15) Novel Writing (Advanced)

About this class

This course is designed for the busy aspiring writer who would like the building blocks to plan and begin a manuscript. We use a day long, interactive seminar format. No previous writing experience is necessary.

Course worksheets and support materials will be shared in a private Facebook group.

Class Outline

In the morning session, we will discuss the basics of fiction based on the 3 Act structure and use exercises to get participants thinking about their own stories. After a brief break for lunch (bring your own) participants will spend in class time working on incorporating literary devices, into their writing projects. These include plot, scene, and dialogue (among others). To make the most of this course, participants can complete guided writing activities as homework. Participants will need to bring a binder with plastic holders, a pen, and notebook to every session.

Materials needed

Please note: VCUQatar reserves the right to cancel classes for which not enough participants are registered. Already paid fees will be refunded.

Please do not purchase materials until VCUQatar has sent final course confirmation.

Items to buy for this class

Participants are required to buy their own materials beforehand and bring them to every class

paper, pencil, pen
laptop and charger
usb flash drive

On occasions, there may be some more materials to be bought and brought in if and when advised by the instructor.

Where to buy your materials

Most of the materials are available from any art supply shop, for example:

Cass Art (Fire station): Community Classes students get a 15% discount upon presenting the registration ticket
Jarir Bookstore: on Rayyan Road or Salwa Road
Color Note: on Al Nasser Street
Ibn Al Qayyim: at Markhiya Roundabout
Al Rawnaq

Schedule

Start: Sat, 19 Oct, 2019
End: Sat, 19 Oct, 2019
Lessons: 1
Days: Saturday
Time: 12:00 pm – 3:00pm
Location: VCUarts Qatar
Cost: QAR 500

Instructors

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian Desert was fortuitous in many ways since this is where she met her husband, had two sons, and became a writer. She has since published eight e-books, including a momoir for first time mothers, Mommy But Still Me; a guide for aspiring writers, So You Want to Sell a Million Copies; a short story collection, Coloured and Other Stories; and a novel about women’s friendships, Saving Peace.

Her coming of age novel, An Unlikely Goddess, won the SheWrites New Novelist competition in 2011.

Her recent books have focused on various aspects of life in Qatar. From Dunes to Dior, named as a Best Indie book in 2013, is a collection of essays related to her experiences as a female South Asian American living in the Arabian Gulf. Love Comes Later was the winner of the Best Indie Book Award for Romance in 2013 and is a literary romance set in Qatar and London. The Domestics is an inside look into compound life, the day-to-day dynamics between housemaids and their employers.

After she joined the e-book revolution, Mohana dreams in plotlines. To learn more about her work visit her website.

Register

To register for this course, access the form.

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