How to write a novel
Choose a starting date
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 28 Jul 2025End Date: 01 Aug 2025Mon+Wed+Fri (Evening): 17:30 - 19:30OnlineFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £45.00
- Start Date: 18 Aug 2025End Date: 22 Aug 2025Mon+Wed+Fri (Evening): 17:30 - 19:30OnlineFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £45.00
- Start Date: 06 Nov 2025End Date: 20 Nov 2025Thu (Evening): 18:00 - 20:00OnlineFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £45.00
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This course aims to demystify the art of novel-writing, equipping students with working methods for getting started on their own long form fiction projects.
What will we cover?
Concept
Characterization
Point of view
Setting
Narrative drive
The writing life.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- draft a strong beginning for your novel
- understand the essentials of plot and structure
- appreciate the significance of archetypes in storytelling
- give and receive critical feedback on your work with sensitivity.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is aimed at people new to the craft of novel-writing, but interested in making a start. You will need a good grasp of spoken and written English to participate in the course.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The sessions will comprise a mixture of themed instruction, exercises and workshopping. There will be homework and additional challenges.
All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.
For classes longer than one day, regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Pen and paper (or digital equivalent).
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Students will be encouraged to take what they have learned and produced in the course of the term and start work on that novel they’ve always wanted to write! If you feel confident, you can also progress to Developing your novel. Check out our prospectus for further details.
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Thomas McMullan lives and works in London. He is the author of Groundwater (Bloomsbury, 2025) and The Last Good Man (Bloomsbury, 2020), which won the 2021 Betty Trask Prize. His short fiction has been published in Ploughshares, The Dublin Review, Granta, 3:AM Magazine, Lighthouse and Best British Short Stories, and his journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement, frieze, ArtReview and BBC News. His practice also encompasses scripts, both for stage and film, and narrative design for video games. For the latter, he was the lead writer on Rollerdrome (Roll7, 2022), which won the 2023 BAFTA for Best British Game.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.