You as a novel writer – why do you want to write this novel, and why is now the right time? Establishing your intent, your mission as a novel writer and committing to the expedition. Finding the right idea – taking inspiration from the world around you, or asking your inner writer to give you a good idea. Share a summary of your novel idea.

Who is going to inhabit this story? And what needs to happen to that character: drama is action! Exercises to help you catch up with your central character and ask them what they long for and want to achieve. Getting more curious about your character and how to introduce them to your reader (and the group) for the first time.

Bringing real or imagined settings to life in your novel, with practical sensory description techniques. What makes this different from writing a non-fiction description? How to get inside your narrator character so readers have a sense of seeing everything – action, landscapes, interiors, other characters – filtered through the very specific lens of this fictional person.

The art of listening for the difference in how people express themselves, and how to ‘hear’ the voice of a character in your head when you are writing. What suits you best as a point of view choice – experiment with what comes naturally and other options. Who is most affected by the events of your story?

How character and plot are intertwined. Build a short scene to introduce your character’s ordinary world, learning how to bury clues and get your readers begging for change. Structural systems to try out, with tricks of the trade including a map in three acts. The dance between plotting and trusting the muse, allowing some space for magic and the unexpected.

How to tell your story in three simple sentences and build it up into a synopsis, a stand-alone version of the story that will help you write a first draft and has the potential to be the blurb readers read on the back-cover. The seven elements of a synopsis and how to enjoy its creative process, clarifying your idea, allowing you to focus on the scope and shape of the story, and learn secrets about your characters, voice and potential as a novelist.

We’re finally there: you have two weeks to immerse yourself in the fictional world you’re creating and write the opening of your novel. We’ll look at setting your narrator’s mood as the novel opens, finding an overarching ‘voice’ that will feel comfortable over the length of a novel, and techniques to draw readers instantly into your fictional world. With your tutor you’ll also think about what next, and how to keep up momentum as a novel writer.