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Led by an established writer, the Novel Writing Summer School covers essential novel writing techniques and constructs, giving you the skills and confidence to work on your own novel.

No starting dates

Testimonials

  • So much covered in such a short space of time, providing quality and quantity

    Linda Fripps

  • I loved the structure of the course and the connection with literature it had

    Micol

  • This is the most useful writing class I've ever taken. Martin teaches students how to think like writers, to go beyond a superficial "that was a great story," to the ability to articulate exactly what it is about the narrative, structural, grammatical, and other linguistic choices a writer makes that enable the finished novel to fulfil the writer's literary intention.

    Olabisi

    Former student

Novel Writing Summer School Course overview

This is an intensive week-long version of the Novel Writing and Longer Works course.

The Novel Writing Summer School will range from the basic practicalities of novel writing to advanced concepts and techniques. You will examine the use of vital aspects of the craft and develop your understanding of essential elements: finding the centre (generating and developing ideas), openings, description/evoking time and place, character, narrative development, plotting, narration, voice and more.

There will be concrete advice on supporting your practice as a writer and revising and editing your work and you will have the opportunity to share work in progress and receive motivational feedback from the course tutor and your peers.

This creative writing fast-track course is ideal preparation for our Writers’ Workshop and The Novel Studio courses.

Who is it for?

City's Novel Writing Summer School is part of City St George’s range of short creative writing courses that boasts a growing list of published alumni. An intermediate-level course aimed at those who have done some writing in the past, the Novel Writing Summer Programme is open to writers keen to make a solid start on that novel they’ve been thinking about, or to develop work they’ve already begun.

Find out more about our Creative writing and publishing courses

Timetable

This Novel Writing Summer School takes place over five days in the summer.

Our next course will run Summer 2022.

Benefits

Over five intensive days, this course will enable you to identify and analyse your ideas for a novel, define the techniques involved in longer fiction and help you understand the construction of a sustained piece of fiction.

Explore our Writing Summer Schools here.

What will I learn?

Over the course of the week-long summer school, you will:

  • Make a solid start on that novel you’ve been thinking about, or to develop work you’ve started;
  • Gain a greater understanding of the themes and techniques inherent in excellent fiction;
  • Give and receive feedback on work in progress in a workshop setting;
  • Assemble and make best use of the tools that are needed to complete a sustained piece of fiction.

The Summer School will also cover:

  • Finding the centre (generating / developing ideas)
  • Openings
  • Characterisation
  • Modes of narration / point of view
  • Narrative development
  • Plotting
  • Description / evoking time and place
  • Voice
  • Synopsis / planning document
  • Reading as a writer
  • Self-editing; analysing your own and others’ work

The structure of each day will be as follows:

Morning session 10:00-12:00, lunch 12:00-13:00, afternoon session 13:00-15:00

Monday:
a.m. – Character and Voice
p.m. – Finding the centre

Tuesday:
a.m. – Aspects of structure
p.m. – Plotting

Wednesday:
a.m. – Plotting 2
p.m. – Description / Evoking time and place

Thursday:
a.m. – Modes of narration / Point of view
p.m. – Voice 2 / Dialogue

Friday:
a.m. – Synopsis
p.m. – Getting published

Assessment and certificates

Informal assessment will take place through group discussion, class room activities, and questions and answer sessions as guided by your tutor.

Eligibility

Some writing experience and an idea for a novel.

English requirements

Applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English.

Recommended reading

  • Mittelmark, H. and Newman, S, (2009) How Not To Write A Novel. London: Penguin
  • The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook (annual). London: A & C Black, or
  • Barry, T., ed. (annual) The Writers' Handbook. London: Macmillan
  • Mullan J. (12 Oct 2006) How Novels Work. OUP Oxford

Tutor

  • Martin Ouvry

    Martin Ouvry

    Martin is a writer, teacher, editor and musician. His writing has won a number of awards including a final year prize for outstanding achievement (UEA BA), the Alumni Association Prize for Fiction (UEA MA), a Hawthornden Fellowship, a Wingate Scholarship in literature and two Arts Council grants.

    Martin’s short fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines, among them Tell Tales, Adrenalin, New Writing, A Little Nest of Pedagogues (in dual English and Chinese texts), The London Magazine and Esquire. His story Forget-Me-Not was longlisted for BBC Radio 4’s Opening Lines. His play, Shakespeare: the Puppet Show, ran throughout the V&A’s Shakespeare Festival in April 2014. He has written three novels and is at work on a fourth.

    Martin has taught creative writing for the Arts Council England and at UEA. He currently teaches at City St George’s, University of London, with the British Council, and on the MA/MFA programme at Kingston University. He has worked extensively with The Literary Consultancy and The Writers' Workshop and has reviewed books for the Sunday Times, the Financial Times and the Observer. He is writing a novel with the generous support of Arts Council England.

City St George’s Short Courses: Writing

Passionate about writing? Hear about our students’ journeys towards publication with the help of City St George’s short courses.

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