Write Your Novel with Sofie Laguna

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Work alongside Miles Franklin award winning novelist Sofie Laguna to breathe life into your novel, taking it out of the ‘too hard basket’ and shaping it into the story it deserves to be. This Varuna course will take you through all the elements of novel writing, as well as providing an opportunity to receive feedback from your peers.

Applications now closed.

Dates: Course has closed.
Delivery: Online
Fees: $1550 or $1450 for Varuna Alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront.
Places: 8 participants will be selected (small group).

• ABOUT THIS MASTERCLASS

  Is it time to approach your novel with a fresh perspective? Time to write with renewed enthusiasm and commitment? Want to make discoveries? Test your limits?

  Miles Franklin award winning novelist, Sofie Laguna, will guide you through the process of writing your novel, providing you with tools that will stay with you long after the course has been completed. Each week, Sofie will cover a different element of novel-writing, from character and plot, to dialogue, setting and theme, using examples from classic texts as a springboard.

  Participants will engage in discussion, undertake writing exercises and contribute to group workshopping in a safe and expressive environment. At the same time Sofie will remind you that writing can feel playful, pleasurable and meaningful.

  Finally, participants can expect to meet a community of supportive writers with whom they can share the journey.

  This is a small group program for 8 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 work underway on a novel-in-progress.

• PROGRAM OUTLINE

  Session One

  • Introduction

  • Beginnings

  • Generating Raw Material

  Session Two

  • Process and Practice

  • Developing Character

  Session Three

  • Plot, and Building a Structure

  Session Four

  • The Function of Scenes

  Session Five

  • Dialogue

  Session Six

  • Setting

  • Workshopping

  Session Seven

  • Themes, Motifs, Symbols and Imagery

  • Workshopping

  Session Eight

  • Revisiting Structure, the 8-Point Plan

  • Working with Time – Flashbacks, Time Jumps

  • Workshopping

  Session Nine

  • Genre – What Kind of Novel?

  • The Full Cast of Characters

  • Workshopping

  Session Ten

  • Endings and What Comes Next

  • Discipline, Drive and Faith

• ABOUT SOFIE LAGUNA

  Sofie Laguna has written five novels for adults which have won numerous literary awards including the Miles Franklin Award, the Colin Roderick Award and the Indie Award. Titles include The Eye of the Sheep, The Choke and Infinite Splendours. She has also been shortlisted for the Stella Prize, the ALS Gold Medal, the Voss Literary Prize, the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, and longlisted twice for the Dublin IMPAC International Literary Award. Sofie’s latest novel is The Underworld.

• HOW TO APPLY

  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 your peers, and the balance in the group.

  Course fees are $1550 or $1450 for Varuna alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront.

  Applications are closed.

  Please refer to Varuna’s general submission guidelines for any questions on formatting your work.

  Feel free to call 02 4782 5674 or email amy@varuna.com.au to discuss your application.