BARNES LITERARY SOCIETY
creative writing courses

Writing a Novel?​

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Perhaps you're just starting to write a novel, finding ideas for your first draft, or are in the middle of writing your novel now. Perhaps you have a draft that isn't quite there yet and you're not sure why it isn't working or what to do next. Perhaps you've made several attempts to start a novel but have never managed to sustain it. This course is designed to help writers at all these stages.

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Some things we'll cover: getting started (or finding new pathways, if you're already working on your novel); developing ideas and characters; narrative voice and point of view; sense of place and atmosphere; storyline and shape. There will be plenty of time to share your work for feedback and discussion (but no pressure to read aloud if you prefer not to) and to see your work develop week by week. You'll receive feedback from Susanna along with suggestions and ideas for development. If you have to miss a session, you can catch up with the activities and writing prompts in your own time.

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Susanna Jones

Susanna Jones' novels have been translated widely and won awards including the Betty Trask Award, the John Creasey Dagger, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and Fiction Uncovered. She has also written short stories, articles and is currently writing for screen.

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Susanna has thirty years' experience as a teacher. From 2003 to 2018 she was the main fiction tutor on the MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway University of London. Many of her former students have gone on to publish novels and win awards. She has taught students of all levels, from beginners to PhD students. THE EARTHQUAKE BIRD has been adapted for film by Netflix, directed by Wash Westmoreland, starring Alicia Vikander and produced by Ridley Scott. It premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival in 2019.

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She now specialises in teaching small workshop groups.