Edit Your Novel is an advanced level course, designed for people who have the first draft of a novel, either a work-in-progress or one you would like to revisit.

The course is suitable if you:

• Have completed our Writing a Novel or Finish Your Draft course or equivalent
• Have an MA in writing
• Are published and working on a new novel
• Would like to broaden your knowledge of the publishing industry and submission process
• Would like to develop new effective editing habits and routines, and take yourself seriously as a novel writer
• Enjoy the discipline of deadlines and peer feedback
• Want to join a friendly and supportive small group of learners
• Can dedicate 10 hours per week for the duration of the course

This course allows you to:

• Acquire the key skills needed to professionally self-edit a novel
• Gain greater understanding of industry expectations around genre, market and publishing
• Clearly identify and pursue your potential as a novelist
• Use editing techniques to diagnose and fix problems in your own work
• Think like an editor and get your novel to a professional standard
• Get to grips with the professional aspects of preparing a manuscript for submission to literary agents
• Edit 10,000 words of your novel, and produce a synopsis and covering letter ready to send out to agents
• Further develop the professional skills novelists require (eg discipline, attention to detail, ability to work to deadlines)
• Increase your professionalism in working with others
• Practise giving effective feedback to other writers and receiving critical notes
• Build greater independence, autonomy and critical judgment as you self-direct, self-manage and realise your project to the course briefs.

Each course is divided into sessions. These sessions are released one by one (weekly or fortnightly, depending on the course). 

There’s no need to log on at a set time. You can work through the learning materials whenever suits you, day or night, wherever you are in the world. Just complete the assignments and join forum discussions by the session deadline. 

Our teaching method is based on the science of active learning: you read/listen/watch, try out, share and reflect. It’s a social experience – you become part of a small group, feeding back on each other’s writing to build a supportive bunch of readers you trust. Find out more here.

Session 1: Plan and Plot – Learn about diagnostic structuring techniques and how to apply them to your own work. Find and fix plot problems and produce a solid structural overview (synopsis).

Session 2: Cracking Characters – Find out how to assess character strengths and weaknesses, and flesh out less defined characters. Analyse characters in terms of their role and function in the plot, looking at character arcs and their impact on structure. You’ll make a detailed analysis of your protagonist, including their inner and external conflicts mapped side by side with your plot structure.

Session 3: What is the Point of View? – You’ll explore different POVs and their effect on tension and readability. Learn the dos and don’ts of POV and how to make yours as effective and intimate as possible. Then edit your work to avoid head-hopping and bring us even closer to your protagonist.

Session 4: Effective Dialogue and Description – Understand the purpose of dialogue and how to juggle context, text and subtext. Explore ways to use description to kick-start the reader’s imagination, and blend dialogue and description effectively within the parameters of POV. You’ll learn to red pen and rewrite scenes effectively.

Session 5: Show-stopping Scenes – Learn how to prioritise material so that each scene has a clear purpose and direction, using questions and answers to increase tension and make scenes shine. You’ll check that each scene in your first 10,000 words is really needed and rewrite one full scene implementing the techniques you’ve learned.

Session 6: Page-turning Pacing – Develop advanced approaches to balancing material — dealing with overwriting or superfluous elements, and knowing when to extend/slow down and when to cut back/speed up. Discover how to apply the idea of pacing to your overall structure.

Session 7: Let Show not Tell Lead the Way – Find out how to spot telling in your writing, and why, how and where to dramatise instead. See how to use ‘show not tell’ as a lens to examine every aspect of your writing and learn how to inhabit the ‘show not tell’ mindset when editing.

Session 8: How to Catch an Agent’s Eye – Create an industry-level package to submit to agents; learn how to research and pitch, with tips on how to land on your chosen agent’s desk. Write a catchy book description and covering letter, using an editing checklist of dos and don’ts. Finalise the synopsis you produced in Session 1.

At the end of the course you’ll receive detailed tutor feedback on your first 10,000 words, synopsis and covering letter. You’ll have the skills you need and the tutor feedback to complete your novel edit to professional standards, and the know-how to prepare an industry standard agent.

It’s very important that we both agree that you and your manuscript are at the right stage to get the most out of this course.

As with all Cornerstones editing services, we like to review applications. You can apply online, by completing this form. We’ll review your application and get back to you within five working days.

If we confirm your place, we’ll email you payment options and the Terms & Conditions. Once payment has been received we will email you a receipt and confirm your place and the course start date. You will be emailed a login and link to the online classroom with how-to steps to get you started.

You can submit online through this site.

Join our alumni community 

After your course, you can join our online alumni community – a friendly group of writers supporting each other as they continue to explore and develop their writing. There’s no cost for this. It’s easy to access via the online classroom, where you can:

• Revisit all your courses materials, including tutor notes, feedback, videos, podcasts and forum posts
• Rejoin your classmates, and continue working together in a private space
• Meet alumni from other courses to find beta-readers and share work on our critiquing forum
• Network with other writers working in your genre or area of interest
• Take part in regular ‘sit and write’ Zoom sessions, to push forward with your work-in progress
• Join our monthly live alumni events with our expert tutors and industry guests, including agents, editors, publishers, competition and festival organisers, and prizewinning writers

Commission a report on your work
If you’d like to receive a personalised, detailed report on your final piece of writing from your course tutor, this is available at an extra cost. You’ll receive detailed written feedback assessing your ideas and writing, plus advice on what steps to take next.

Taking things further
If you’d like to continue on to another Professional Writing Academy course, please get in touch for more details.