Novel in Progress: A Master Class in Revision (in-person class) — This class is now closed.

Instructor: Kristen-Paige Madonia
$1,499* Members | $1,499* Nonmembers
Select Tuesdays (see below), 1/5/23 – 9/12/23** | 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Application Deadline (extended): 12/10/22
*Payment plans will be available to students accepted into this program.

Before applying for this in-person class, please read the following statement about requirements to enroll:

By registering for an in-person offering, you attest that you have been vaccinated for Covid-19. WriterHouse strongly recommends any student at greater risk for contracting Covid-19 wear a mask. In the event of significant Covid-19 upticks, students must be prepared for the mask policy to change and to transition to a virtual platform if necessary. No refunds will be issued if in-person classes/seminars need to transition online.

Overview:

Novel in Progress is an opportunity for writers to study the craft of creative writing, share and workshop portions of their novel manuscript, provide and receive constructive criticism, and work with a published author at an MFA-level of instruction as they work their way through the rewriting and revision process for their novel in progress. This nine-month intensive program will offer support and structure by helping students establish goals and writing habits while working to meet deadlines. Class discussions will focus on the art of revision. Because critical assessments can sometimes be counterproductive during the early drafting phase, this intermediate/advanced course is for fiction writers who have completed their novel draft or have made significant progress on their novel and are close to completing a full manuscript. This course will provide accountability, community and motivation during the revision process and will offer the structure, companionship, feedback and emotional support to help authors rewrite and revise their novel in one academic year.

Novels of all genres are welcome; previous workshop experience is required and students will be asked to submit a writing sample as a part of the application process.

Details:

This course will be an MFA-level writing workshop focused on revision techniques and will provide constructive criticism for each writer. The goal of this workshop is to assess each students’ novel in progress and to identify any shortcomings in craft areas such as characterization, point of view, structure, plot, and scene development. Students will submit their work to the group at least three times and will receive detailed feedback from the instructor and their peers outlining the strengths of the piece submitted and commenting on opportunities for growth and improvement during revision. Following the workshop, typed comments for each submission will be shared with the author. Workshop discussions will address techniques to make dialogue more effective, to utilize setting to amplify tension and character development, to strengthening character development, to micro-editing prose, and more. By looking carefully at other writer’s novels-in-process, students will learn how best to revise their own work. When time allows, we will also discuss selected writings on the craft of revision, focusing on how to sharpen our own narratives.

Students will receive interview links, reading and writing prompts via email during the weeks class do not meet to serve as motivation and inspiration for their revisions. Each student will also receive one 30-minute one-on-one conferences with the instructor to help establish their goals as they move out of the classroom environment and into the submission/query process.

Each submission will be approximately 50 pages long, allowing each author to workshop up to 150 during the course of the class. Consequently, this is a reading-heavy course; please expect to read up to 100 pages of material for each meeting.

Additionally, each month students will submit a one page “process letter” to the instructor sharing information about their goals and progress, struggles and triumphs, for that month. This letter will be a launching board for one-on-one emails and communication with the instructor throughout the course.

All classes will be held in-person on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. except the first class, which will meet on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023 in-person at 6:00 p.m. Meeting sessions are approximately two and half hours long, and required texts will be announced in December. If possible, the class will conclude with an outdoor public reading and graduation hosted by WriterHouse.

Class will meet in person every three weeks for nine months on the following days:

Jan. 5, 2023 (introductory class / no workshop – please note, this class will take place on Thursday, NOT Tuesday); Jan. 24, 2023; Feb. 14, 2023; Mar. 7, 2023; Mar. 28, 2023; Apr. 18, 2023; May. 9, 2023; May 30, 2023; Jun. 20, 2023; Jul. 25, 2023; Aug. 1, 2023; Aug. 22, 2023; and Sept. 12, 2023. Dates subject to change as the course progresses.

Who Should Take This Class?

• This class is designed as a continuing course for those who have taken Kristen-Paige’s Putting the Pen to the Page novel generator course and have a full first draft (or a large percentage of a draft).
• Those working toward the goal of completing a revised draft of a full-length novel.
• Writers seeking structure and support during the novel-writing process.
• Writers, published or not, interested in intensifying their commitment to their current work in progress.
• Writers who respond well to deadlines – workshop readings and critiques will be the sole mode of exploring storytelling during the the course.

I expect you to show up prepared to contribute to our conversations every time we meet. The class will only be as strong as you make it, and that means fully committing to the classroom community. You will be responsible for meeting your deadlines and honoring each students’ investment.

• Writers looking to discover, cultivate and develop their own voices through storytelling. There will be no censoring of genre or subject matter.

This will be an inclusive community focused on strengthening each students’ passion, drive and creative work.

• Writers searching for a community that will extend past the completion of this course. My hope is that you find long-term readers and colleagues through this class.
• Writers seeking empowerment – this class will empower you to embrace the joys and challenges of completing your novel and seeking publication.

Application Information:

This class will be limited to eight students, and students will be asked to submit a 10-page writing sample to be reviewed by the instructor to determine if the applicant will be admitted to the class. This sample can be a short story or novel excerpt. If you have previously taken Kristen-Paige’s Putting the Pen to the Page novel generator course, no sample is required as Kristen-Paige already knows your writing: you are assured acceptance into this course.

Deadline: Applications are due Dec. 10, 2022; acceptances will be emailed shortly after. Upon acceptance, the remaining balance of the tuition will be due. Payment plans will be available for students accepted in this program; the first payment will be due on 12/19/22.

Please note, this program is for novelists who are prepared to make a strong commitment to their work; students will be expected to participate for the entire nine-month program.

Following the completion of the course, students will have the opportunity to purchase additional editing services from the instructor at the following discounted rates:

• Full manuscript review up to 275 pages – $2,800
• Partial manuscript review of 125 pages – $1,400
• Partial manuscript review of 65 pages – $680

Additional information available upon request.

This class is full.

About the Instructor: 

Kristen-Paige Madonia is the author of the young adult novels Invisible Fault Lines (2016) and Fingerprints of You (2012), both published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Hailed by Judy Blume as “A remarkable young novelist,” Madonia was the 2012 D. H. Lawrence Fellow, and her short fiction has appeared in such publications as the Greensboro Review, Five Chapters, the New Orleans Review, and American Fiction. She has received fellowships from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Hambidge Center, the Vermont Studio Center, Juniper Summer Writing Institute, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Hedgebrook Writers’ Retreat, Millay Colony for the Arts, and the Studios of Key West. She was the 2010 recipient of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival award and was granted the Marianne Russo Fellowship to attend the 2008 Key West Literary Seminar. She holds an MFA from California State University, Long Beach and teaches creative writing at James Madison University, Goochland County High School, and WriterHouse. She lives in Charlottesville, VA and is a Faculty Mentor with the University of Nebraska’s low-residency MFA in Writing Program.