As a writer, you already know that the more you write, the better you get. Writing and reading should be an integral part of your life but what about writing courses. Are they worth it? This is what I want to explore in this article and tell you about the Finish Your Novel Course I recently completed in conjunction with the Irish Writers Centre.

 

The only way to get better at writing is to keep doing it and a writing course can’t really teach you how to do this. You have to put pen to paper on a regular basis and only you can do this. There are so many people who want to write a novel, short story, poem, etc., and they spend a fortune taking courses, learning everything they think they need to know, and at the end of it, all they have is a bunch of notes. No course will give you completed novel; you have to write it yourself. What a writing course can give you though is some great tools to use.

Creative Writing Courses Removing Fears and Doubts 

Towards the end of 2017 when I decided to take my writing seriously, I started going to writing courses. I felt that I needed to do this. I felt like an imposter and that without a college degree no publisher or agent would take me seriously. If you feel like this writing courses can be great. Imposter syndrome is something that a lot of writers experience and I only know this after attending courses and mixing with other writers.

All the fears you have, all the doubts; you discover that other writers have these too, even those teaching the courses. It’s a surreal experience to sit in a room full of strangers and throughout the course of the day realise that most of the people feel the same way as you do. I don’t know any writer that attends a course thinking that they are the next JK Rowling. More often than not, you’ll find that most, me included, doubt ourselves and our writing. It’s humbling and refreshing all at the same time.

I’ve attended a number of different courses over the past year and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. I’ve come away with a sense of achievement. I’ve come away feeling motivated. And I’ve met some wonderful people. For me, one of the best things about writing courses hasn’t just been the valuable information I’ve received, it’s been meeting other writers and seeing that I’m not alone in my fears and doubts. That in itself can’t be given a monetary value.

Adding Tools and Enhancing Your Craft

Whether you’re a beginner or you’ve written dozens of books, there is always something to take away from a writing course. You get to add new tools and hone your craft. You also get to listen to others reading their work and if it’s a hands-on writing workshop you get to create something new as well. There are different writing workshops for every genre so if you always wondered what writing romance or crime would be like a workshop in these genres can let you dip your toes in the water and see if you like it.

Finish Your Novel Course With Conor Kostick

I’ve spent the last 6 weeks taking the Finish Your Novel Course with Conor Kostick. The course was held in conjunction with the Irish Writers Centre and held in Cavan which is a thirty-minute drive for me. For two hours every Tuesday, I was immersed in the world or writing and I’ve learned more from this course than any of the others I’ve taken.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this course but I’m so glad I booked it.

On the first week, Conor explained that we would be reading from our works in progress and receiving feedback and critique. This in itself was enough to spark the fear demon that lives inside me. Reading aloud is something that terrifies me and add to that reading to strangers, and I was in a panic. The dreaded critique word was also mentioned and my inner critique clapped its hands.

Now everyone can say how useless you are.

Yes, my inner critic is terrible and likes to find any way it can to stop me from writing. I imagined having to read and everyone around the table saying how terrible it was or just silence. Either way, I was in a panic and stumbled over the first piece I read, losing my breath on occasion. My fears were quenched that first night. Conor was an expert and through listening to him, I learned all about proper critique. There was no negativity, no putting you down. He highlighted the good parts and the bad parts weren’t bad; they were areas that could be improved with suggestions of how. As each person in the room read and Conor delivered his feedback I realised just how important critique can be. I picked up things from listening and by the end of the six weeks, I’d like to think that I can now also give valuable feedback to others.

So, the course itself.

Each week an hour was spent discussing a different topic followed by an hour of reading. For each topic, Conor brought a relevant extract from some classic novels as an example and explained how and why it worked. The topics included:

• Point of View
• Dialogue
• Character
• Setting
• Description
• Prose

Everything focused on things we could do to polish and perfect our novels and it really opened my eyes to so many possibilities. I have to be honest, the thought of rewriting and editing is something I dread and I usually tend to finish my first draft, do a read through to correct glaring errors and then send it to my editor so she can work her magic.

What Conor thought me though has actually left me excited about the editing stage. I’ve realised that you can have a good story with your first draft, but a good story isn’t what you want. You want a great story and the tools he’s provided and the knowledge he shared means that I now look forward to doing this.

In week six, the final week, or the course, I read from the latest chapter I was working on. The opening of the chapter was descriptive – which again is something I try to avoid because I’m not a fan of over-descriptive writing – and using the information from the previous week I had created a piece that received great feedback. One of the other writers even said it was the best thing I’d ever written, and she was probably right. I took what I learned and put it into use and what emerged on the page was description that not only described where my character was but also her mood.

I learned so much on this course and the notes I took will serve me in every book I write. I’m now excited about finishing my first draft of Winterland and spending the time necessary to turn it into the powerful story I know it can be and if I’m lucky the agent who has requested the manuscript will want to represent me.

The Finish Your Novel Course suggests that add 2,000 words to your novel each week or edit 5,000 words if that is the stage you’re at. I began the course at 41,000 words and by week six I was up to 68,000 words.

Are Writing Courses Worth it?

My answer to this question is definitely yes. You gain confidence, you get to spend the say with other writers talking about writing, and you get to build connections. They do cost money but you should look at them as an investment. You and your writing are worth it.

The Irish Writers Centre has a list of courses and connecting with local writers groups and libraries can help you find more. I would recommend signing up for the Irish Writers Centre newsletter so you know when courses are happening and check out the Irish Writers Editors and Publishers group on Facebook. Writing.ie is another great resource for writers too.

Until next time,

Keep reading and writing,

Amanda