Finish Your Novel with Conor Kostick
Do you need that extra push to finish your novel? Would you benefit from discussions about writing technique and close analysis of your work-in-progress? Join us for this 10-week online masterclass and gain the momentum you need to finish your draft.
Applications will open in April 2025
Dates: 6:30pm - 8:30pm, Wednesdays 25 June - 27 August 2025
Fees: $1195 or $1095 for Varuna alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront.
Applications close: 5pm (AEST) 14 May 2025
Places: Up to 15 participants will be selected
For over twenty years, Conor Kostick has been teaching his popular Finish Your Novel course at the Irish Writers Centre, and Varuna are delighted to offer it in Australia and New Zealand . The course is designed to help you maintain the momentum to finish your novel, via discussions of key novel-writing techniques and group-based feedback on your work. Conor will be leading the program from his home in Ireland.
All participants will receive a 45 minute one-on-one session with Conor towards the end of the program.
You will spend the first hour of each of the ten group sessions looking at how texts from a range of classic works deal with challenges in novel-writing: exploring narrative voice; characterisation; writing good dialogue; prose; writing dramatic scenes; romance; themes; world building; and writing the antagonist. The second hour will be spent giving feedback on your work and the work of fellow participants.
While the course will benefit writers at all experience levels, from those working on their first novel to established, published authors, you are expected to commence the course with a particular work-in-progress that you intend to finish as a result of the motivation that the course provides.
There will be up to 15 participants in the program.
The main goal of this course is for participants to obtain the momentum to finish their novels. The course offers the opportunity to strengthen a range of writing techniques via discussions of excerpts from masterful novels, including:
Creating an immersive narrative voice so that your readers forget where they are and lose themselves in your story
Writing great dialogue that avoids the pitfall of simply serving the plot and deepens the reader’s enjoyment of the characters
Addressing a theme to raise the impact of the story, so that the reader puts the book down and reflects upon it
Create engaging characters whose journey the reader is absorbed by
Raising the quality of the prose so that when necessary you can turn on your inner Virginia Woolf or Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Develop world building that allows the reader to understand your story, without alienating them with clumsy exposition.
Participants will meet and get to know other novelists, who will become supportive colleagues, well informed about your writing goals and capable of giving valuable feedback.
You will also become better informed about the current state of global publishing and the options for publishing your novel.
PROGRAM OUTLINE
Wednesday 25 June, Class 1: The importance of an immersive narrative voice
Wednesday 2 July, Class 2: Writing with dramatic intensity
Wednesday 9 July, Class 3: Raising the bar – the art of prose writing
Wednesday 16 July, Class 4: Creating engaging characters
Wednesday 23 July, Class 5: Love - writing persuasive romantic scenes
Wednesday 30 July, Class 6: The art of writing dialogue
Wednesday 6 August, Class 7: Theme – lifting the novel up a level
Wednesday 13 August, Class 8: World building without choking the novel
Wednesday 20 August, Class 9: The believable antagonist
Wednesday 27 August, Class 10: Publishing today
ABOUT CONOR KOSTICK
Conor Kostick is a commissioning editor and the author of a number of successful books. In 2009, he was presented with a Special Merit Award by the Reading Association of Ireland; in 2010 he was the Farmleigh Writer-in-Residence. Conor is often asked to judge literary competitions and in 2016 and 2019 was the president of the Irish jury for the EU Prize for Literature. Conor will be teaching this program from his home in Ireland.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications will open in April 2025.
Entry to this course is by application. Writers will be selected based on the creative potential of their work, commitment to craft, openness to collaborating with peers and the balance in the group.
Course fees are $1195 or $1095 for Varuna alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront.
Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 14 May, 2025. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their submission by 28 May.
Feel free to call 02 4782 5674 or email amy@varuna.com.au to discuss your application.
TESTIMONIALS
“Conor Kostick’s ability to demystify the writing process and provide clear, actionable feedback has significantly enhanced my writing. The course’s structured approach coupled with Conor’s engaging style made complex processes accessible, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the craft of writing. Conor’s personalised feedback was one of the standout features of this course. His thoughtful critiques of everyone’s work and encouragement were invaluable. The course fostered a supportive and collaborative atmosphere, creating a space where everyone felt valued and motivated. ”
“A unique approach to unpacking issues with story, I found a new way back to a novel I’ve been working on for years. Extremely helpful. ”
“Conor asked all the right questions to make us think carefully about our plot, characters, story arcs and voice. The course was rigorous and well planned. Best of all, it has motivated and equipped me to finish writing.”
“It was so fabulous to connect with other writers, hear all their current views on various subjects. Reading their work and receiving their feedback was very valuable. They were all so articulate and clever. And most of all, I’m very grateful for Conor’s honesty, his deep knowledge of literature and his skill at revealing the mechanics of fiction writing.”
UPCOMING COURSES, FELLOWSHIPS AND EVENTS
