Alumni Memories of Writing a Novel
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Ahead of our upcoming Writing a Novel Summer School, we reached out to some of tutor Shelley Weiner’s former Writing a Novel students to share their favourite memories from the course.
Their reflections capture the spirit of what makes the course so special: thoughtful guidance, creative breakthroughs and the lasting support of a writing community. Whether you’re looking to re-immerse yourself in the craft of the novel, rekindle your writing momentum or reconnect with the camaraderie of our world-famous course, we hope these stories inspire you.
I was pleased with my submission to the group. They said it was brave of me to go first and put my work up for scrutiny, but I didn’t think so. I was sure it would go down well. Only it didn’t. Shelley didn’t care for the arch authorial voice I’d adopted, and she let me know. Goodness it was a toe-curling session, but a hugely valuable one. I learned that morning to get out of the way, to respect my characters and readers and stop trying to be clever. Honest criticism from a room of really good writers was, for me, a game changer and allowed my real voice to emerge.
Julie-anne Edwards
When I joined Shelley Weiner’s Writing a Novel course in 2018, I had no writing experience – only a lifelong dream. Shelley saw through my trials and errors – through my sci-fi phase, my thriller detour – and told me, with characteristic honesty, that I wasn’t honouring my life. ‘You can do better than this,’ she’d say in our one-to-ones. She doesn’t offer praise lightly, which makes it all the more meaningful when it comes. She knows when a story isn’t fully formed, when characters haven’t been thought through, and she pushes you – gently but firmly – until the work is true. Shelley isn’t just a tutor; she’s a rare kind of mentor, deeply invested in your craft and your voice. Faber Academy’s reputation is extraordinary – but Shelley was the diamond at the heart of it for me. Faber wasn’t just a course, and Shelley wasn’t just a tutor – they were defining moments in my life that I’ll forever be grateful for. I wouldn’t be heading into an MLitt in Creative Writing this year if it weren’t for the confidence Faber – and Shelley – helped me find.
Lola May Coker
I’ll never forget my first day at Faber Academy. I was filled with nervous anticipation and excitement, knowing deep down that my life would never be the same again. And I was right! The energy from the other students, and the expert navigation from my tutor, Shelley Weiner, was priceless. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was applying for the Writing a Novel course. Three published psych thrillers down the line and I’ve never looked back since.
Sophia Spiers
I was a student on the Writing a Novel course in 2022, and was subsequently mentored by tutor Shelley Weiner to complete my novel Solo.
Right from the beginning, Shelley believed in me, and my story. Her feedback was perceptive and insightful, and her emphasis on character, inspiring. I had total faith in her judgement; even when on two separate occasions, she advised me to make swingeing cuts to my manuscript, I knew in my heart that she was right and that the book would be the better for it.
Caroline Swinburne
Shelley Weiner’s courses should come with a health warning: as when taken participant’s are prone to becoming obsessed with writing. It can lead to longer train journeys, to sneak in an extra ten minutes of writing time, or phone battery failure due to voice notes full of observations. Not only does Shelley give you the practical tools to get your story to the page but she is also there with advice on everything from structure to the publishing industry. The beauty of Faber is that you are taught in a living, breathing publishers, so everything from the guest speakers, course team and industry days give you a firm and steady push towards becoming a writer.
Anonymous
My six months at Faber with Shelley Weiner was fun, nurturing, and productive, but above all it gave me faith in myself as a writer. It might simply have been hanging out in Bloomsbury with other lovely writers. Whatever the secret recipe, of all the things a writer needs to get from first draft to publication, that belief is essential. It sustained me and underpinned the resilience and perseverance I needed to get my book into the world.
Kara Gnodde
Five years after the course, Shelley Weiner's voice still resonates with me. Her firm emphasis on precision and craft, along with the care and compassion with which she dispenses her advice, continue to guide me on a daily basis. I have yet to meet an instructor who cares more about her students' work.
Jill Offman
Although I was already a published memoir author whose work had been shortlisted for prizes, fiction writing requires some different tools. I found those tools at the Faber Academy. Initially I was sceptical: lots of courses for writers are merely cash-grabs at the expense of mostly non-wealthy aspirants. Faber is one of the good ones. The course is pricey but for me it was a sound investment in my vocation.
