Make Your Novel Great in Five Weeks with award-winning writer, Helen Cross

FIRST NOVEL COURSE OF 2026!

FINISH, POLISH AND PERFECT YOUR NOVEL IN FIVE WEEKLY TWO HOUR SESSIONS IN JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026

'Evocative, ferocious, even visceral ... A hand-grenade of a novel ... a book of quite exceptional power' - Daily Mail on My Summer of Love

'A brilliant course!' participant on the September 2023 podcast course.

'Beautifully written by Helen Cross, this five part fantasy drama creates a wholly convincing alternative reality,' Engish Rose season two review The Guardian November 2023

‘Novelist Helen Cross proves a sure hand at creating both intrigue and suspense.’ English Rose season one review The Radio Times , July 2022.

Join my online classroom and MAKE YOUR NOVEL GREAT over five weekly sessions. These live, interactive online classes will explore the advanced elements of novel writing, and allow you to learn how to properly develop, edit, polish and publish your novel.

The course is taught by me, Helen Cross, an award-winning novelist, short story writer and audio dramatist (www.helencross.net). I have written four novels including My Summer of Love which became a BAFTA Award-winning film staring Emily Blunt and Spilt Milk Black Coffee, also optioned for movie development.

My latest prose work is Mrs Robinson, starting on BBC Radio 4, from 15 September at 22.45pm.

Course Content:

On this course we will look at how novels move to a publishable level. We will consider how your work is structured, check if your characters are engaging, if the arc of the story is satisfying and if you have enough tension, suspense and drama to fully engage a reader, agent and publisher.

Each week we will consider a different aspect of novel writing and there will be set homework to push you forward before the next class. Students with be encouraged to share their work with the group.

Prior to the class you will be sent a Reading List of novels to inspire and educate you about the form. We will discuss and learn from these novels in the class.

This is a good course for those who have written a novel but who now need to edit and polish it to make it ready for submission to agents and publishers. It is also a good course for those who have completed an MA in Creative Writing and already know the basics of prose writing.

I will ask all participants to send me a synopsis of their novel, plus 1,000 words of prose from the start of the novel before the course starts.

Feedback from 2024 podcast writing course participants:

'I really enjoyed your input and exercises, and I greatly appreciated your enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge.’ Partipant on the February 2024 course

'I loved every minute of our course.’ Paricipant on the February 2024 course

‘Thank you for running the sessions, I feel like it's reignited the writer in me.’ Participant on the February 2024 course.

‘Straight, insightful, practical guidance.’ Participant on the February 2024 course.

'It was terrific the way it was all broken down with homework and worksheets added.’ Participant on the February 2022 course

‘Excellent throughout.’ Participant on the February 2022 course

’I enjoyed hearing about Helen’s practical advice, and the week on structure was excellent.' Participant on the February 2022 course .

Tutor Details

Helen Cross is an award winning novelist (author of the novel, My Summer of Love, which became a BAFTA award-winning movie starring Emily Blunt - and which you can currently watch on BBC Iplayer ). Her novel Spilt Milk Black Coffee is also currently in film development. For the last twenty years Helen also written drama regularly for BBC Radio and a number of overseas broadcasters. Her most recent BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Plays, The Return of Rowena The Wonderful and Flixborough 74 are available now on BBC Sounds . Her Afternoon Plays have previously won Awards in her BBC Audio Drama Awards including The Innovation Award for the drama Blue Eyed Boy. She has most-recently written two seasons of a highly acclaimed podcast drama series, English Rose, currently available on Spotify, BBC Sounds and Apple Podcasts.

Helen has taught Creative Writing around the world in some of the most prestigious institutions. She has been Writer in Residence at the Universities of Mumbai, Birmingham and East Anglia. She has been a tutor on both the MA and the MFA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia and the University of Cambridge, where she is currently a Visiting Lecturer. She also teaches with the Arvon Foundation, and at many other creative writing organisations.

Press reviews of Helen's novels:

A very fine look at real people behind tabloid stereotypes…Jackie is a poor role model but she is fabulous to read about; a character who can barely be contained on the page.’ – The Times on Spilt Milk Black Coffee

‘This is magnificent portrait of adolescence and the mother-daughter realstionship is movingly portrayed…a welcome and timely take on England now, from a talented and thoughtful writer.’ – The Independent on Spilt Milk Black Coffee

'There's a timeless feel to this tale of loneliness, greed and beauty. Cross writes beautifully' - Daily Mail on The Secrets She Keeps

'Cross has an ability to imbue the everyday world with sensuality and strangeness ... it has the raw energy and flashes of brilliance that show Helen Cross to be a writer to watch' - Sunday Telegraph on My Summer of Love:

'Evocative, ferocious, even visceral ... A hand-grenade of a novel ... a book of quite exceptional power' - Daily Mail on My Summer of Love

'A sharp, disturbing and highly original debut novel' - Sunday Mirror on My Summer of Love.

'Scabrous and cleverly evocative of the confusion of emergent adulthood, Cross’s blistering prose lifts a familiar storyline to another level.' - Kirkus Reviews on My Summer of Love

Press praise for BBC Podcast Drama English Rose Seasons 1 & 2

Pick of the Week in: The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Times, The Daily Mail.

'Beautifully written by Helen Cross, this five part fantasy drama creates a wholly convincing alternative reality,' Season two review The Guardian November 2023

‘Novelist Helen Cross proves a sure hand at creating both intrigue and suspense.’ The Radio Times July 2022.

‘Taut thriller from the impressive new drama strand Limelight...great fun.” The Daily Telegraph August 2022.

“Stranger fangs: this smart modern spin on vampire lore follows a secretive Yorkshire girl from her home in Whitby to NYC.” The Guardian July 2022

'An original modern take on vampire lore this throws up some smart surprises and the cast deliver great performances’ - The Yorkshire Post August 2022

Dates for the JANUARY 2026 COURSE: Mondays 7-9pm starting on 12 January, then 19, 26th January and 2, 9 February.

Location: Live online teaching via Zoom

Cost: £250 for all five sessions

A disount is available for those who receive my newsletter until the end of September 2025