Over six evening workshops, join Laurel Cohn as she guides you through a structural edit of your work-in-progress. Laurel takes participants through her five-step approach to structural editing, providing strategies and tools to facilitate the process, and exploring the challenging inner terrain that underlies critical engagement with your own work.
The course is designed with time between sessions to practice the concepts covered. Committing to the process will reward you with deeper insight into your manuscript and clarity about how to approach the next draft.
The course has a focus on craft and sustainability; it will be live streamed to an online audience. It is suitable for intermediate writers who have completed at least one draft of their work-in-progress.
Carla Salmon said of the course: ‘I attended The Next Draft back in 2023 and it was a real game changer for me. The following year I signed with my amazing agent Annabel Barker and then Pan Macmillan, with my debut teen crime thriller We Saw What You Started published in 2025! I’m currently working on Book 2 which will be published in 2026 and am referring back to my notes from the course as I edit my rough first draft. Thank you, Laurel, for offering the wisdom and expertise that has changed my life!’
LEARNING OUTCOMES
You will hone your writing and editing skillset through practical exercises, group discussions, critique sessions, and homework in the key areas listed below:
- An understanding of what structural editing entails.
- Specific tools for writers to undertake a structural edit of their own work following a step-by-step approach.
- Familiarisation with synopsis writing as a development tool.
- Strategies for chapter and scene outlines.
- An appreciation of the emotional ups and downs of manuscript development.
2026 DATES/TIMES
Please note that all times are Brisbane time, AEST.
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5:30pm – 8:30pm, Tuesday 7 July 2026
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5:30pm – 8:30pm, Tuesday 21 July 2026
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5:30pm – 8:30pm, Tuesday 4 August 2026
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5:30pm – 8:30pm, Tuesday 18 August 2026
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5:30pm – 8:30pm, Tuesday 15 September 2026
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5:30pm – 8:30pm, Tuesday 29 September 2026
