November is National Novel Writing Month. Every year, thousands of writers around the world challenge themselves to write a book in thirty days – and this year, you can be one of them! 

Colchester Library’s Young Writers Novella November is a special series of three creative writing workshops designed to help writers aged 12 to 17 plot, plan and write a complete novella in a month. Everyone who takes part in the challenge will receive free resources, support and feedback from a creative writing tutor, and, in the final session, a certificate of achievement.  

Signing up for Young Writers Novella November will book you onto all three workshops at Colchester Library:

Workshop 1: Plan Your Story – 31 October, 12pm–1.30pmIn this first 90-minute workshop, you’ll set yourself a word count goal of your choice, from 10,000 to 50,000 words, and learn how to structure your story so you have a clear framework to start writing. By the end of the class, you’ll have a strong idea for your novella and all the tools you need to write it.

Workshop 2: Keep Writing – 14 November, 12pm–1.30pmOur second workshop will focus on the skills you need to keep writing your story. We’ll check up on how things are going so far, troubleshoot any challenges that have cropped up along the way, and do some fun writing exercises to keep up your motivation and creativity.

Workshop 3: The Grand Finale – 28 November, 12pm–1.30pmIn our final 90-minute workshop, we’ll learn about writing satisfying finales, reflect on your writing journey, and celebrate everything you’ve achieved. At the end of the session, we’ll hold an awards ceremony that your family and friends can attend, where you’ll receive your certificate of achievement for taking part. 

We encourage participants to attend all three sessions to get the most out of the challenge.