This course, Online Feedback: Fiction with Pamela Cook, will take place online.
Do you have a draft manuscript of adult or young adult fiction underway? Are you looking for detailed feedback to help strengthen your work? Join this online feedback course to give and receive feedback on your writing.
In this online program, author Pamela Cook will provide structured feedback on monthly submissions from your manuscript and synopsis (up to 12,500 words total) in an online classroom environment, enabling you to hone your skills over five months.
You’ll also give and receive peer feedback and be able to consider the tutor’s feedback on your fellow writers’ submissions. The tutor’s feedback will focus on specific areas for each of the five submissions, as outlined below.
How does this course work?
Each month, you’ll submit up to 2,500 words of adult or young adult fiction. Your tutor will provide tailored feedback, giving you time to incorporate their suggestions and advice into the next month’s submission. Each month you may submit either new work or a revised version of a previous submission.
You’ll also have the opportunity to read and comment on other participants’ work. This process of giving and receiving feedback from fellow writers is an ideal way to determine what works, what resonates, what falls flat – and how to improve.
This online course takes place on a website specifically designed for writers, making it simple and easy to share your writing, give and receive feedback, and interact with fellow writers.
If you’re ready to challenge yourself and develop your skills through constructive critique and independent work, this course is for you.
Please note:
- This is a feedback-based program. While you are welcome to generate new material for submission during this time, no prompts or themes will be provided.
- You do not need to log into the course at a specific time and there are no live meetings. You will receive an email with an invitation link to join the online classroom a week before the course starts.
Submissions (up to 2500 words of adult or young adult fiction) are due on the following dates, 10pm (Sydney times):
Monday 13 July 2026
Monday 10 August 2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Monday 5 October 2026
Monday 2 November 2026
After each submission date, you’ll have 10 days to complete peer feedback. At the end of each feedback period, you’ll receive your tutor feedback.
Submission One
For the first submission, we will look at how your manuscript begins, focussing on specific areas including what hooks you’ve planted to keep readers turning the pages and the characters you’ve introduced. In addition to the first 2200 words of your manuscript, you’ll also submit a 300-word synopsis, using provided guidelines for writing an industry-standard synopsis.
Submission Two
For the second submission, our focus is on characters, dialogue and point of view in a submission of 2500 words. If you aren’t using dialogue, choose part of the manuscript where we see your protagonist through their actions.
Submission Three
For the third submission of 2500 words, we will concentrate on plot and conflict. Think about the cause and effect in your work that leads to rising and falling action.
Submission Four
In the fourth submission of 2500 words, you will choose an area of your manuscript where setting is most prominent. If your work does not have a clearly defined setting, choose a scene that highlights why this might be.
Submission Five
The fifth and final submission is your opportunity to select 2500 words of your manuscript that you would particularly like feedback on and to ask a specific question about it. For example, you might be concerned whether a character’s motivation is clear, or whether a particular action is obvious – or too obvious! If you don’t have a particular question and would just like some general feedback, that’s fine too. You may also like to challenge yourself by including tracked changes in your submission to demonstrate your ability to edit your own work.
What You’ll Gain From This Course
- Detailed written feedback from an experienced fiction writer on your manuscript
- Guidance on key elements of fiction craft including openings, characterisation, dialogue, point of view, plot, conflict and setting
- The opportunity to test and refine your synopsis alongside your manuscript
- Structured opportunities to develop your work over five months
- Insight from reading and responding to other writers’ submissions
- A supportive online classroom of fellow fiction writers
Participant Requirements
Internet access and confidence using basic computer software are essential for this course. Please read our FAQ> before enrolling.
Please note:
- This Online Feedback course is not suitable for aspiring or beginning writers. We recommend that you have completed at least one other creative writing course before enrolling in our Online Feedback program.
- By enrolling in this course, you are committing to providing feedback on other participants’ work as well as receiving feedback on your own submissions. Providing thoughtful peer feedback is a core part of this program and a requirement for participation. Read this article here for more information.
If you’re unsure if your manuscript would be suitable, please contact us to discuss.
We recommend having your synopsis ready before you start this course. You can draft it using our synopsis writing guide here.
Reviews
‘The feedback was great…I think what I enjoyed most was the discussions the feedback prompted, both as a writer and as a reader.’ – Dean, 2023
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