Start Your Novel in Five Days
Make this the year you write that novel. Come with an idea, leave with your opening pages, new technical knowledge and the inspiration you need to keep going.
Level
What do these levels mean?
Location
Length
Dive into your story
You’ve got the idea, or the desire to write, but are struggling to start your novel. How do we break through the normal human doubts, the challenge of a new discipline and the tendency to procrastinate, and really find the right form for our ideas? In this welcoming, committed group – led by experienced Faber Academy tutor and acclaimed novelist Joanna Briscoe – you will start to understand the key elements of craft, and find the space and permission to be inspired.
In the home of one of the world’s most famous publishing houses, you’ll receive the hands-on guidance you need to start and continue the novel that’s burning inside you. Over five intensive days, you will dive into storytelling, looking at ideas, character, plot, and what makes a fantastic opening.
In the company of up to fourteen fellow writers, you’ll start writing immediately, even if you’re a complete beginner. You’ll receive responses, teaching and exercises on craft and technique, as well as workshops and structured writing time.
You should finish the course with several pages of writing, a compelling opening and a firm idea of where you will be going next – not to mention the support of a group of fellow writers keen to go and continue on the same journey.
Is this the right course for me?
This intensive five-day course is designed for those who have always wanted to write a novel but are held back by procrastination, imposter syndrome and perfectionism. It would equally suit those who have already started to experiment with a novel but have lost confidence or got stuck.
If you’ve always longed to write a novel but have never quite had the tools or confidence to pin down your ideas and create a great beginning, this is the course for you.
This course takes place Monday to Friday at Faber's offices in Hatton Garden. Teaching time will run from 10:00 until 13:00 each day, followed by a break for lunch.
The course will then continue between 14:00 and 16:00. Afternoons will be spent working on your writing in an open, supportive workshop environment, with time for both quiet work and workshops.
Workshops will enable you to share your own emerging story with your tutor and the rest of the group, on a voluntary basis.
Course Programme
Session 1
Monday 13 January, 10:00–16:00
Ideas and Genre...
Session 2
Tuesday 14 January, 10:00–16:00
Character and Voice...
Session 3
Wednesday 15 January, 10:00–16:00
Plot and Structure...
Tutors
Joanna Briscoe
Joanna Briscoe is the author of the novels Mothers and Other Lovers, which won the Betty Trask Award; Skin; Sleep With Me, which...
More About This TutorAfter just one week with Joanna and the group, for the first time ever, I know how to move forward with my novel.
Location
The Bindery
51 Hatton Garden
London EC1N 8HN
How to get here
Faber’s office, The Bindery, is well connected by public transport, with Farringdon Station just five minutes’ walk away, and stops for several bus routes in the area too. If you’re coming from outside of London, the office is a short bus or taxi journey from Kings Cross, Euston and St Pancras stations.
Browse the Reading Room
From author interviews and writing tips to creative writing exercises and reading lists, we've got everything you need to get started – and to keep going.
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