How to Write a Novel: Writing the Draft from edX

Have you created an outline and now feel prepared to start writing your novel? Or have you started a novel draft only to find your interest or confidence waning? In this course, the international best-selling authors and professors from The University of British Columbia’s renowned School of Creative Writing introduce the essential fiction craft toolbox for writers struggling with the common hurdles of first drafts.

While ideas and inspiration are often enough to ignite interest in writing a novel, writers can quickly lose confidence, especially when their best efforts have inadvertently produced flat characters, waning conflicts, tangled plots and weak dialogue. Reaching your goal of writing (and perhaps, publishing) a novel requires an understanding of fiction’s deeper mechanics and a familiarity with the specific craft elements that will help translate your creativity and imagination into compelling paragraphs, scenes and chapters.

Through writing exercises aimed at developing new skills, concrete examples from published novels, feedback and discussion with fellow writers and opportunities to identify and strengthen weaknesses in their own projects, learners will broaden their knowledge of fiction craft as they explore creating memorable characters, the art of scene design, tactics for managing unwieldy plots and steps for writing layered and meaningful dialogue.

Whether you’re beginning your novel draft or nearing the end, this course is a unique opportunity to learn the essentials of strong fiction writing from award-winning authors sharing their proven methods and approaches.

The course is recommended for professional and aspiring writers, writing groups, those participating in NaNoWriMo, teachers and anyone who has a novel in progress.

What's inside

Learning objectives

The elements of complex, dimensional characters
How to craft believable dramatic dialogue
Tactics for managing complicated plots

The demands of high emotional stakes from scene level to story level
Strategies for seeing your draft through to completion

The elements of complex, dimensional characters
How to craft believable dramatic dialogue
Tactics for managing complicated plots
The demands of high emotional stakes from scene level to story level
Strategies for seeing your draft through to completion

Syllabus

WEEK BY WEEK BREAKDOWN

Every Week

Students will watch instructor videos, interviews with authors and readings. Each week there is at least one assignment, regular group discussion topics and instructor feedback in the form of a question & answer podcast.

Week 1: Introduction / The Aesthetic Journey

Introduction to the course.

Ways to structure and organize your writing time.

Point of view: from whose perspective will the reader experience the story? Each comes with its advantages and disadvantages.

Types of prose and their uses.

Voice: a strong, consistent stylistic quality that permeates your writing.

Beginnings. The first sentence, first paragraph, and first page.

Assignment : Explore several different openings for your novel and assess the impact of each one.

Week 2: The Art of Conflict and Tension

Active and Passive Characters. How to give a character more agency.

Character Complexity and Conflict. Internal, interpersonal and societal antagonisms help build complex and fully realized characters.

Tension in Scene.

Backstory and Flashbacks.

Assignment : Tackle a scene that illustrates a key “turning point” that offers crucial insight into your main character.

Week 3: Crafting Believable Dramatic Dialogue

What is the function of dialogue in fiction?

How dialogue differs from everyday speech?

What dialogue should never do.

What are the hallmarks of great dialogue.

How to work with subtext.

Exploring the depths of your character: what is spoken, what is unspoken and what is unspeakable.

How to format dialogue and work with dialogue tags.

Assignment : Write dialogue in several different forms, exploring the multiple ways it will function in your novel.

Week 4: Managing Plot

The evolving outline. What to do when you start to stray from your initial outline.

Troubleshooting Structural Problems..

Troubleshooting plot in five popular fiction genres (literary, speculative, crime, historical and romance).

Endings. How to navigate through writing an effective ending.

Assignment : Write the end of your novel: the last chapter, last scene, last moments. Tools of analysis.

Week 5: Research

Why do research? What can research bring to different types of fiction writing?

When to do research.

What should you research?

How do you best incorporate research?

Case studies. Historical Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Crime Fiction, and Socio-Political fiction.

The ethics of research.

Writing about yourself and your family.

Assignment : you will apply this week’s work in an exercise that challenges you to evaluate several different ways of incorporating research.

Week 6: Mind over Manuscript

Blind Alleys. How to identify and back out of them.

Procrastination and Hitting the Wall. Ways to combat these mental blocks

Grappling with Theme.

Dos and don'ts.

Assignment : This week's assignment will be to complete the Tool of Analysis. This will help you identify your weaknesses and ultimately provide the solutions to overcome them.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores complex, fictional characters, which is core to developing strong stories

Examines the art of creating believable dramatic dialogue, which helps learners develop strong voices for their characters

Covers various genres of fiction, which provides a broad foundation for learners

Provides strategies for managing complicated plots, which can help learners overcome a core challenge in storytelling

Helps learners see their writing draft through to completion, which can help learners overcome a common obstacle in completing their novel

Requires learners to come in with some background experience in writing

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in How to Write a Novel: Writing the Draft with these activities:

Organize Course Materials

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Establish a system for organizing your course materials, including notes, assignments, and readings, to enhance your ability to locate and review information.

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Gather all relevant course materials.
Create a designated storage space for physical materials, such as a binder or folder.
Use digital tools, such as note-taking apps or cloud storage, to organize electronic materials.
Establish a naming convention for files and folders to ensure consistency.

Explore Online Resources on Plot Development

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Expand your knowledge of plot development techniques by accessing online tutorials and resources that provide guidance and examples.

Browse courses on Plot Development

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Search for reputable websites or platforms offering tutorials on plot development.
Choose a tutorial that aligns with your writing goals and level of experience.
Follow the instructions and complete the exercises provided in the tutorial.
Take notes on key concepts and techniques.

Read 'Writing Fiction' by Janet Burroway

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Enhance your understanding of essential fiction craft elements by delving into this comprehensive guide that provides valuable insights and techniques for improving your writing skills.

