“The Novel Society” understands that a workshop focusing on writing a novel has to be tailored to the individual student. Novels consistently prove themselves exceptions to the generally understood upon rules in their own ways. Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow is not like Rachel Cusk’s Outline. Georgi Gospodinov’s Time Shelter is not like Trust by Hernan Diaz. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders is not like Paradise by Toni Morrison. When we teach the novel, we teach not only the fundamentals, but — as the above hopefully indicates — the wide variety of places those fundamentals can take us. A novel encourages the holistic exploration of knowledge. It tries on a variety of figurative melodies for size. Above all, it is a journey, and we encourage you to take that journey with us.
We’re currently forming the next session and would love to hear from you.