How to write a kick-ass first novel
The ultimate online novel-writing course
Hi welcome to the course.
This course is aimed at two types of people:
- Those who have always dreamed of writing a novel, but weren’t quite sure how to go about it.
- Those who started and gave up.
In essence we cover these key areas:
- A simple blueprint to follow so that you always know what you are supposed to be doing next.
- A thorough analysis of the pleasure readers seek in a novel, in order that we may find ways to deliver it.
- Ways to defeat the doubts that are a natural part of any writer’s life.
- A demonstration novel. In parallel to the lessons I construct a demo novel that shows you exactly how the theory translates into practice.
If you have any questions, write and ask, I would be delighted to hear from you. There's a contact link somewhere round here!
I will show you everything you need to know.
Including:
- Proven techniques for dealing with doubt.
- A simple but effective method for generating ideas.
- An insight into the nature of reading that will act as your guide at every stage of your journey.
- A comprehensive analysis of the secrets of storytelling.
- A simple but effective method for constructing plot that embodies the magic of causality.
- A vital method for imbuing your story with that tantalising will-o’-the-wisp called meaning.
- A blueprint to construct a stunning opening to your novel, one that will ensnare the reader in chains of curiosity.
- An understanding of the ‘fictive dream’, together with precise instruction on the way to use words to create it.
This is not one of those courses that claim, improbably, that you can write a novel in a month.
I’m sure you already know such things are not feasible, no more than you can have a baby in four months instead of the traditional nine.
Get started now!
Please note, the price quoted is exclusive of tax. In the European Union digital products attract 25% tax and, if you enrol from a member country, the system automatically adds the tax and remits it to the fat cats in Brussels. It doesn’t go to me and is beyond my control. Sorry about that.
Course Curriculum
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Start0. Preamble (2:34)
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Start1. How not to give up. Part 1 (8:08)
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Start1. How not to give up. Part 2 (4:54)
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Start1. How not to give up. Part 3 (3:14)
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Start1. How not to give up. Part 4 (4:00)
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Start2. The Thornless Rose (5:28)
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Start3. Practical Enchantment (5:02)
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Start4. Word Sorcery (10:54)
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Start5. Character (7:58)
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Start6. The Hero's Journey. Part 1 (5:58)
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Start6. The Hero's journey. Part 2 (6:15)
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Start7. A Tale of Two Journeys (10:07)
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Start8. How to be thrilling (4:05)
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Start9. The Voodoo of Storytelling (7:39)
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Start10. How to write a page-turner (5:45)
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Start11. Dialogue (6:23)
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Start12. Hook them! Part 1 (6:08)
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Start12. Hook them! Part 2 (5:03)
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Start13. Setting & theme (4:38)
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Start14. Don't be coy! (3:43)
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Start15. The Idea Factory (5:35)
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Start16. What happens next? (5:36)
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Start17. Demonstration novel Part 1 (9:09)
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Start18. Demonstration novel Part 2 (11:01)
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Start19. Demonstration novel Part 3 (6:05)
The Sunday Telegraph was kind enough to call me the King of Welsh Noir.
Here are a few other nice things the press have said.
Pryce really is in a league of his own—Time Out
Sheer delight...already one of my favourite books of the year—Guardian
Pryce’s fictional Aberystwyth is a sustained masterpiece of dark imagination—Daily Telegraph
Inventive, funny and dark, Pryce packs more style into a sentence
than most authors could hope for in volumes—Big Issue
Marvelously imaginative...You’ll weep and laugh on the same page. Wonderful—Guardian
A uniquely surreal spin on the hoary conventions of noir writing... impossibly weird and, in parts, beautifully lyrical—Guardian
What's in the course?
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- Anne-Marie Grabrucker, Munich
As a child I had a vivid imagination and loved to write stories. In high school I had an English teacher who criticised a story I wrote. She said the words and descriptions I had used made no sense and I would never be able to write anything worth while if I continued to write like that.
It destroyed my self confidence to the paralysing point of not being able to write my final essay for my final English exam. I submitted a blank page. I never wrote stories again.
Then I signed up for Malcolm Pryce’s writing course. It totally transformed my outlook on my own writing and reset my confidence.
The course was an inspiring, motivating, fun and enlightening experience. I learnt so much. The only reason why you wont be able to write a book after this course is because you don’t have enough ‘bum-glue’, all the other tools are in place!
- Lesli Lundgren
I have always wanted to write a novel but have never been sure how to start, and more importantly, keep going. Taking Malcolm’s course is a great way to learn writing techniques and provides achievable steps to map out your novel. All of the lessons are informative and full of the King of Welsh Noir’s humour, which makes them entertaining and memorable. I really enjoyed the course and am no longer daunted by that white page!
- Amelia
- Dr. Clive Sherlock, Oxford
This course brilliantly demythologises the craft of novel writing. It starts by tackling head-on the doubts and insecurities that bedevil us all, and then gives simple actionable ways to deal with them. I found this part tremendously empowering - it gave me the belief that I genuinely could do it. Malcolm breaks the process down in various insightful ways - ones I had not seen before, and then takes you step-by-step through everything from coming up with the idea, right through all the stages. The whole thing is presented with great wit and style, and packed with insight. The demonstration novel he constructs to illustrate the lessons is not only instructive but huge fun. Malcolm doesn’t pretend the task is easy, but if you are willing to commit the time and effort, and do the work, this course will get you to the finish line.
- Nia Campbell, Freelance writer, Cardiff
Malcolm Pryce is an inspiration, both as a writer and a tutor. His understanding of storytelling is unparalleled and he has the ability to break down the elements of his craft and to convey them with wit and humour
Dr Sandie Byrne
Associate Professor in English, University of Oxford
Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford
Director of Studies in English, OUDCE
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(It was Dr. Byrne who originally asked me to write the Oxford University online 'Writing Fiction' course in 2009. The experience gained teaching those students has proven invaluable in constructing this course.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Work first, wash later—W H Auden