Novel Clinic: Draft Diagnosis + Revision Roadmap
About the course
Course Fee
395
Course Length
Schedule (May cohort): 4 weekly live sessions on May weekends — 6:00pm UK / 1:00pm ET (75 mins each). Exact dates confirmed on enrolment.
Weekly Study
75 minutes live + optional homework (15–30 minutes)
Course summary
Live on Zoom: May weekends 2026 | 6:00pm UK (1:00pm ET) | 75 mins x 4 | Small-group clinic
This four-week clinic is designed for writers with novel-length work who need clarity on what to fix and a practical plan to do it. Led by Litro tutors, we use a structured editorial lens to diagnose the highest-impact issues in your draft and map a revision path you can execute immediately.
Across four live weekend sessions in May (75 minutes each), you’ll work on revision priorities that matter most for novelists:
opening pressure, stakes clarity, pacing, structure, scene vs summary, and submission readiness.
You’ll leave with a concrete roadmap for the next 4–6 weeks of revision.
- Best for: writers with a draft in progress (any genre) who feel stuck, mid-rewrite, or unsure what to tackle first
- What you’ll produce: top 3 revision priorities + a chapter momentum map + a 4–6 week revision plan
- Schedule: 4 weekly live sessions on May weekends — 6:00pm UK / 1:00pm ET (75 mins). Exact dates confirmed on enrolment.
- Format: live Zoom clinic, small-group, sharing optional
How you will learn
This is a small-group clinic delivered live on Zoom. Each week follows the same practical pattern: a short craft brief, a guided diagnosis tool, and a clear deliverable you can apply to your novel immediately. Sharing is opt-in.
- Week 1 — Diagnosis: pinpoint the top 3 issues holding the draft back and set “fix-first” priorities
- Week 2 — Structure + momentum: map turning points and chapter function to increase reader pull
- Week 3 — Voice + scene control: tighten narrative distance, clarity, and scenes that drift or stall
- Week 4 — Revision roadmap: build a realistic 4–6 week plan (what to cut, rewrite, and leave alone)
You’ll receive a toolkit of templates (diagnosis checklist, chapter momentum map, revision plan). Feedback is craft-focused and actionable.
If you want a structured editorial report on your opening or manuscript, Litro offers a Full Manuscript / Novel Opening Assessment (£99). It focuses on opening pressure, stakes clarity, pacing, scene vs summary, and submission readiness. Turnaround is 10 business days after payment + upload. This is an editorial feedback service — it does not guarantee publication.
The Tutor
Litro Tutors
Litro Tutors represents the editorial teaching team behind Litro Masterclasses.
Our courses are built from Litro Magazine’s experience publishing short fiction, essays, interviews, and literary nonfiction, and from our work supporting writers through editorial feedback, masterclasses, and submission-focused development.
Edit Like a Pro is a practical self-paced course designed to help writers diagnose a draft, revise with purpose, sharpen the line-level work, and prepare cleaner writing for readers, editors, or submission.
