Shape your story into its brilliant final form
This program is for writers who:
Have graduated from our Write Your Novel program
Have completed a first draft (or more) of their manuscript
Are seeking expert guidance and feedback on their writing
Want to join an elite writing group and benefit from advanced workshopping
Are ready to perform a structural edit on their work – so they can prepare their manuscript for publication
“Feedback from the class and the tutor after each submission was great. Course content was great. I learnt a great deal about story structure and what needs to happen in each scene. Helped me look at my work in a more critical way and improve the quality of my novel.
“It’s a great collaborative learning environment and you learn ‘specific’ aspects of writing rather than ‘general’ theory.”
– Uma Srinivasan, Edit Your Novel graduate
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[description] => Edit Your Novel is a masterclass exclusively for Write Your Novel graduates
You’ve learnt the essential techniques for fantastic fiction. You’ve written and workshopped your first draft all the way to ‘The End’. Now you’re ready to shape your manuscript into a publisher-ready piece of art. It’s time to Edit Your Novel!
Starting the redrafting process can be daunting – but we’re here to help
When you’ve finished your first draft, it’s hard to know where to start making it better. (And you know it needs to be better!) This program combines the proven benefits of group workshopping with a streamlined editing process so you can shape your story with confidence.
In this six-month program, you’ll edit your novel following the Australian Writers’ Centre’s signature Power Editing Process – guided by an experienced online tutor and an intimate group of writing peers. You’ll enjoy in-depth discussions and personalised feedback in regular Zoom sessions. And you’ll experience the joy of seeing your manuscript through to its next stage.
VIEW YOUR PROGRAM OUTLINE
Across the six months, you will:
- perform a structural edit on your novel following the Power Editing Process
- be guided each step along the way by an experienced tutor
- workshop your novel and receive regular feedback with your writing peers
- identify the weak points in your story and discover what you need to do to strengthen them
- emerge from the program with a next-level draft of your book and a set of beta readers to read it.
Structure of this online live program
- This program gives you access to your own online classroom and weekly Zoom sessions, where you’ll be able to connect with other classmates and workshop your novel in a supportive environment – with people who share your passion and are at the same level of experience and achievement (no newbies here).
- You'll be guided by your online tutor – on hand for any questions you may have and to provide personalised feedback on your work. Our tutors are experienced experts with years of knowledge to draw on. They’re like your mentor throughout this program.
- Before the first Zoom, you will be asked to complete two things to get you off to a flying start. The first is a synopsis of your novel. The second is creating a list of scenes from your manuscript and mapping the list to the 3-act structure. (We provide handouts and guidance on both of these tasks.)
- This program has been designed to help you finish your next draft, providing the structure and discipline to make it happen within the timeframe, using the Power Editing Process as a step-by-step guide.
- We’ll help you make the hard choices that editing a book always entails – how to ‘kill your darlings’, cut the flab, fill in the blanks, and always with the goal of making your story the best version it can be.
What can you expect?
- Weekly Zoom classes to help you work through the Power Editing Process with the guidance of your online tutor.
- Before the program starts, we provide handouts and guidance for two important foundations of the program (a synopsis and a scene list) that need to be completed before the first Zoom session.
- Dedicated workshopping with your tutor and classmates to help you with specific sections of your novel.
- You'll provide regular feedback to other students in the program on their novels – a valuable way to enhance your writing skills.
- Your full novel will be read by your peers (in a small group), and you'll read theirs.
- Expert feedback on your novel’s edited climax and resolution from your online tutor.
Take the loneliness out of editing
It can be quite a solitary endeavour trying to edit your whole novel all by yourself. Edit Your Novel brings you back to working with a group who can encourage you, point out where you need to improve, and act as your ‘tribe’, even after the program is over. And of course, you’ll be guided through the process by one of our experienced online tutors, who have mentored countless authors just like you. It’s the best of both worlds – you improve your book, and you develop editing skills which you can use again and again in your future writing. Do you want to work with a group of aspiring authors like you who are committed to becoming better writers? Do you want guidance and help in completing your next draft? Then join us for Edit Your Novel!BONUS Inside Track: direct access to a publisher
Students who participate fully in the program – which means submitting your writing and giving feedback to your classmates – will be rewarded with a rare opportunity. Pitch to a publisher You’ll be invited to a group practice pitching session with Jo Mackay, Head of Publishing at HQ, HarperCollins Publishers. This is conducted Live over Zoom. Your manuscript will be read by a publisher When you feel your manuscript is ready to submit, we’ll provide you with specific instructions so that you bypass the slush pile and your manuscript will go directly to Jo Mackay – and it will be read. (Please note that this is no guarantee of publication and it will then go through a regular submission process and the associated timelines, which can be long.) An invaluable opportunity This opportunity is, quite frankly, priceless. But, thanks to our collaboration with HarperCollins, we can offer it to students in this Edit Your Novel program. If you’re serious about writing your novel and getting it published, apply now.How to write your novel with AWC
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: I’m writing a memoir. Is this program suitable for that? A: The focus of the program will be on novels and fiction, but many of the same issues (especially structure) apply to memoirs. Not all of the Power Editing Process exercises will be applicable to memoir, but you should still be able to improve your draft through this program. Q: I have most of my first draft done. Can I join the class and finish the draft as I go? A: No. You must have the entire draft finished before you join the class – the first exercise, in Module 1, requires you to have a completed draft. If you want to finish your first draft, we recommend Write Your Novel. Q: What do I need to prepare for Edit Your Novel? A: To apply for Edit Your Novel, you must be a graduate of our Write Your Novel program and have a complete first draft of your novel. If accepted, there are two tasks that you will need to complete before the first Zoom session – a synopsis of your novel, and a list of scenes mapped to the 3-act structure. We provide handouts and guidance on how to complete both of these tasks. It's important to set aside time to complete them both in the weeks leading up to the first Zoom session. Getting these tasks done before the first Zoom will help you a great deal, and start the thinking you will need in order to improve your draft. Redrafting can be difficult and frustrating and confusing – but that’s why we’re here! We’ll go through this journey together, and end up with a better book. Q: I’ve done three drafts, and I think my novel really just needs a polish. Will this program give me my money’s worth? A: Almost certainly. Three drafts is great (and congratulations for getting that far!). But you may find, once you start analysing your manuscript using the Power Editing Process, that you need to do more than you think you do. And receiving regular feedback from a group of experienced beta readers and supportive tutor during this final stage of your manuscript is priceless. Q: Can’t I just do the Power Editing Process on my own? A: Yes, indeed you can. This process is outlined in the Cut, Shape, Polish course, and it’s been designed so you can work through it to get your next draft. If you’re self-motivated and confident about making your own editing decisions on your manuscript, go for it. However, editing within a supported framework has a number of advantages:- Assessment and guidance from an experienced tutor.
- Feedback from beta readers (your fellow students act as your beta readers).
- A timeline – and a deadline! – which will keep you on track to have a fully completed draft in six months.
- Advice on your next steps.