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Phase two is all about putting flesh on the bones of your novel, giving your story depth and force and vigour by looking at structure, style and theme, and going deeper with character, voice and plot. As we approach the year’s half-way mark we’ll also talk about how to stay focused and motivated to see this thing through to the end.

1.  Workshopping what needs to be done
Whether you’re back from the break after Phase One, or starting with us for the first time, this is a week to take stock of your work in progress.

2.  Structure
Structure is what turns a collection of scenes into a satisfying novel. We’ll talk about scenes and story arcs, and look at some common structural templates.

3. Character: going deeper
Avoiding stereotypes, identifying archetypes, writing across gender and cultural lines and making full use of minor and supporting characters.

4. Advanced plotting: the relationship between character and plot
Is your character mostly pulled through events by twists of fate or is your plot driven by choices your character makes? We’ll look at how integrating character and plot development makes both elements stronger.

5. Suspense, story questions and narrative drive
This is where we ask ourselves: how am I going to keep the reader turning pages? We’ll look at backstory, time-jumps, transitions and pacing.

6. Voice, tone & style
What is voice and how do you find, or develop, yours? What’s the relationship between voice and tone? We’ll talk about metaphor, imagery and finding the exact right word every time.

7.  Theme
Luminous prose and brilliant construction may make a story nice to read, but without theme the reader is left thinking ‘so what?’ This week we’ll see how identifying theme can help a writer turn a good story into a moving and memorable one.

8.  Forging on
We’ve been working on our novels for over half the year by now. It’s time to talk about smashing writer’s block, pushing through frustration and dealing with doubt.

Participant Requirements

Pen and paper.