This is a craft and workshop hybrid class for students who are interested in learning more about writing novels. Discussions will include short story pacing versus novel pacing; identifying whether an idea is better suited for a novel or a short story; coming up with ideas for novels; the essential elements of a novel; outlining novels; and more. We will read and discuss two short novels in this course, and by the end of the course, all students will have written, workshopped, and polished a first chapter of a novel, and will leave the course with a roadmap for how to complete their book.

Instructor: Allison Darcy

Dates: Begins Wednesday, January 15, 2025 and meets every Wednesday for six weeks total (NOTE: the class will skip February 12 but will still meet for six weeks total and the last class session will be on February 26)

Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Level: Beginner and above

Location: Letters Bookshop, 116 W Main St, Durham, NC 27701

8 seats max

$615: true price

$349: base price

$374, $399, $449: donate an extra $25, $50, or $100 to our scholarship fund

(Returning students receive 10 percent off).

A note on pricing:  the “true price” reflects the true cost of the class, which includes paying a fair wage to our staff and instructors, rental fees for the Redbud headquarters and for the community spaces where we host our classes, website and administrative/commerce fees, outreach and advertising to spread the word about our offerings, and the coordination and administration for our community classes, which serve people who could not otherwise access creative writing. We’re not a university or a large corporation and that means we don’t have an operating budget we can rely on; we’re proud to be a small, local, women- and minority-run business that is passionate about bringing the transformative power of the arts to our community. Your tuition helps Redbud with the critical work of keeping the arts accessible to the public. 

We also offer students a chance to donate to our scholarship fund. At check-out, you will be given the option of choosing a donor price. If you choose one of these prices, the extra $25, $50, or $100 will go towards scholarships for students who would not be able to afford our classes otherwise.  Thank you in advance for considering making a contribution to inclusivity and access!

Read the fine print, including our refund policy, here.