance in exploring these fundamental questions.

Course outline

Through a lively mix of discussion, exercises and workshops, the group will concentrate on learning techniques to improve their writing skills, before moving on to discussing the truth behind getting a completed novel onto the desks of editors and, ultimately, into the hands of readers.  

On day one, S J Watson will lead a discussion on the fundamentals of writing a long piece of fiction and bringing it to life. This day will begin with close examination to character and setting, plot and story, point of view and voice. From there the group will go on to examine the writing life, paying close attention to time management, identifying and eliminating obstacles, and how to go from an initial idea to a finished book.

The day will conclude with an afternoon session with Helen Dunmore who will set an exercise on storytelling and impart her expert writing tips before opening up to quesstions.

On the second day Watson will look at how to approach the editing process and the path to publication, with consideration of whether an agent is necessary, how to go about approaching people to represent your work, writing a synopsis and avoiding the slush pile.

Course structure

Day 1 – Saturday 22 October

10am Introductions

10.45am Part One: Writing
GOAL: By the end of this session students should be able to look critically at their work, to spot clichés and inconsistencies, to identify the building blocks of plotting and creating an enjoyable story. They should be beginning to get a feel for creating scenes with engaging, rich characters, and to understand both the purpose of dialogue and how to write it well.

2pm - 5pm An afternoon with Helen Dunmore

Day 2 – Sunday 23 October

10am-12pm Part Two: The Writing Life or Finishing Your Novel
GOAL: At the end of this session students should understand that writing a novel is hard work. They should have identified their own obstacles and be thinking about ways to tackle them. They should be encouraged that a novel can be written in quite small chunks, and understand that consistency is the key.

12pm-1pm Part 3: Editing your novel
GOAL: Students will have a feel for how much work on a novel actually takes place during the editing stage. They will understand the benefits of spending some time away from draft one before beginning to edit it. They will understand some techniques of editing, and be aware of the dangers of keeping a passage because they like it. They should have a feel for when an edit is complete and the MS is ready to be sent out.

2pm-3pm Continuation of Part 3: Editing your novel

3pm-5pm Part 4: Towards publication and next steps
GOAL: Students will have a realistic idea of the need to have an agent and how to look for one. They will have written a pitch, either for a novel or story they're working on or (for those who aren't working on one particular piece) one they've read. They will have a realistic idea of what makes an effective covering letter and synopsis and they will have some insight into how the world of publishing works.

Tutor profiles

S J Watson was born and grew up in Stourbridge, in the West Midlands. After graduating with a degree in Physics from Birmingham University Watson moved to London and began working with the hearing impaired in various London hospitals, eventually specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing impaired children, whilst spending evenings and weekends writing fiction.

In 2009 Watson was accepted into the first Faber Academy Writing a Novel course. Before I Go to Sleep is the result. Now sold in over 30 language around the world, Before I Go to Sleep has also been acquired for film by Ridley Scott's production company, Scott Free, with Rowan Joffe to direct. Filming is scheduled to begin in 2011.
 
Helen Dunmore is a novelist, poet, short-story and children's writer.  Her novels have been awarded the Orange Prize for Fiction and the McKitterick Prize;  she has also received the Poetry Society's Alice Hunt Bartlett Award and the Signal Award for Poetry.  Her poem 'The Malarkey' won the 2010 National Poetry Competition.   Her latest novel is The Betrayal (2010).  She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.