Writing a novel (or memoir) is a huge undertaking. Chances are pretty good that you occasionally find yourself overwhelmed by the project, lost, wondering if you started in the right place, unsure if you know how find the right ending, confused about just who your characters are, and daunted by the challenge of making your book stand out among all the other books out there. Don’t worry; help is here. The “Bootcamp” is a four-part series of four-week workshops designed to help you get a handle on the process. Take a single part or all four parts—each part lasts four weeks, with in-class discussion, lecture, writing exercises, and homework. Learn how to get started, how to organize and improve what you already have created, how to focus your voice, and, most importantly, how to finish your book! (Memoirists will find that the material in this class applies equally well to creating a memoir—the basics of crafting a book-length dramatic tale are the same for novels and memoirs.) Taught by William Haywood Henderson, MA, who has slogged his way through three published novels and who, to this day, continues to slog daily.
Part III: Your Novel’s Arc – Your story needs character change, a complex plot, intriguing dynamics, and oh so many other things. In this part of the series we’ll pull from your characters, situations, plot ideas, and book’s world to explore the possibilities for dynamic change over the arc of your story. Some might argue that nothing needs to change as long as interesting things happen along the way—people who make this argument are quite possibly misguided.
Because this is an in-person workshop, by registering you are agreeing to follow our COVID-19 Safety Policy, which requires proof of vaccination for in-person attendance. If you plan to join us in person and have not already, please submit proof of vaccination via this secure form. If you aren't able to provide proof of vaccination by the first week of class, please consider one of our virtual workshops.
What participants are saying about the bootcamp:
“For two years I had an idea for a novel-length story building in my head. I did research, wrote down ideas, imagined scenes. By the second year it became a mammoth of imagination and entirely unapproachable. Then I saw that Lighthouse was offering a class titled Novel Bootcamp. Something that could help me break down the monster in my head into manageable pieces! Through this class I came to know in detail my characters, setting, and the arc of my story. I have an opening and 148 pages of a rough draft. It is the best class I’ve taken in five years.” —Christie Lips
“The materials, exercises, and instructor insights in this series of classes nudged me along, challenged my creative process, and pointed my story in the right direction.” —Ken Lutes
“In August, I had nothing more than an idea and did not feel qualified to even look at any class with ‘novel’ in the title. Emerging from the other side of this four-part series, I now have a working title, a fully-developed idea of the characters, a complete story arc, and even a handful of pages. The in-class discussions provide a lot of inspiration and the exercises really excited my imagination about my characters and the story. While the substance of the series is really helpful, Bill’s mix of patience, encouragement, and humor made it truly enjoyable. Even if you were not planning on ‘writing a novel,’ don’t miss these classes!” —Bridget McNeil
Please note that our 4-week workshops do not include formal critiques, though there may be opportunities for informal sharing. If you’d like your work critiqued in depth, please see the 8-week workshop listings.
