Getting To Know Your Novel Online Course (Jan 3-Feb 21) Plus Onsite Retreat (Apr 7-11) 2019

April 7 - 11, 2019

+: The onsite retreat begins with dinner on Sunday, April 7, and ends with lunch on Thursday, April 11.

$1,799.00 – Program Price

Overview

Give your novel the special attention it deserves with this long-form workshop: an activity-based web series paired with a guided writing retreat.

We’d like to invite you to spend the first three months of 2019 workshopping your novel (either complete or in-progress) in this unique program led by author and writing teacher Sarah Aronson and co-faculty Melanie Crowder, with support from several teaching assistants. The workshop has 3 parts:

Part 1: Weekly Sessions in a Web Classroom
January 3-February 21
You’ll participate in online discussions, read lectures, watch videos and complete writing exercises.

Part 2: Writing and Revising On Your Own
February-March
You’ll apply all you learned in Part 1 to your novel–finishing up your draft, or your revision, with faculty support as needed.

Part 3: In-person Workshop at our Retreat Center
April 7-11
You’ll bring your novel to our Retreat Center, where the team will mentor you through your next round of revisions.

See more details under the above “Agenda” tab.

What You’ll Learn

Find ways to deepen your understanding of plot, character, and revision.
Use writing exercises to strengthen your novel.
Interact with faculty through online discussions, two private calls, lectures, and videos.
Apply new knowledge to finish your novel draft or revision.
You will submit up to 50 pages of your novel, plus a chapter-by-chapter synopsis, so that the faculty team can give you an in-person critique.

Who Should Attend

Anyone with a complete or in-progress novel who would benefit from workshopping it with our mentor team.
Anyone who would like mentor and peer support while finishing their novel.
Anyone with a finished novel who would like to collect final feedback before they submit.

Agenda

Part 1: Weekly Sessions in a Web Classroom
January 3-February 21

You’ll attend weekly sessions in a web classroom with Sarah. She will:

Outline ways to deepen your understanding of plot, character and revision.
Host online discussions and respond to questions.
Post writing exercises, lectures and videos.
Check in with each student via email weekly, to answer questions and give direction.
Schedule two phone calls with each student during this period.

Part 1 Notes:

You can participate in the web classroom at your leisure–no need to attend at a specific time.
During the online portion, you will be submitting excerpts of your novel as needed, for feedback.

Part 2: Writing and Revising On Your Own
February-March
You’ll apply all you learned in Part 1 to your novel–finishing up your draft, or your revision, in preparation for your in-person visit to our Retreat Center.

Part 2 Notes:

Sarah will be available via phone or email to answer further questions and offer support.
By March 11, you will submit up to 50 pages of your novel, plus a chapter-by-chapter synopsis, so that the team can get ready for your in-person critique.
Sarah or Melanie will be reading up to 50 pages and your synopsis.
An editor or an agent will be reading your first 5 pages and your synopsis.

Part 3: In-person Workshop at our Retreat Center
April 7-11
Bring your novel to our Retreat Center, where the team will mentor you through your next round of revisions.

Part 3 Notes:

Each morning will kick off with a general session of lectures and writing exercises.
Afternoons are reserved for writing and small group roundtable critique sessions.
Each night will end with a chance for you to share your work with faculty and peers.

Resources

Faculty Interview: Sarah Aronson
Listen for Stories
Tranform Introspection into Dialogue
Eulogy Virtues

Testimonials

“This is by far the most supportive and professional workshop I’ve ever been to – I felt nurtured and more than achieved my goals.”

“Sarah’s warmth, generosity, responsiveness, and great insights made this class one of the most outstanding I have ever taken. She set not only the structure but most importantly the tone that made this workshop so successful from its online beginning to its in-person culmination.”

“Sarah is a thoughtful teacher who is generous with her time. She truly cares about her students!”

Categories : Novels, Online