This novel writing course, Year of the Novel with Ashley Kalagian Blunt, will be held at Writing NSW in Sydney.
Missed out on enrolling in our flagship Year of the Novel program, or ready to dive deeper into your work-in-progress? You can now join Phase 2 – In Person with Ashley Kalagian Blunt as a stand-alone course. Over eight weeks at Writing NSW, you’ll focus on developing the heart of your novel, exploring structure, character, voice and narrative drive, while connecting with a cohort of writers working to turn their ideas into fully realised books. (While the three phases of Year of the Novel are designed to build on one another, each can also be taken as a stand-alone unit.)
Make 2026 the year you finally write that book in this course from bestselling author Ashley Kalagian Blunt. Over eight weeks, you’ll receive the tools, support and encouragement you need to plan, write and edit your novel.
To fully immerse ourselves in how novels work, we’ll refer throughout the year to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. You’ll benefit from reading this award-winning debut novel prior to the start of the course or during the phase.
Please note: Spaces in this course are limited. We recommend enrolling ASAP to secure your place.
Is this course right for you? Read our FAQ before enrolling>>
In this second phase we’ll put some flesh on the bones of your novel, looking at structure and narrative drive, and going deeper with character and plot. As we approach the year’s half-way mark we’ll also talk about how to stay focused and motivated to see this thing through to the end.
Throughout, Ashley will use examples from both contemporary fiction and students’ works-in-progress to explore the topics covered, and guest speakers will share their insights to further expand your understanding of how published writers do what they do.
You should come to the first class with a specific work-in-progress or idea for a novel, and be prepared to share and discuss throughout the year. There will be ample opportunity for you to speak to the group about how various techniques and lessons may be applicable to your specific project; however, one-on-one detailed feedback from the tutor will be limited.
To benefit from this course, you should be working on a novel. You can contact us with any questions before enrolling.
Phase Two: Muscles, guts, flesh and blood
Phase two is all about putting flesh on the bones of your novel, giving your story depth and force and vigour by looking at structure, style and theme, and going deeper with character, voice and plot. As we approach the year’s half-way mark we’ll also talk about how to stay focussed and motivated to see this thing through to the end.
- Workshopping what needs to be done
It’s time to take stock of your work in progress, and set yourself up for success in phase two.
- Macro structure
Structure is what turns a collection of scenes into a satisfying novel. We’ll talk about scene beats and story arcs, and look at common structural templates.
- Advanced plotting: scene structure
We’ll go deep into understanding how scenes work and how we can strengthen ours.
- Character and emotion
How can we use emotion to propel our story forward while revealing character? We’ll consider how messy and conflicting emotions drive story, and discuss power dynamics.
- Backstory and subplots
We’ll look at backstory, time-jumps, transitions and subplots.
- Voice, tone, style
What is voice and how do you find, or develop, yours? What’s the relationship between voice and tone? We’ll talk about metaphor, imagery and finding the exact right word every time.
- POV: going deeper
How does ‘head-hopping’ differ from omniscient POV? And why does any of this matter? Can’t we just tell the story as it comes out? Answers to these questions and more as we dive deeper into the wonders of POV.
- Forging on
We’ve been working on our novels for over half the year by now. It’s time to talk about smashing writer’s block, pushing through frustration and dealing with doubt.
Participant Requirements
- Pen and paper or preferred device for writing. Ensure your device is charged.
- You should come to the first class with a specific work-in-progress or idea for a novel.
- Please read Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman prior to the course start; it may help you to have your own copy to refer to.
This course is designed for writers of fiction. If you have a narrative non-fiction manuscript and are interested in enrolling in this course, please contact us to discuss.
Please note: The in-person and online streams of Year of the Novel are completely separate, so please choose carefully at enrolment. We’re unable to offer transfers between the streams once your place is confirmed.
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