Online Novel Writing Workshop

Applications are now closed. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by mid-January.

Are you a science fiction, horror, or fantasy writer with a partially written novel, but you feel stalled out on where to go next? Do you have early chapters and a sense of the overall arc of your book, but can’t see a way through to the final pages? Are you bogged down in the Mushy Middle with no momentum to reach ‘The End’?

There’s no one way to complete a novel — the journey is about discovering what works for you, your writing style, and the story you want to tell. Whether you’ve outlined extensively or are navigating by instinct, Clarion West’s nine-month virtual workshop is designed to guide you from conception to completion of your novel.

Led by author and Six-Week Workshop instructor Samit Basu, with the support of the Clarion West team, this program is built around finding your unique process.

This workshop offers:

Weekly classes (6 months of the 9-month period) on craft, genre, and process, starting with your existing draft or outline.
Monthly one-on-one meetings with Samit Basu to help fine-tune your approach and keep you on track.
Guest lectures from industry professionals to expand your understanding of the speculative fiction landscape.
Author-centered workshop models that prioritize your goals to help you gain clarity and confidence in your writing process.
Community and critique partners that will help keep you on track.

At the end of nine months, you’ll have a complete draft, or a solid roadmap for completing your manuscript. From the initial spark to a finished draft, we’re here to support your journey.

Instructor

Samit Basu

Samit Basu is the author of several novels, most recently of The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport (Tordotcom, 23, Locus/Goodreads/Dragon shortlisted). He’s been publishing fantasy and SF novels in India since 2003 (The Simoqin Prophecies, Penguin India). His US/UK debut was in 2013 (Turbulence, Titan Books). Samit has also co-written/directed a film for Netflix, written comics and children’s books across a range of genres, and penned non-fiction as a journalist and columnist. He lives in Delhi and on the internet, and is on social media at @samitbasu. Read an interview with Samit.

The application will include questions that help us understand you and your current writing process. In addition, you will need to submit:

Your novel pitch and three chapters, OR
Three well-drafted chapters and a sense of where your book is going, OR
Opening chapter, plus an outline and synopsis, and writing sample.

The total word count for submitted written materials should not exceed 10,000 words. Documents can be uploaded as PDF, .doc, .docx, or .rtf files.

The application takes approximately 30-45 minutes to complete and does not need to be completed all in one session — you can save your application and come back to it at a later time.

Course Dates: March 10, 2025, to November 17, 2025

Schedule:

Section One (March 10 – May 26, 2025)

Classes: Mondays 6–8pm, Pacific Time
Office Hours/Writing Sessions: Will be coordinated based on group availability
1:1 Meetings: To be scheduled with the instructor based on student availability
Guest Lectures: We will do our best to schedule these based on student and guest availability. We will record sessions for those who aren’t able to attend live.

Section Two (June – August 2025)

Office Hours/Writing Sessions: Will be coordinated based on group availability
1:1 Meetings: To be scheduled with the instructor based on student availability

Section Three (September 1 – November 17, 2025)

Mark your calendar — Applications open on November 11 and will close on December 15, 2025.

Wondering if the Novel Writing Workshop is right for you? Find Out More.