SYLLABUS

Week 1: Logline and 1-page 3-act outline. Synthesizing the central conflict of the work and creating a 3-act outline are useful in conceptualizing your novel. Email me your logline and outline, preferably in Google docs or a Word document. Try to keep it to one page, single-spaced. I will respond with feedback. 

Week 2: Modified version of Francesca Lia Block's 12 Questions to Structure Your Novel. These questions are designed to further hone the arc and structure of your novel. Email me your answers in Google doc or Word doc, and try to keep responses under two pages. I will respond with feedback. 

Week 3: First page of novel. The first page must be designed to hook a reader, agent, and/or publisher. A reader will decide whether they are going to keep reading in an instant. Start with a hook. Establish the genre, tone, and writing style. Introduce the lead. And try to establish the want, or at least a want. On the first page, your character should want something and there should be something in the way. Email me the first page of the novel, single-spaced, one page. I will respond with feedback. 

Week 4: Last page of novel. My idea is not that you necessarily know the last page of your novel, or that this will be the actual last page. The goal is to get you to think about how you want your protagonist to change and where you want them to end up. The idea is to come up with an endpoint to work towards in the writing process. One page. I will respond with feedback. 

Week 5: Query letters. A query letter is a one-page letter sent to literary agents in an effort to get them excited about your book. You have one page and 300 words (or less) to woo a literary agent into requesting your manuscript. I will respond with feedback. (Optional: compile a list of agents and/or editors to query.) 

Week 6: Lingering questions. This week, email me lingering questions about your novel, the writing process, and the path to publication. No limit, and I will answer them the best I can!