Novel Jumpstart

Do you have an idea for a novel but don’t know where to start? For both beginning writers and experienced authors, this course will break the journey from concept to first draft into concrete, attainable steps. We'll cover brainstorming exercises, research tips, character development prompts, story structure principles, and tools for outlining — and how to conceptualize a story if outlining is not for you. Writers will leave with a solid foundation for a novel and an understanding of how to build a personal process that's reproducible, flexible, and fun.

This class is strongly encouraged for aspiring novelists interested in applying to Charlotte Lit’s Authors Lab program.

Members save $45 on this class. Log in as a member or join to receive the discount.

Thanks to generous donors, limited need-based scholarships are available for all our classes: https://charlottelit.org/scholarships/

Sarah Archer's debut novel, The Plus One, was published by Putnam in the US and received a starred review from Booklist. It has also been published in the UK, Germany, and Japan and optioned for the screen. As a screenwriter, she has developed material for MTV Entertainment, Snapchat, and Comedy Central. She is a Black List Screenwriting Lab fellow who has placed in competitions including the Motion Picture Academy's Nicholl Fellowship, the Tracking Board’s Launch Pad, and the Austin Film Festival. Her short stories and poetry have been published in numerous literary magazines, nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize, and reached the finals of the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. She has spoken and taught on writing to groups in several states and countries, and interviewed authors around the world as a co-host of the award-winning Charlotte Readers Podcast. You can find her online at saraharcherwrites.com.