Tuesdays, 8-11 pm EST, 12 months, from March 5th to February 25th
online; 8 students max
$6000
(pay all at once or in two payments, the first half due on enrollment, the second half due on June 1, 2024)
Enroll in this class.
Writing a novel is hard, but it doesn’t have to be lonely! This competitive, intimate, all-genre 12-month manuscript intensive is designed for writers who have a book begging to be written, who are interested in understanding and mastering the art form from the ground up. From Dreamseed to Final Draft is a multi-dimensional year-long artist space that exists in three phases, each suited to a part of the manuscript life cycle: drafting, revision, and publishing. Unlike other novel generators which focus solely on manuscript production, this course is built to be an immersive creative experience, weaving together literature study, Tarot, astrology, writing philosophy, and literary marketplace 101 to open up the art of novel craft in a wholly new way and demystify the process of getting the finished work out into the world. The manuscript you will produce here will be the byproduct of your course experience (as Yves Klein says, “My canvases are only the ashes of my art”) but the toolkit you’ll come away with will serve you in every step of your creative journey.
Drawing on over a decade of experience in writing, editing and teaching, Mila Jaroniec has designed this first-of-its-kind class specifically for Writing Co-Lab. If you missed out on Mila’s classes at Catapult, or you're looking for something totally different than what's out there, this is the one to take!
Course takeaways and exclusives:
- 120 hours of instruction, including up to six (optional) genre-sensitive workshops of substantial excerpts per student
- Four 30-minute one-on-one meetings with the instructor
- Four optional Tarot consultations to diagnose and illuminate creative issues (separate from the 30-minute meetings)
- Traditional and unconventional craft assignments, including writing exercises, readings, art projects, and tailored field trips/artist dates
- A list of personalized next steps, including a future revision schedule for the draft produced, agent suggestions, career guidance, and more
- A deeper understanding of the craft of novel writing and an in-depth exploration of how to develop a narrative across the span of a book
- Personalized reading suggestions during and after the course
- A full manuscript consultation with Mila whenever you want, be that as soon as you finish your draft or after your fourth revision – never expires!
- Guaranteed recommendation letters from Mila whenever you need them (for graduate programs, residencies, jobs, etc.)
- Lifetime comped subscription to Black Lipstick
- Greater fluency with the contemporary literary marketplace
- Professional and creative insights from guest visitors, including authors, agents, editors and independent publishers
- A close-knit community of peer readers
- A unique class format that emphasizes generativity and artistic sensitivity in equal measure
- A deeper understanding and appreciation of yourself as artist and observer
- A complete novel draft! (or the tools to eventually produce one)
Enroll in this class.
Testimonials:
“The word I keep coming back to is doula. Not that I ever had a birth doula, but in my fantasy this is what an ideal doula is: centering, calming, insightful, encouraging, supportive, prescient, and wise beyond years. Mila is all those things (and brilliant and refreshingly honest and encyclopedically read) and a unicorn, to boot. Her class gets you to the page, plain and simple. Her remarkable spirit quells voices of doubt, enabling you to get out of your own damn way to arrive at your story. To unearth the heart. To do the work. Because that's all that matters. I learned more from Mila in a few short weeks than I learned over many, many years.” – Sara Lippmann, Writing Co-Lab co-founder and author of Lech
“Working with Mila at an early stage of developing a new book was exhilarating, generative, and inspiring. I spent all week looking forward to my next meeting with her. Highly recommend studying with Mila if you want to get deeper into a book project!” – Leigh Stein, author of Self Care
“Mila Jaroniec’s editorial direction was extraordinarily helpful to me. She shaped my writing toward a greater purpose and effect with an assured but gentle hand. I’m very grateful for her guidance and generosity toward my work.” – Jac Jemc, author of Empty Theatre and False Bingo
“As an editor, Mila was able to tap into the undercurrent of my writing. She discerned the
universal issues I was grasping at in my work and helped me bring them to the forefront in immediate and visceral ways, making my piece more organized and so much stronger. Her guidance helped me take my writing from ‘essay’ to ‘work of art.’” – Elle Nash, author of Deliver Me and Animals Eat Each Other
“Mila Jaroniec is a strong and sensitive writer who knows how to cut to the heart of any story. I’d trust her completely with my words.” – Chloe Caldwell, author of The Red Zone and Women
Enroll in this class.
About the instructor
Mila Jaroniec is the author of Plastic Vodka Bottle Sleepover and the creator and editor of Black Lipstick. Her work has appeared in Playgirl, Playboy, Joyland, Ninth Letter, PANK, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Southwest Review, The Millions, NYLON and Teen Vogue, among others. Mila earned her MFA from The New School and is represented by Annie DeWitt at The Shipman Agency.