Develop Your Book Idea

Do you want to develop your book idea, taking it from a kernel in your mind to something fully-formed?

For the last five years I have designed and taught creative writing courses in collaboration with Writers & Artists. This course, derived from my experience of teaching for Bloomsbury, is my first solo residential venture. It is suitable for writers of fiction and creative non-fiction. All participants will be provided with a collaborative space in which to develop individual writing styles and book ideas.

We will go through each stage of idea and story development, thinking on structure and the all-important hook, character and voice, as well as how to define your plot. We’ll explore techniques and methods to keep you writing once the course is finished, and you will receive guidance on how to get your writing ready to submit to agents and publishers. 

Four 2.5 hour workshopping sessions to allow for feedback on your project from Natalie and your peers.

• 10 hours of advice from an experienced author and creative writing tutor

• Practical sessions with hands-on exercises designed for you to revolve around your ideas

• Guest speaker and a literary evening

• Course materials printed for you before you arrive

• Broad range of contemporary writing guides included in workshop discussions

• Your group will consist of a maximum of 8 students

• Opportunity for a 1-1 mentoring session with Natalie

• The support of a group of like-minded people, with opportunities to socialise together and form friendships, and an ongoing writing group.

• Texts we’ll be looking at: Lily Dunn: IntoBeing; John Yorke : Into the Woods; how stories work and why we tell them; Robert Olen Butler : From Where You Dream: the process of writing fiction ; Dorothea Brande : Becoming a Writer; Julia Cameron :The Artists' Way; Natalie Goldberg : Writing Down the Bones; Vivian Gornick : The Situation and The Story; Stephen King : On Writing ; George Saunders : A Swim in a Pond in the Rain