Faber Academy: Writing a Novel (6 Months, Evening)

Full description

This is Faber Academy’s flagship course, which has seen alumni such as S.J. Watson, Saara El-Arifi, Rachel Joyce, Gail Honeyman and Alice Feeney go on to conquer bestseller lists around the world. Designed by the Director of our Fiction Programme, Richard Skinner, it’s a six-month deep dive into the art of the novel, with sessions on every aspect you’ll need to take you from the bare bones of a draft to a finished novel. You’ll also hear from guest speakers including published alumni, acclaimed authors and industry professionals.

It’s also a chance to build a writing group that you can take with you into your future writing career. Over the course of the six months, you and your classmates will give feedback on each other’s work, honing your own editorial eye as well as helping them develop their stories, and will be there to cheer each other on as you approach the finishing line of your first draft.

This fifth iteration of Writing a Novel in Newcastle will be taught by Richard T. Kelly. Born in Newcastle, Richard has written much about the north-east, in particular his debut novel, Crusaders (Faber, 2008), and has taught Writing a Novel in London since 2017.

Of Crusaders, New Statesman said: ‘An ambitious and convincing account of political chicanery, ideological quandaries and gang violence in 1990s Newcastle… In Crusaders, the north-east has found a new champion.’

Is this the right course for me?
This is an advanced course, designed as a practical alternative to a Creative Writing MA. Accordingly, it’s not suitable for writers who would consider themselves complete beginners. That doesn’t mean you need to have taken courses before, but it does mean that you need to feel confident that you’re ready to start work on your novel. You will also need to have an idea for it – it might be one you’ve been working on for a while, or it could be something a little more unformed that you’re hoping to pin down with the help of the course.