Me Write Pretty One Day: Writers' Essentials' Free Novel-Writing Classes

For those putting thoughts to page and laptop screen, then contemplating the frightening thought of taking them to a publisher, there are now twelve free classes on novel writing live in Edinburgh and online. Simply turn up or tune in.

Preview by Alan Bett | 27 Apr 2015

“Often, sadly, writers get a very generic rejection letter from a publisher and they don’t know what to do next,” says Sarah Hull, Creative Director of Writers’ Essentials. “They don’t know why the work has been rejected and they don’t know where to take it next and what to do with it. Or whether it’s been rejected because it’s really terrible and they need to start from scratch, or just needs a bit of tweaking.”

The answers to these questions normally come at a considerable financial cost for aspiring writers, but thankfully that's no longer the case. Writers’ Essentials are revving up for a special year-long programme of free live writing events – Novel Writing: pages 1 to 384 – offering support, feedback and an editor’s eye for those at any stage of writing a novel.

After two years of running Writer’s Essentials, Sarah found “…that every new writer makes the same mistakes. There are only so many things that every book has to do without impinging on a writer’s individuality. I thought if I can put a live course together which is interactive but also an online version so everyone over the world can also access it in their own time, what this would enable me to do is teach people some of the basics so they can avoid the really big pitfalls which befall most new authors. In that way they can get their books to a much higher standard before they go and seek feedback.”

The live sessions offer a year’s rounded classes for budding writers which kick off in May (with one two-hour class per month). The programme, over the course of twelve classes, will cover how to plan, write and edit a novel. The course aims to gradually take writers through the novel writing process, from conception to editing and submission. Although based in Edinburgh, the classes will be filmed and posted on YouTube for writers around the UK and further afield. 

“The first six sessions are on how to plan a novel,” Sarah says. “It’s very much aimed at beginners but even people who have started their novel will benefit from it… looking at really important key aspects such as structure, character, voice and language and who your target reader is.” After a break to allow space for the writing process, from January to June 2016 there will be six more advanced sessions on how to edit a novel, to “find the mistakes and weaknesses and move everything around", the perfect resource for those attempting to get their work into shape for professional feedback or the publisher's desk.

With writing such a solitary activity, one absolutely key benefit of the classes is the opportunity to chat and mix with other like-minded (and, possibly more usefully, non like-minded) aspiring writers, to share ideas amongst those taking the class as much as with those providing it. Sarah tells us: “Absolutely yes, that was the idea for having the live classes in Edinburgh as well as the online ones.

“The live classes will be longer, they will be interactive, there will exercises and hopefully a chance for people to read some of their work – they’re definitely meant to be a way for people to meet other writers. They’re meant to be quite relaxed and friendly and welcoming for people.” There is no need to sign up, simply turn up at the White Horse Bar on the Royal Mile.

“What I hope people take from this is encouragement too," says Sarah, "because it’s a fabulous thing to be doing, to write. I want to provide something which will help people do that and to know this is hard work, but if you take it seriously and you learn about how it’s done well and learn about how to make it better when you find weaknesses in your story, you really can get somewhere.”

There must be many Skinny readers out there desperate to begin that novel which has been germinating for years in the mind, or take forward those well worn pages now at a frustrating impasse. Perhaps we’ll be reading a flood of novels originating from the creative pool as the years pass.

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In other news, the University of Edinburgh have announced details of The Business, a free event featuring some of the top names in Scottish publishing and literature.

Moderated by the University's writer in residence Jenni Fagan, the event – open to students and non-students – will feature contributions from Neil Astley from Saltire Literary Award-winning publisher Bloodaxe Books, Dundee Literary Festival's Peggy Hughes, Canongate's Francis Bickmore, literary agent Nelle Andrews and former Man Booker Prize judge Stuart Kelly.

The Business is at Pleasance Cabaret Bar on Thu 14 May from 1-6pm. 


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Novel Writing: pages 1 to 384 launches at the Voodoo Rooms at 6pm on 30 Apr Classes begin from 5 May at The White Horse Bar, 266 Canongate and will be available on YouTube and the Writers' Essentials website the day after each http://writersessentials.com