Edit Your Novel course

Learn how to edit your novel the professional way with our new online course.

Over 18 weeks, take your novel from first draft to submission-ready with our Edit Your Novel virtual course, run in collaboration with Professional Writing Academy. The course covers: plan and plot, characterisation, POV, effective dialogue and description, show-stopping scenes, page-turning pacing, Show not Tell, and how to catch an agent’s eye. By the end, you’ll emerge a pro in self-editing, with a concrete submission package and a list of agents who are open to receiving queries.

Alumni Testimonials

Course testimonials

Mike

“Thanks a million. I’m looking forward to staying in touch with our talented, generous colleagues. I also appreciate your efforts making sure such great resources were available to us and keeping the ball rolling – and Kathryn’s outstanding contribution in so many ways as the go-to person for the course. Cornerstones feels like a home away from home now, so congrats for that and deep gratitude.”

Catherine

“I completed the Edit Your Novel course which was invaluable in helping me take a critical look at my writing and provide me with the tools to improve it. I learned how to think about point of view, pacing and structure of chapters and the book as a whole. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Not only did the course provide practical advice and feedback, I have also made lifelong writing friends who have been incredibly supportive and helpful.”

Jason

“I don’t think I could ever have got my novel to this level without the guidance of this course and the incredible friendship and support of my fellow writers.”

Rohan

“I have found the course extremely constructive and useful. The design and execution of the various elements has opened my eyes to the way editing works. Before I started the course, I wondered about the interactive nature of the class, but I have found that the input from my colleagues at all levels has been full of insight, and invariably constructive.”

Jerome

“The course is brilliant, and the reason I say that is because it is built on firm and reliable foundations.”

Cary

“I knew when I decided to do this course, with the expense considerations and the time, that if nothing else it would at least make me a better writer, but honestly it’s really surpassed my expectations. I just feel like I’ve been given a complete tool-kit.”

Sarah

“I am really enjoying the course. The lessons are teaching me so much about editing. Now I know how to approach some of the challenges in my first draft.”

Andrew

“The course has been absolutely fantastic. I know there will be many challenges ahead (once you step away from one scene and one area of focus things can very quickly start feeling overwhelming again), but I do feel that I have that toolkit to deal with them and, most importantly, not just a rigid set of tools, but the flexible approach that this course encourages you to develop by taking ownership and applying it to your own and others’ work.”

Ewan

“I’ve loved this course and have been recommending it to a couple of my friends. It’s changed how I think about writing (I used to batter out a few chapters then start planning). I’ve written three novels’ synopses since starting this course, so I’ve got my writing sorted for the next little while.

The advice I’ve given is nothing compared to what I’ve received from everyone. You’ve all had a hand in this novel – I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t left a mark on the MS.”

Course Outline

During the course, literary consultants Kathryn Price and Helen Corner-Bryant will show you how to take your novel from draft to agent-ready submission. We’ll introduce you to the techniques used by professional editors based on our time-tested approach to author development, as well as the skills outlined in our essential guide to editing, On Editing. You’ll need to put in up to 10 hours per week to make the most of the course (180 hours over the 18 weeks) – that includes reading and thinking, completing practical exercises, feeding back on your peers’ novels, and contributing to forum discussions. You can work at any time of the day (or night) – you just need to meet the final deadline in each class.

It’s very important that we both agree that you and your manuscript are at the right stage to get the most out of this course.

As with all Cornerstones editing services, we like to review applications. You can apply online by completing this form. We’ll review your application and get back to you within five working days.

If we confirm your place, we’ll email you payment options and the Terms & Conditions. Once payment has been received we will email you a receipt and confirm your place and the course start date. You will be emailed a login and link to the online classroom with how-to steps to get you started.

Please expand the boxes below for a detailed overview of the aims and outcomes from each class.

Class 1: Plan and Plot

Aim: Learn about diagnostic structuring techniques and how to apply them to your own work.

Outcome: Find and fix plot problems and produce a solid structural overview (synopsis). You will talk to your tutor about your novel (15-20 minutes).

Class 2: Characters with Heart

Aim: Find out how to assess character strengths and weaknesses, and flesh out less defined characters. Analyse characters in terms of their role and function in the plot, looking at character arcs and their impact on structure.

Outcome: Make a detailed analysis of your protagonist, including their inner and external conflicts mapped side by side with your plot structure.

Class 3: What Is The Point Of View?

Aim: Examine different POVs and explore their effect on tension and readability. Learn the dos and don’ts of (POV) and how to make yours as effective and intimate as possible.

Outcome (choose one option):

A: Edit 500 – 750 words of your novel to avoid head-hopping

B: Edit 500 – 750 words, using a different POV

C: Edit 500 – 750 words using advanced techniques to bring us even closer to the POV character

Class 4: Effective Dialogue and Description

Aim: Understand the purpose of dialogue and how to juggle context, text and subtext. Explore ways to use description to kick-start the reader’s imagination, and blend dialogue and description effectively within the parameters of POV.

Outcome: Red-pen and rewrite one short scene to make more of your description and dialogue (to include infrastructure, scene- setting and dialogue/cushioning).

Class 5: Show-stopping Scenes

Aim: Learn how to prioritise material so that each scene has a clear purpose and direction, using questions and answers to increase tension and make scenes shine.

Outcome: Check that each scene in your first 10,000 words is really needed and rewrite one full scene implementing the techniques you’ve learned.

Class 6: Page-turning Pacing

Aim: Develop advanced approaches to balancing material — dealing with overwriting or superfluous elements, and knowing when to extend/slow down and when to cut back/speed up. Discover how to apply the idea of pacing to your overall structure.

Outcome: Rewrite a dramatic incident employing pacing appropriate to the subject and atmosphere.

Class 7: Let Show not Tell Lead the Way

Aim: Find out how to spot telling in your writing, and why, how and where to dramatise instead. See how to use ‘show not tell’ as a lens to examine every aspect of your writing and learn how to inhabit the ‘show not tell’ mindset when editing.

Outcome: Edit your first chapter using ‘show not tell’ techniques to guide you. You’ll participate in a tutor-led online group discussion on common problems, with troubleshooting tips.

Class 8: How to Catch an Agent's Eye

Aim: Create an industry-level package to submit to agents; learn how to research and pitch, with tips on how to land on your chosen agent’s desk. Write a catchy book description and covering letter, using an editing checklist of dos and don’ts.

Outcome: Apply the techniques you’ve learned to your first 10,000 words, then write your covering letter and finalise the synopsis you produced in Class 1. At the end of the course you’ll receive detailed tutor feedback on your first 10,000 words, synopsis and covering letter.

You’ll have an edited and industry-formatted version of the first 10,000 words of your novel, together with a synopsis and covering letter, ready to send out to agents. You’ll also have a good working knowledge of the professional editing techniques you need to apply to the rest of your manuscript, and a plan to put those skills into action. At the end of the course you’ll receive detailed tutor feedback on your first 10,000 words, synopsis and covering letter.