Online on Saturday 28th May, 10am – 4pm UK time
An exclusive one day writing course for those who wish to improve their skills and take their novel or memoir manuscript to the next level – with Writing Coach Founder Jacqui Lofthouse
- Are you a writer of fiction or memoir, ready to kick-start your writing career and take your writing really seriously?
- Do you love writing but feel stuck with your manuscript, uncertain how to get the reader deeply engaged?
- Do you need help with your opening chapters, making your work come alive, keeping the reader turning the page?
- Are you stuck in the middle, wondering how you’ll ever get to the end?
This course is for all fiction or memoir writers who want to really improve their work and complete a finished manuscript. If you have dabbled in writing fiction or memoir but now want to make strides with your writing or if you’re an experienced writer looking to polish a second draft of the work, this course will make a real difference to your output and your craft. You will learn what literary agents and publishers are looking for, but equally importantly how you can achieve this, whilst maintaining your authentic voice.
One special aspect of this course is the opportunity to have one of our experienced consultants review up to 50 pages of your work and provide a full written report and talk with you individually to discuss your work and make editorial suggestions. This can be particularly useful if you are preparing to submit to literary agents and publishers.
The Developing Your Novel or Memoir course covers:
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- Overcoming blocks to the writing process
- The ingredients of a winning first chapter
- How to ensure that your work has focus and direction
- Making every chapter count – how to avoid the ‘saggy middle’
- Character development and ‘shifts’
- Maintaining pace and tension in the novel
- The myth of the perfect plot
- Realism – how to make the reader believe in your world
- Common mistakes to avoid and how to improve early drafts
- The pros and cons of self publishing
- How to make your work appealing to literary agents and publishers
- Staying emotionally connected to your novel
Your tutor Jacqui Lofthouse is Founder of The Writing Coach and has had four novels published (including by Penguin and Bloomsbury) and twenty years of experience teaching and coaching writers.
At the end of the day, you will have:
- A clear idea of how to progress your writing and take it to the next level
- New ways of thinking about your fiction and staying connected to the process
- A notebook full of ideas and completed practical writing exercises
- Awareness of exact steps to take to improve your writing
- All essential course notes with key points covered during the day
- A knowledge of what the publishing industry is looking for
- Clear information about the pros and cons of self-publishing
- A bunch of new writing colleagues and friends
- A new, freshly inspired outlook on your writing
Jacqui Lofthouse writes:
My aim is that every participant on this course goes home with a very distinct awareness of what they need to do in order to truly commit to their writing work and an understanding of how they can make that work as good as it possibly can be. All participants will go away with very specific knowledge about improving their work and how they can get closer to the story too, so that they feel more compelled to write, more passionate about connecting to their writing and more certain that the effort will be rewarded in the marketplace. I will be available for one-to-one q & a at the end of the day and look forward to answering individual questions.
Fees
Developing Your Novel or Memoir Course: £85
Developing Your Novel Course with Feedback on 50 pages of your work: £425
If you choose the feedback option, you will work with one of Jacqui’s team at The Writing Coach.
Your Tutor:
This course is run by Writing Coach founder Jacqui Lofthouse. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, having studied under Malcolm Bradbury and Rose Tremain. Jacqui is the author of four novels, The Temple of Hymen, Bluethroat Morning, Een Stille Verdwijning and The Modigliani Girl. Her novels have sold over 100,000 copies in the UK, the USA and Europe. She has taught creative writing in a broad variety of settings including at Richmond Adult College, the Cheltenham Festival and City University, London. She is currently editing her Young Adult novel. She is an established and experienced coach and mentor, having helped many authors to publication and frequently mentors writers at all levels, from beginners to MA Creative Writing graduates and published authors.
Here’s what one former client has to say about her work with Jacqui:
Finding Jacqui has been the best thing I’ve done in furthering my writing career – better by far than any course I’ve undertaken or any help I’ve received from agents and editors. Trying to make the transition from academic writing to commercial non-fiction is not easy, but thanks to Jacqui’s insight and support, I finally feel like I might be ready to make it happen. For the first time, I know what I want to do and how I’m going to do it! What I’ve appreciated most of all has been her uncommon ability to put her finger on what needs to change, and to express it in a way that actually motivates me to rewrite. I’ve learned so much, and thoroughly enjoyed it, too. I’d recommend her to all the struggling, baffled and overwhelmed writers I know, if I didn’t want to keep her all to myself… – Dr Victoria Best, author of An Introduction to Twentieth Century French Literature
Read more testimonials here.
Practical Information:
Date: Saturday 28th May 2022
Time: 10am – 4pm UK time
A word from Jacqui Lofthouse:
I’m so excited to be offering this Developing your Novel or Memoir course. I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge and working with you to move your writing career to a new level. You will have access to full course notes and have the opportunity for individual feedback. The course will also enable you to see where you need to specifically focus in order to polish your work and make it both entirely your own and also market-ready. I would love to meet you on the day!
