Writing the Novel

125 TUTOR: Marc Blake

Everyone has a story inside and this course aims to bring yours out. In a series of seminars, you will study the tenets of theme, characterisation, plotting, dialogue, genre and narrative. Exercises will be practical, inclusive and designed to build on your creativity, helping you to move towards producing a saleable manuscript. Drawing on the tutor's own experience as an author of four novels and several non-fiction books on writing, you will look at publishers, markets and agents. This course is open to all regardless of experience.

Course Notes

 

This course will be divided as follows.

·Storytelling, theme and characterisation. (PowerPoint)

·Genre - history of the Novel.

·Narrative and plotting (with Class exercises)

·Dialogue

·Re-writing and editing (individual student work)

·Manuscript presentation and synopses (Lecture)

·Students will be asked to produce some 'homework' each day, but this will not be onerous, and work will be critiqued with sensitivity.

·Publishing your work online or hard copy.

Background Reading.

How Not to Write a Novel. Sandra Newman & Howard Mittelmark. (Penguin)

On Writing. Stephen King. (Time Warner)

 

Course Tutor

Marc Blake

About Marc

Marc Blake is the author of five novels and several non-fiction books. His latest is Writing the Comedy Movie (2015, Bloomsbury). He has taught Novel writing at Kensington and Chelsea College, the Cheltenham Literature Festival and at Southampton Solent University. He is also a screenwriter whose two part ITV drama The Swap was broadcast to 9 million viewers.

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Summer School Dates for 2024

All courses run for 5 days

WK 1 8 Jul - 12 Jul

WK 2 15 Jul - 19 Jul

WK 3 22 Jul - 26 Jul

WK 4 29 Jul - 2 Aug

Morning Courses

9.15AM to 12.15PM

Afternoon Courses

1.45PM to 4.30PM

All Day Courses

9.15AM to 4.30PM