Course descriptionA course for writers with some experience who would like to expand their novel-writing skills and
to complete a novel to high standard. It offers:
* Location | London is the world capital of publishing, and home and inspiration to novelists from Charles Dickens to Zadie Smith, Henry James to Monica Ali. Students have access to a wide range of contemporary novelists and to leading agents and publishers
* Guest speakers and tutors | The leading novelists who have recently spoken with and/or tutored students on the course include Doris Lessing, Monica Ali, Nick Hornby, Val McDermid, Will Self, Lionel Shriver, Hilary Mantel, Ardashir Vakil, Jake Arnott and Bernardine Evaristo
* Advisory board | The advisory board includes the novelists Bernardine Evaristo, Maggie Gee, Nick Hornby, Doris Lessing, Michelle Magorian, Hilary Mantel, Sara Maitland, Val McDermid and Patrick Neate
* Completion of a novel | The course offers students the support, encouragement and skills required to complete a novel to high standard
* Diversity | No single genre, style or form is prescribed. Literary novels, crime novels, fantasy fiction, comic novels, novels for young adults… all are respected
Course overview
The programme is designed to provide a supportive, thought-provoking and challenging environment for novelists to develop their skills, experiment with approaches to writing, reflect on their own work and that of other writers, learn about the industry and complete a novel to a high standard. It uses as its touchstone the experience of established writers. The advisory board includes the novelists Bernardine Evaristo, Maggie Gee, Nick Hornby, Doris Lessing, Michelle Magorian, Hilary Mantel, Sara Maitland, Val McDermid and Patrick Neate.
The programme encourages students to be ambitious and imaginative in their writing. No single genre, style or form is prescribed. Literary novels, crime novels, fantasy fiction, comic novels, novels for young adults are all respected. The ethos is excellence and diversity, with an emphasis on recruiting students of different ages and from a wide range of backgrounds.
The programme is designed for writers with some experience who would like to complete a novel to high standard. Located within City University's world-respected department of Journalism and Publishing, it shares the department's commitment to excellence and professionalism. Using the experience of established novelists as its touchstone, the programme aims to create the optimum environment for students to experiment with and reflect on their practice, to learn about the industry and marketplace and to complete a novel to a high standard.
Part-time course
The programme is usually followed part-time, over two years. Each year consists of three ten-week terms.
In terms one and two, workshops, lectures and tutorials are held on two evenings a week and on the occasional Saturday. These are principally concerned with extending students' skills, understanding of the novel form and awareness of creative possibilities; with analysing the work of leading writers and exploring that work through a variety of exercises, including writing reviews and a journalistic literary essay; and with lectures by visiting novelists (recently, among others, Doris Lessing, Monica Ali, Nick Hornby, Val McDermid, Will Self and Lionel Shriver).
In terms three, four and five, students work mainly on their own novel with the support of one-to-one tutorials and participation in workshops. In term six (the final term) workshops, lectures and tutorials are again held on two evenings a week, and the occasional Saturday, with the focus now on lectures by agents, publishers and other industry professionals and on media training. Most workshops and exercises take place in groups of approximately twelve students.
Full-time course
Designed primarily for overseas students, the full-time option is as above except in two respects. First, it allows students to attend lectures by agents, publishers and other industry professionals - and to take part in media training - in the third term of year one. Then, over the following year (the "writing up" year, when students will work at home on their own novel), they will be supported by scheduled telephone and email tutorials.