Shelley Weiner was a stellar instructor for the Writing a Novel course. She was measured, tough and clear with her criticism – not an ounce of sycophancy – and that made us push and refine our work all the more. Her guidance was absolutely integral in helping my novel (and hopefully future novels) along. It was also the first time I’ve had my work-in-progress read and judged by peers, but jitters and self-consciousness were quickly placated by classmates who were kind as well as accomplished. I was in awe of each of them.
The manuscript I workshopped was eventually picked up by an agent. Though she was unable to find a publisher for it, I decided to self-publish A Flight of Saints on Amazon (under the pseudonym Elizabeth Braithwaite). I am very appreciative of all that Shelley and Faber taught me through this course.
Jane Christmas
The course was amazing, so many great memories. I loved the exercises we were given each week, which really got my imagination whirring. One that stands out for me was a character-building task, where we were each given a random photo of a person, and we had to create entire backstories for them. I’m often quirky, dark and ridiculous with such things. My photo was of an older lady, someone in their 70s I guess. So I explained she was a prodigious opera singer, but only 27 years old, who had recently been struck down with a rare ageing disease, which had thwarted her career and transformed her into a murderous recluse, hellbent on finding a cure. The idea seemed to introduce me quite well to the class. Even all these years later, I’m still thinking I might use that character in a story sometime . . .
Stephen Daultrey
From the first day, Shelley made sure we felt confident to share our work, creating a safe environment for us to offer feedback and praise. Despite my work being a little racier than others (apologies to the rest of my class), Shelley treated my writing in the same way she did the sweeping historical romances or the speculative fiction. She was instrumental in reworking my manuscript, helping me get it to a place where I could go on submission to agents. Without Shelley’s guidance I’d have still been scribbling away at a story with far too many ’00s references and not much of a plot.
Alex Neve
Some in our Faber writing group went on to be published authors and some continued writing simply for the pleasure of it. Some were glad to spend a year learning whether writing was a long-term career plan or not. The abiding take-away for me, however, was the camaraderie encouraged by our tutors. Our motley group laughed together, shared mishaps or sorrows and applauded writing assignments whether good or bad. To this day, I continue to write and remain friends with some in the group, and we meet occasionally to check in on each other.
Anonymous
I have great memories of my Faber course with Shelley Weiner, who was endlessly patient and supportive. Our feedback sessions tended to follow a pattern: she would offer her thoughts, I would bridle and dismiss them as ridiculous, then, on the way home, realise she was spot on and secretly include them.
Not only was the course inspirational, but it introduced me to a group of writers with whom I am still contact eight years later. We meet up regularly to read each others’ work . Their feedback has been invaluable. And best of all, I got my novel published! Reckless, still available on Amazon for a very reasonable price . . .
Richard McBrien
I acquired two things from my Writing a Novel course: a solid education of fiction writing fundamentals and writing friends for a lifetime. Even five years later, I still refer to my copious notes from the course and use the tips I learned (every time I delete “just” from my manuscript, I say a silent prayer of thanks). I expected to learn the fundamentals, but my friendships were the best possible bonus. Our Fabulous Faber Family – its group name in my phone – is there to celebrate good news for the highest of highs and offers support for the lowest of lows. As writers, to have friends along for the trip on the roller coaster ride of writing a novel is a priceless treasure.
Maureen Stapleton
The Faber classroom was a safe space for our group of mostly nervous debut authors, where we gingerly put forward our cringey first one hundred words and over engineered plots. Gently but firmly, Shelley showed us how to separate the wheat from chaff. Amongst the many things we learnt, the one advice that stays with me foremost is that everything we write, be it setting, back story or dialogue, should be in service of advancing either the character or the plot.
The cohort soon became a community of writers where we formed enduring friendships and received permission to call ourselves writers. Thursdays were the highlight of our week. For the farewell lunch, our class decided to present Shelley with our most prized possession, our words! We co-wrote a laugh-out-loud piece, one line from each of our novels, embodying all the mistakes we had been cautioned not to make, from exposition to stupor-inducing descriptions of trees to head-hopping POVs. It remains our finest creation yet.
Nidhi Arora
Writing a Novel is designed to support aspiring fiction writers to develop their craft over six months, with courses in London (at Faber’s HQ in Hatton Garden), Newcastle and online.
A six-month programme of seminars, sessions will cover all the essentials of novel writing – including character, story, structure, plotting, voice, dialogue, conflict and more.
The Writing a Novel Summer School is open to any graduates of Writing a Novel and other Advanced Faber Academy courses and is a chance to re-immerse yourself in the craft of the novel and continue – or rediscover – the momentum and camaraderie of our world-famous course.
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