Work on a novella this Spring with tutor Kiare Ladner in Collage Writing Room’s cosy North London retreat and join a supportive writing community.

Wednesday evenings 6.45pm-9.15pm; Feb 26, March 4, 11, 18, 25, April 1; cost £99; venue Writing Room, 40 Cumberland Road, London N22 7SG. Contact Kate Pemberton at kate@collage-arts.org for more information or to book a place.

Are you intrigued by the idea of writing a novella? Maybe you’re wondering how to finish that short story that keeps getting longer and longer… or you have a novel that’s run out of steam. Perhaps it wants to be a novella?

Although still very popular in Europe, the novella is a neglected form in the UK in these days of ‘more bang for your buck’ doorstop novels. So why not do something different with this year’s writing resolution and get Novella Fever with short story writer and author, Kiare Ladner. Kiare’s short stories have been shortlisted or received honourable mentions in competitions including the BBC National Short Story Award, the Bridport Prize, the Short Fiction Competition among others and appeared in Ambit Magazine. Kiare’s debut novel Nightshift will be published by Picador in 2021. Here’s what she says about the course:

“In six weeks, we will aim to make a start on (or even finish) drafting a novella. There will be plenty of exercises in class, and the opportunity for your work/ideas to be work-shopped by your peers. We will look at the various elements of fiction: creating characters, plot and structure, dialogue, editing, point of view, voice and tenses. The focus will be on examining the craft, as well as on your own writing practice, and lots of published works will be referenced for your information.

During intensive weekly sessions, we will discuss what gives the novella form its particular power. We will also think about the value of the instinctive in our writing and the general shape a story of this length this may take.”

All levels welcome.