This all-levels workshop provides an un-intimidating and concrete approach to the seemingly insurmountable task of writing a novel or book-length memoir. We start in the middle, instead of the beginning, and build our books in short, manageable sections. Workshop members will write each week and share work with the class every week or every other week (depending on class size). Whether you’re a published writer or a beginner unsure how to start, this workshop will inspire you and equip you with the tools and support you need to write a novel.
In this class you will learn:
- How to free yourself of the misconception that you need to have an outline.
- How to write with guts and passion.
- Jennifer Belle’s “Survey” method for tracking your work and staying motivated.
- The elements of a scene, and how to use scenes as the building blocks for your book.
- A lot about structure, plot, voice, arc, likeable/relatable characters, dialogue, the publishing business, and getting an agent and an editor.
- How to pitch your book.
Instructor: Jennifer Belle is the best-selling author of four novels—Going Down (named best debut novel of the year by New York Magazine), High Maintenance, Little Stalker, and The Seven Year Bitch—all of which have been optioned for the screen. Her novels have been translated into thirteen languages. She has also published seven young adult novels written under two pseudonyms and Animal Stackers, a picture book for children. Stories, poems and essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, The Independent Magazine (London), Ms., Elle, Self, Harper’s Bazaar, Blackbook, Mudfish, and many anthologies. She has been teaching writing since 1999 and been thanked on dozens of acknowledgment pages. She lives in New York with her husband and two sons, and is a proud and grateful member of The Writers Room.
Dates & Time: Tuesdays
Cost: TBA
Location: The Writers Room, 740 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10003
Closest Subways: 6 to Astor or N/R to 8th Street/NYU