Novel in a Year: First Draft ONLINE
with Julie Iromuanya
This is the year to write your novel
Novel in a Year: First Draft is a unique opportunity to join a writing cohort, study novel craft, workshop key scenes, measure your progress, meet deadlines, and give and get support for the long slog from plotting to composition and beyond.
APPLICATION WINDOW OPEN JAN. 13 – Feb. 27
It’s a chance to devote an entire year to your novel, giving it the attention and effort your work deserves. Acclaimed author Julie Iromuanya (A Season Of Light, Mr. and Mrs. Doctor) will help you through the drafting process and provide personalized guidance and feedback on your manuscript.
CLASS WILL MEET ONLINE.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
Students at any stage of novel drafting are encouraged to apply. You may have completed a 500-page draft; others may have nothing more than an idea and a first sentence.
Work of any genre is welcome, though we offer specialized programs for Speculative Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, and Young Adult/Middle Grade.
This application-based class is selective, and you will find your classmates to be dedicated and serious about their work.
Unlike our other Novel in a Year programs, this cohort will be entirely hosted online, so anyone can participate from anywhere.
PLEASE NOTE: This program is for novelists who are ready to make a strong commitment to their work, and our waitlist for the course is typically very long. Students will be expected to participate in the full program.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Specific topics covered during the class sessions include:
- Openings
- Worldbuilding, setting, and research
- Outlining, structure, and plot
- Voice, Tense & POV
- Character
- Conflict & Resolution
- Crafting scenes and developing dramatic tension
- Endings
- Revision strategies
- Preparing your book for the market
- The Writerly Life
JULIE IROMUANYA is the author of A Season of Light (Algonquin Books 2025) and Mr. and Mrs. Doctor (Coffee House Press 2015), a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, the Etisalat Prize for Literature, and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize for Debut Fiction. Her scholarly-critical work most recently appears in Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism; Callaloo: A Journal of African American Arts and Letters; Afropolitan Literature as World Literature (Bloomsbury Publishing), and the Georgia Review. She is a 2020 George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation fellow, and she was the inaugural Herbert W. Martin Fellow in Creative Writing at the University of Dayton. Iromuanya earned her Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is an assistant professor for the Program in Creative Writing at the University of Chicago and affiliate faculty of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture.
HOW IT WORKS
Students will meet on Zoom monthly for three-hour sessions to discuss craft, solve drafting challenges, workshop scenes, and share some virtual snacks and beverages. In between class sessions you’ll have plenty of time to write and generate new work while still staying in touch via StoryStudio’s private online class forum.
We’ve structured this program to provide maximum benefit without demanding too much time away from focusing on your own work. In addition to workshopping short scenes in class, participants will meet individually with Julie for 100-page manuscript reviews.
Students enrolled in this course will receive complimentary admission and early registration to three (3) classes from our acclaimed PJ Seminar Master Class series throughout the year. (Recent and upcoming writers include Alexander Chee, Pam Houston, R.O. Kwon, Sara Paretsky, Paul Lisicky, and Garth Greenwell, among others.)
The class also includes optional evening social gatherings via Zoom, to be scheduled between Julie and the cohort as desired. As a writer in our Novel in a Year program, you’re considered a “VIP” at the studio with early-bird access to programs and events.
Throughout the course, you’ll have access to a private online forum for exchanging additional work and sharing articles and links of interest. And most importantly, these courses provide accountability check-ins to report your progress and struggles, and keep you writing.
YOUR WRITING COMMUNITY
Whether you’ve already made headway on your novel or are just gathering ideas, your cohort will provide the structure, companionship, feedback, good humor, and emotional support to help you see your project through.
You’ll also join StoryStudio’s larger community—in person and on social media—where you can connect with students from other classes, receive “first chance” invitations to special programming, and stay informed about literary events around the city.
The Novel In a Year program has been going strong for over ten years, and you will have the opportunity to benefit socially and professionally from a strong network of alumni, many of whom are experiencing publishing success.
The program fee is $2,750.
This tuition includes:
11 sessions, meeting once per month for 11 months
A manuscript review with Julie Iromuanya
Various online social gatherings with your cohort
Discounts to the StoryBoard Festival & Pub Crawl
3 comped passes to our PJ Master Class series
A private online chat forum
VIP status at the Studio
A literary community to take well beyond this program
2026 Schedule Meets ONLINE on the Following Dates:
6:30pm – 9:30pm Central Time
April 16
May 21
June 18
July 16
August 20
Sept 17
Oct 15
Nov. 19
Dec. 17
Jan 21
Feb 18
HOW TO APPLY
This course is limited to 12 students and is submission based.
- You will be asked to submit a 10-page writing sample in a .doc or PDF. The sample can be a short story or novel excerpt.
- Someone who submits on the first day has the same chance as someone who submits on the last day, so don’t worry, and don’t rush.
- Payment isn’t due until after the application period is closed and acceptances have been sent out. We are happy to discuss payment plans with students who are accepted.
- NOTE: You can use this application form to apply for either Julie Iromuanya’s online cohort, or Cynthia Pelayo’s in-person cohort, or asked to be considered for both cohorts.
The 2026 cohort will begin in April 2026, and applications will open in the winter of 2026. Please subscribe to our newsletter to get the most up-to-date information.