View Writing Fiction on Amazon

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Acquire a copy of 'Writing Fiction' by Janet Burroway.
Allocate dedicated time for reading, aiming for at least 60 minutes per session.
Read actively, taking notes of key concepts, techniques, and examples that resonate with you.
Reflect on the material, considering how it aligns with your writing process and goals.

Four other activities

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Write Character Profiles

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Develop in-depth and compelling characters by crafting detailed profiles that explore their motivations, backstories, and complexities.

Browse courses on Character Development

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Brainstorm a list of characters and their key attributes.
Consider their physical appearance, personality traits, and personal histories.
Write a character sketch for each, outlining their strengths, weaknesses, and conflicts.
Share your character profiles with peers for feedback and discussion.

Dialogue Writing Exercises

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Enhance your ability to write natural and engaging dialogue by practicing a variety of exercises focused on different aspects of dialogue construction.

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Identify a scene or situation that requires dialogue.
Write the dialogue, focusing on character voices, subtext, and emotional depth.
Analyze your dialogue, considering its strengths and areas for improvement.
Repeat the process with different scenarios and characters.

Write the Opening Chapter of Your Novel

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Kickstart your novel writing journey by crafting an engaging and captivating opening chapter that sets the tone and introduces your main characters and storyline.

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Brainstorm ideas for your novel and develop an outline.
Choose a compelling starting point for your story.
Write a detailed description of the setting and introduce your protagonist.
Create a conflict or challenge that sets the plot in motion.
End the chapter with a hook that leaves the reader eager for more.

Contribute to an Open Source Writing Project

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Engage in collaborative writing by contributing to an open source writing project, providing valuable feedback and refining your skills in a supportive environment.

Browse courses on Open Source

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Identify an open source writing project that aligns with your interests and goals.
Join the project's community and familiarize yourself with its guidelines.
Choose a specific task or area to contribute to.
Submit your contributions for review and feedback.

Career center

Learners who complete How to Write a Novel: Writing the Draft will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Author

An Author is someone who writes books, articles, or other forms of literature. Those who wish to become an Author may appreciate this course because it directly teaches how to write a novel. Specifically, learners will learn how to write complex characters, believable dialogue, and compelling plots. These skills are all essential for a successful Author, whether one writes fiction, non-fiction, screenplays, or another form of literature.

See salaries and explore the career path for Author

Screenwriter

A Screenwriter is someone who writes scripts for movies or television shows. This course will be helpful to learn how to write compelling characters, dialogue, and plots that are essential for success in this field. Additionally, this course offers instruction in how to incorporate research into your writing, which may be useful for writing historical, science-fiction, or other types of screenplays.

See salaries and explore the career path for Screenwriter

Playwright

A Playwright is responsible for writing plays for stage performances. This course may be helpful because it teaches how to create complex characters, believable dialogue, and compelling plots, which are skills that any successful Playwright must master. Additionally, this course offers opportunities to get feedback from other writers and instructors, which is valuable for improving one's craft.

See salaries and explore the career path for Playwright

Copywriter

A Copywriter is in charge of creating persuasive and engaging written content for marketing and advertising purposes. Whether writing website landing pages, ad copy, or other forms of collateral, a Copywriter must have a strong understanding of how to write for an audience. Taking this course may be useful to help build a foundation in writing compelling characters, dialogue, and plots, which can be useful for writing persuasive copy.

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Journalist

A Journalist is someone who investigates and reports on news and current events. While this course does not directly teach journalism fundamentals, it may be useful for developing skills in writing compelling narratives, conducting research, and structuring content.

See salaries and explore the career path for Journalist

Technical Writer

A Technical Writer is responsible for writing user manuals, training materials, and other technical documentation. This course can be useful for learning how to write clearly and concisely, skills that are essential for any Technical Writer.

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Editor

An Editor is someone who reviews, edits, and proofreads written content created by others. This course can be helpful for learning how to identify and correct errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Additionally, this course can help develop skills in providing constructive feedback, which is essential for Editors.

See salaries and explore the career path for Editor

Writing Instructor

A Writing Instructor is someone who teaches students how to write effectively. This course can be useful for learning how to develop and deliver lesson plans, as well as how to provide constructive feedback to students. Additionally, this course offers opportunities to get feedback from other writers and instructors, which is valuable for improving one's teaching craft.

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Professor of Literature

A Professor of Literature is someone who teaches and conducts research in literature. While this course does not directly teach literature, it may be useful for developing skills in critical thinking, analysis, and writing.

See salaries and explore the career path for Professor of Literature

Marketing Manager

A Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and executing marketing campaigns. While this course does not directly teach marketing, it may be useful for developing skills in writing persuasive and engaging content.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager

Public relations manager

A Public Relations Manager is responsible for managing the public image of an organization or individual. While this course does not directly teach public relations, it may be useful for developing skills in writing persuasive and engaging content.

See salaries and explore the career path for Public relations manager

Speechwriter

A Speechwriter is responsible for writing speeches for politicians, business leaders, and other public figures. While this course does not directly teach speechwriting, it may be useful for developing skills in writing persuasive and engaging content.

See salaries and explore the career path for Speechwriter

Novelist

You are an expert career advisor, holding posts advising students at prestigious institutions. These include the likes of Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, and Columbia. Additionally, in your spare time, you advise professionals on making successful career pivots. Learners enroll in this course to get into or advance a career. It is possible that this course does not mention jobs. Nonetheless, generate 15 jobs that are correlated with this course. These are jobs that learners of this course might be attracted to. Where possible, recommend jobs that also maximize "fit_score". If fit score is below 20, find a replacement that is above 20.

See salaries and explore the career path for Novelist