(April 2025) ONLINE 5-Week Course: Editing Your Novel

With Alison May

Thursday 17th & 24th April, Thursday 1st, 8th & 15th May 2025, 7-9pm, live teaching via Zoom

So you’ve written a first draft, or most of a first draft – what next? This course will help you transform that draft into a manuscript ready for submission or publication.

Course Overview: Alison May is an established author, writing mentor, and freelance editor. Across five zoom sessions she will share the skills to revise and edit even the messiest first draft into a finished manuscript.

This course will focus on:

• Understanding the stages of editing a novel: Structural editing, line and copy editing, and proof reading
• Developing a process for editing your own work successfully
• Getting perspective on your own writing: How to be self-critical without wanting to give up
• Common problems writers tackle when revising their own work: messy timelines, inconsistent characters, saggy middles and lots more
• Knowing when to stop: Learning when to step away from your manuscript and move on to the next stage in your publication journey.

Course Highlights/Benefits:

Live Zoom Sessions: Enjoy five interactive live Zoom sessions where you'll receive expert guidance from an established author and editor. Engage in real-time discussions, Q&A sessions, and personalised feedback to enhance your writing skills.

• Sessions tailored to the parts of the process you’re struggling with give you skills you can use during the course and long afterwards
• Writing Community: Connect with a community of like-minded writers during each live session. Share your progress, exchange ideas, and receive constructive feedback in a supportive online environment.

Who is this course suitable for?

• Aspiring novelists and fiction writers
• Writers who are stuck at the first draft stage and don’t know what to do next
• Developing authors who are passionate about honing their skills and craft.

Writing a first draft of a novel is a huge achievement, but it’s only halfway to job done. Editing your own work well is the key to taking your writing to the next level, and this course will develop those skills. Book now to secure your place.

Tutor Biography:

Alison May is a novelist, writing mentor, editor and qualified teacher with a degree in Creative Writing. As well as working one to one with developing novelists, she has taught for NAWG, the RNA, Worcestershire Litfest, the Open University and the University of Worcester, and she was shortlisted for the RNA’s Indie Editor of the Year award in 2022. Past students and mentoring clients have gone on to achieve agent representation, publication with traditional publishers – including Avon, Boldwood, Bookouture, Fourth Estate, Headline, Head of Zeus and HQ – and to self-publish successfully.

Alison currently writes romantic comedies as Amelia Berry and Ally Sinclair, and is published by Hera/Canelo. She has been shortlisted in both the Love Stories and Romantic Novel of the Year awards. Writing in collaboration with Janet Gover, Alison has also published two reinterpretations of misunderstood classic novels with HQ/HarperCollins, under the penname Juliet Bell.

Testimonials:

Alison’s critique advice is just so so wonderful. I can’t believe how helpful it is. Her advice and knowledge have been spot-on every single time. Not only does she point out the little niggles that I knew, in my heart of hearts, should probably be addressed, but she sees the things I can’t see because I’m simply too close to the manuscript. She helped make my debut novel The Forgotten Village worthy of both agent and publisher attention. I wouldn’t be without her.’ Lorna Cook, bestselling author of

‘Alison is a fabulous teacher and it was an absolute pleasure to be in her session,’ bestselling author, Cathy Bramley

‘I’m so glad I took Alison’s course, her enthusiasm for my writing gave me great confidence, and she was particularly good at helping me to work out how to make it better. After her editing workshop, I applied what I had learned to my first draft and my publisher declared me ‘Queen of Edits’. I’ve been to three different courses now and every time I’ve left feeling excited about my writing and able to keep going no matter what difficulties I was having before I arrived.’ Pippa James, author of

Details:

The course will take place online via Zoom Online Meeting software. It is free to download and you will only need the free version to attend. Please download it and check it is working before the day of the course.

Please try and be somewhere you can concentrate and won’t be interrupted. Headphones can be useful if you have some, to cut out other noise.

Bursary Places:

We understand that not all writers are able to pay for their writing courses to further their career, and we run a Bursary Scheme as a consequence. If you feel you need a bursary, please contact us: [email protected].

Please note: you must sign up for the full course even if you cannot attend all dates. No partial course ticket is available.

Short Courses are for over 18s. If you are a young writer, you can sign up for our

Our short courses are collaborative, and you will learn as much from your fellow course attendees as from the tutor. You will be expected to play an active role in group tasks, and you will also have time to reflect on your own writing during sessions.

Course handouts are sometimes (but not always) available, and notes may be available in advance upon request. If you have any additional needs, please contact Writing West Midlands in advance of the course starting and we will try to assist you.

Host or Publisher Writing West Midlands