Workshop: Novel writing with Claire Adam

Maybe you have a full novel draft but something still isn’t working. Or maybe you’ve got part of the story down on paper but you can’t figure out where it’s all going, or where the story is. Or maybe you just have a glimmer of something that you keep approaching from different angles, and you know there’s something there but you don’t know how to get in, and it’s driving you a little mad. You are not alone! Let’s try looking at it from different angles and maybe it’ll unlock something for you. We’ll talk about what your characters want – what they think they want, and what they really want, and what they don’t know they want. We’ll talk about how to find the key turning points in your story – the ‘once in a lifetime’ moments – and the importance of specificity. We’ll do some writing exercises in class, but you won’t be required to share with the group unless you want to.  

Participants will be asked to submit 500–1000 words from a recent or current work in progress, plus a couple of sentences describing what they’re working on. Some short preparatory reading will be assigned in advance.