Novel in Progress
A twelve-week cohort for novelists who need accountability, structure, and real feedback.
Instructor
Suki Tanaka
Starts
January 12, 2026
Ends
April 3, 2026
Price
$950
Cohort Size
Up to 8 writers
About This Course
This is not a class about how to write a novel. It's a space for writers who are already writing one and need a room full of people who take it seriously.
We'll workshop 30–50 pages per writer over the term, discuss craft at the structural level, and dig into the specific problems your novel is solving.
Best suited for writers who have 50+ pages of a novel draft and a clear sense of what they're trying to do.
Instructor
Suki Tanaka
Suki Tanaka is the author of three novels published by FSG. She has taught at the Tin House Summer Workshop and the Sewanee Writers' Conference.
Syllabus
- 01Weeks 1–2 — Novel architecture and the problem of POV
- 02Weeks 3–4 — First workshop round: opening chapters
- 03Weeks 5–6 — Plotting vs. pantsing: finding your process
- 04Weeks 7–8 — Second workshop round: middle sections
- 05Weeks 9–10 — Scene, summary, and time compression
- 06Weeks 11–12 — Final workshop + next draft strategy
What the Workshop Looks Like
Anonymized notes from a real cohort session. This is the level of feedback you can expect.
“The POV isn't broken — it's undecided. Sometimes we're inside Marta's consciousness, sometimes hovering above it. The distance shifts without purpose. Pick a position and commit. The prose knows how to do this; the structure doesn't trust it yet.”
Instructor note, Week 4
“The middle section feels like the novel is stalling because it doesn't know what it's waiting for. But I think the novel actually knows — it's waiting for the father to come back. Name the thing the novel is holding its breath for, and the pacing will fix itself.”
Cohort note, Week 5
“There are two novels here: the one about the inheritance dispute and the one about Elena's marriage. Right now they're running parallel and neither one is getting enough oxygen. You'll need to decide which is the container and which is the content.”
Cohort note, Week 6
Join the Waitlist
This cohort is full. Apply below and we'll reach out when the next one opens.