Novel Writing 2: The First Draft

Many of us aspire to write a novel and we can carry around an idea for years without putting pen to paper, or fingers to keys! Some of us actually begin but it can be hard to maintain momentum and potentially great novels can go unfinished. Novel Writing 2: The First Draft is the second of three courses in a novel writing series. It is not compulsory for students to have done Novel Writing 1, as long as they have a novel proposal and are confident that they are ready to begin writing a first draft.
In Novel Writing 1, students develop their ideas and work on building the world of that novel and in this second course, Novel Writing 2, students will aim to write a first draft of their novel (which can then be worked on in Novel Writing 3: The Rewrite).
Novel Writing 2 course will, first, encourage you to set your writing goals and begin to keep a log of your work. Through writing exercises and tutor feedback, you will develop a story arc and plot points, while reflecting on your writing process. The course will introduce you to a range of writing techniques as well as strategies for plotting and structuring your novel. It is important for you to get words on the page, and therefore the focus of the course will be on encouraging you to commit to writing a certain number of words per week. Each unit therefore offers advice and encouragement and the chance to discuss problems with the tutor and group.
This online learning course enables you to study from home and participate in an online community of other students. The module is delivered through Blackboard, our online learning environment. This module can be studied as a stand-alone course, but it is also an optional module for the Certificate of Higher Education in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University.

Assessments
Plan of first draft 20% 300 words
Reflective Commentary 80% 1500 words

Note

This module is at CQFW Level 4