WHEN 12 weeks, July 10 - October 2 Online chats: Thursdays, 10-11 pm EST WHERE Online. Click here for information. LEVEL Intermediate PRICE $610 ($575 for ) more info

Course Details

You want to write a novel. So what's the big deal? Well, it's a daunting task. What's the actual writing process? Do you need an outline? How can you stop procrastinating and improve your self-discipline? How can you better manage your time and work when you feel defeated and uninspired?

Join 11 fellow writers in your pursuit of a first draft, under the guidance of a novelist who knows what she's doing -- and what you need to do. You'll learn the lost art of craft, the power of the outline, and how to find the "hook" that will sell your novel.

You'll get weekly lessons on such topics as characterization, point of view, style, dialogue, plot, and silencing your inner critic. Students will share their work with the class at least three times during the course and will be encouraged to discuss the progress of their novels on a weekly basis, if time permits.

In this class, you will learn:

By the end of class, you will:
Be well on your way to completing the first draft of a novel.

Admission requirements:
Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history) and a fiction writing sample (less than 2,000 words).

The online classroom has several interactive components:

• Instructors post lectures once a week. You can read them online, print them, or download them at your convenience.
• Students post completed assignments for feedback and discussion by the instructor and class.
• Weekly chats allow your class to get together via instant message. Transcripts are available for review if you can't attend.
• Technical support is available from mediabistro staff.

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Instructor Bio

Erika Mailman's Courses

Erika Mailman is the author of The Witch's Trinity (Random House, 2007), a novel about a medieval woman accused of witchcraft, and Woman of Ill Fame (Heyday Books, 2007), about a Gold Rush prostitute. She has also published two non-fiction books about Oakland history, and is a columnist for the Montclarion newspaper in Oakland. She is a graduate of the MFA program in poetry at the University of Arizona, Tucson. She has taught creative writing at the University of Arizona, the Tucson Open University, and others. Her first novel took her eight years to write and is unpublishable. She figured out how to outline, and wrote the first draft of her second novel in one month?and it's now in print.

Testimonials

As a writer who had struggled for years with an ungainly novel, I approached 'The 12-Week Novelist' with equal parts skepticism and hope. Erika's example, encouragement, acuity and good humor inspired every writer in our class and helped to keep us focused on our goal. At the end of 12 weeks I had a finished draft and a road map for revision. Time and money well spent. -- Bradley Owens

"Erika Mailman is a smart, savvy instructor. I've enjoyed her lectures, critiques, and support. I would sign up for other classes because she taught them." -- Portia Stewart

"Erika Mailman is an excellent instructor who provides helpful feedback in an engaging and fun manner too. She knows how to motivate her students and is willing to share personal anecdotes when appropriate. Erika makes an online course more intimate for her students that by the end you wish you can continue." -- Sandra Seligsohn