Novel & Script Third Draft - Part 1 - Crafting Your Writing

Course Information

This writing course has payment options. Click the ‘Enrol Now’ link to view the payment options.

Prerequisite: Novel & Script Second Draft course.

“For me, this course is where it’s really at. Getting at last to the coalface, the actual word-by-word writing of the thing has allowed me to connect with the character and the story in a way that I had found difficult to this point. I think I have learned to trust the narrative thread and not feel the need to control it constantly.”

Elizabeth Farrelly, Author and Senior Journalist

The Power of Feedback

One of the most powerful ways to improve your writing is to receive ongoing, high-quality feedback as you work through your manuscript, which is why feedback is built into every stage of the Third Draft process.

Ed Catmul, the founder of Pixar, who made such classics as Finding Nemo and Toy Story, said, “All the Pixar writers no matter how smart, talented and well organised they are become lost somewhere along the way.

“We believe in the power of embracing candid feedback and the iterative process of re-working, re-working, re-working and re-working … The story steadily improves with each step of the process. In my experience, creative people discover and realise their vision over time.”

For each chapter you submit in the Third Draft, you will receive guidance on your scene planning before you begin writing. You’ll then receive feedback on the opening 600 words, helping you identify opportunities early, followed by detailed feedback on a complete chapter each session.

This iterative process means you are continually learning, applying what you’ve learned and improving the next piece of writing.

Over time, those incremental improvements can transform both your manuscript and your ability as a writer.

Writing Your Third Draft

While you will continue to refine your structure in this course, the real focus is on the writing — the craft of re-writing and editing, making each scene as good as it can be.

The Third Draft is the most challenging yet exciting part of the writing process — where your story starts to feel like a book or a screenplay.

In each session, you will:

• Learn new tools and techniques designed to help you improve your writing and storytelling.
• Take what you have done in the Second Draft and plan your chapters, focusing on your character’s motivation, inner conflict and the emotional and dramatic logic of each scene.
• Receive targeted feedback on your chapter planning from your tutor, helping you shape strong turning points and build scenes with rising tension and authentic emotional stakes.
• See the benefits on the page when you start rewriting and editing to create strong reader engagement.
• Write your chapters one at a time, submitting the opening 600 words of each chapter for feedback so you can catch issues early, push each chapter further and keep improving as you go.
• At the end of each session, choose a chapter to polish and submit for detailed feedback. These multiple rounds of feedback will accelerate your development as a writer.

Experience the satisfaction of watching your manuscript come to life on the page.

"This has been my favourite course. I have loved focusing on the writing and the detail. I have learnt so much about the actual craft of writing in this course. The first lesson was about point of view and it has stuck with me ever since. That and other tools such as having a clear dramatic question have made a huge difference to my writing. And I felt that everyone in the class, after applying the tools and techniques, had a strong story worthy of being published."

Kylie Keogh – journalist and media manager

On Learning the Craft of Re-writing and Editing

“The art of writing is the art of re-writing. Success depends on attitude and patience as you take it one step at a time. So much of writing is about re-writing, I never get it right the first few times. I’m of the school that it’s in the re-writes that the story is born. It’s a refiner’s craft. As territorial as we are, it is important to be challenged.”
Tina Howe, Nominated twice for Pulitzer Prize for Drama

“Most writers spend too much time looking at the big picture and not enough time down in the mines doing the nitty-gritty of the scene work. If you can master this skill of the scene you will be well ahead of the game.” Matt Bird – The Secrets of Story

“Re-writing is king. Whether you make it or don’t make it is in the re-write.” Michael Connelly

If you work through the process one step at a time, you will be amazed at how much your writing improves as you master the course’s tools and techniques and take on the feedback from your tutor.

"I had only the earliest inklings of Anomaly in my head when I began the first draft course at the Writers' Studio. That course – and the subsequent second and third draft courses – provided the framework I needed to explore the possibilities of my story without binding commitment to what I put on the page. In short – I was empowered to make a very big, very necessary mess! Each draft – and the encouraging feedback I received along the way – helped me refine my story possibilities, until the novel took on thematic layers and momentum. For me, the structure provided was the key to creative freedom and productivity. My time with Roland, Kathleen, and the wonderful tutors at the Writers' Studio was an essential part of making Anomaly a reality – and now I'm implementing everything I learned for book two."

Emma Lord

Course Dates

Workshop Dates for 3 October 2026 Course

All workshops run from 10am to 6pm except final session: 2pm to 6pm & drinks.

Session 1: Saturday 3 October 2026

Session 2: Saturday 31 October 2026

Session 3: Saturday 28 November 2026

XMAS/JAN BREAK 26/27

Session 4: Saturday 6 February 2027

Session 5: Sunday 7 March 2027

Session 6: Sunday 11 April 2027

Session 7: Sunday 16 May 2027

Workshop Dates for 27 September 2025 Course

All workshops run from 10am to 6pm except final session: 2pm to 6pm & drinks.

Session 1: Saturday 27 September 2025

Session 2: Saturday 25 October 2025

Session 3: Saturday 22 November 2025

XMAS/JAN BREAK 25/26

Session 4: Saturday 7 February 2026

Session 5: Saturday 7 March 2026

Session 6: Sunday 26 April 2026

Session 7: Sunday 24 May 2026