So, you’re a writer. You know this for sure.

You can write a beautiful scene or provide a slice of life piece that is stirring. But when it comes to longer forms, you find yourself wondering about your plot; do you even have one?

From techniques and hands-on practice in developing your novel outline, to discussions of character development and story-mapping, How to Plot Your Novel: A Workshop for Black Women Writers, a two-day workshop, will help beginner and intermediate writers map out their plan for longer forms of fiction. 

All class meetings will be held via Zoom. The link to join your Zoom classroom will be provided on the morning of your class. Please check spam folders if you do not receive an email confirmation upon registration. For more information on how to download or use Zoom, please click here.

Meet Your Instructor:
Jennifer Celestin

Jennifer Celestin is a Haitian-American writer, performer, and facilitator. She has performed at numerous venues in New York City, including the Bowery Poetry Club & Café, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, and El Museo del Barrio. A former EMERGE NYC fellow, Jennifer has also performed and facilitated workshops outside of the US in Montreal and Haiti. Fluent in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, her writings have been included in Label Me Latina/o, Akashicbooks.com, No, Dear Magazine, The Hawai'i Review, la Revue Trois/Sant/Soixante, aaduna, and midnight & indigo. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University, a Master of Arts from New York University, and her Master of Fine Arts in Fiction at CUNY: Queens College. A 2022 Kweli Journal fellow, Jennifer is currently working on a novel and a short story collection.

Course Takeaways

• How to write an outline of your novel; from a one-sentence summary to a compelling one-paragraph description and a multiple-chapter outline of your novel

Course Expectations

• Writers should come prepared to generate material during the course and submit two assignments. Not all work will be read aloud, but active participation through sharing or constructive feedback is expected
• Writers should refrain from trying to prescribe or “fix” the work of others but approach the workshopping process with two questions, “What did I like?" and "What did I want to know more about?”
• Las Vegas rules apply. What happens in workshop, stays in workshop. This is a safe space where writers should feel free to share.

Course Skeleton

• Workshop 1: Bird by Bird: Create a Compelling Plot
• Workshop 2: Character-Driven Story mapping

We offer full refunds for cancellation with written notice up until 7 days before your class start date. From 6 days to more than 24 hours before class begins, we offer a 50% refund. If you drop a class less than 24 hours before the class begins or after it has started, you are ineligible for a refund.