Delivery method: Online learning with tutor support. 

Novel Writing: Beginning a Novel can be studied as a stand-alone course and it is an optional course for the Certificate of Higher Education in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University. 

Course Description

Many of us aspire to write a novel and we can carry around an idea for years without putting pen to paper, or fingers to keys! Some of us actually begin but it can be hard to maintain momentum and potentially great novels can go unfinished. Novel Writing: Beginning a Novel can be studied as a stand-alone course, and it is also the first of three courses in a novel writing series.

This course will encourage you to generate a number of potential novel ideas and then help you narrow it down to one. Through writing exercises and tutor feedback, you will develop a basic outline for your novel, while reflecting on your writing process. The course will introduce you to a range of writing techniques as well as strategies for plotting and structuring your novel. You will also learn how to write a synopsis.