The program will start on January 6th, 2026

During Phase I, Phase II, & Phase III: classes will meet every other Tuesday, 7-9pm EST

January 2026 - December 2026.

Please do not pay for the program until you receive a formal acceptance notification via email.

Click HERE to Apply. Early applications are encouraged as space is limited.

Any questions about this mentorship? Use the Chat Button to talk with us. 

Year-Long Novel Incubator - MFA-Level Workshop

YEAR-LONG NOVEL INCUBATOR is a comprehensive MFA-level workshop for 6-12 fiction writers serious about transforming their early drafts into polished, structurally sound manuscripts ready for publication in 2026.

Led by Joss Lake, novelist and educator, whose debut novel Future Feeling was long-listed for the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut novel. He was named one of the Strand's "30 Writers to Watch." Columbia University, New York Foundation for the Arts, and Queens Council for the Arts have supported his work. He was a 2022 Jacob Julien Visiting Writer at Wesleyan University.

As a writing instructor, Joss teaches fiction in the undergraduate and graduate programs at Columbia University and serves as a writing consultant at Baruch College, working with students from diverse backgrounds. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts, the School of the New York Times, Catapult, and through various nonprofits, including Behind the Book.

Are You Ready To Finish Your Book?

This is the year you finish your novel.

You bring your early draft, enthusiasm, and willingness to commit. Joss brings extensive teaching experience and a deep understanding of what makes novels work—plus practical insights into the revision and publication process.

Together, we'll create a supportive community of writers that will hold each other accountable every step of the way. Expect intensive craft analysis, invaluable revision guidance, access to industry experts, individualized developmental feedback, and continuous encouragement to keep you on track to complete your polished manuscript.

This course is for those who are prepared to rigorously revise and hopefully finish their books. We'll identify your novel's current strengths and weaknesses and craft a plan for revision over our year together. By workshopping with motivated peers and receiving individualized instruction, you'll be able to transform your work to its most realized form. We’ll also discuss best practices of workshopping to make sure that the writer is getting the kind of feedback that they desire. This space is about mutual thriving, not competition.

We'll dig into questions of structural unity, work to develop the "aliveness" of your characters, and dial up your book's authenticity, ensuring that the reader immerses in your prose. Esteemed novelists, editors, and agents will provide their own insights into the revision and publication process.

Course Structure

Phase 1: Goal-Setting and Accountability (January-March 2026, 6 meetings)

• Initial workshops focused on global feedback and identifying strengths and weaknesses.

• Diagnostic tools: identifying where you are and where you want to go.

• Practices for getting through places of stuckness.

• Shaping and sharpening characters and their desires. 

• One full developmental read at the beginning of the incubator.

• Accountability tools to add 5,000 words/month to the draft (15,000 added in phase 1).

• Individual meetings with Joss.

• Craft talks, exercises, readings, and guest speaker visits.

Phase 2: Structural Work (April-June 2026, 7 meetings)

• Outlining and evaluating structural unity

• Second workshop focusing on the novel's structure (narrative threads, transition, momentum)

• Advanced techniques for building momentum without tying things up in a bow

• Accountability tools to add 5,000 words/month to the draft (15,000 added in phase 2) 

• Individual meetings with the instructor

• Craft talks, exercises, readings, and guest speaker visits

Phase 3: Working In-Scene (July-September 2026, 7 meetings)

• Expressing specificity on the page

• Third workshop focusing on scenes (immersion, pacing, detail, dialogue, and other elements)

• Tapping into your sense of authenticity and carrying that over in-scene 

• Identifying where to cut and where to expand in-scene 

• Individual meetings with Joss

• Craft talks, exercises, readings, and guest speaker visits

Phase 4: Polishing and Publishing (October-December 2026, 5 meetings)

• How to edit on the sentence level

• Amplifying your style

• Fourth workshop focusing on sentence-level revision

• Where to go from here: query letters and beyond

• One editorial read at the end of the incubator

• Individual meetings with Joss

• Craft talks, exercises, readings, and guest speaker visits

2026 Guest Faculty

• Daphne P. Andreades, novelist

• Zaina Arafat, novelist and essayist

• Anelise Chen, novelist and assistant professor at Columbia University

• Denne Michele Norris, novelist and editor-in-chief of Electric Literature

• Zefyr Lisowski, novelist, poet, and essayist

• Chris Clemans, literary agent

• And more to be announced...

Course Readings

Excerpts by Akwaeke Emezi, Jenny Zhang, N.K. Jemisin and others will be provided. We’ll also use portions of George Saunders’ A Swim in the Pond in the Rain, Jeff VanderMeer’s Wonderbook, and Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel as craft resources. 

What You Will Receive

• Five 1:1 meetings with the instructor throughout the year

• 3-4 workshop opportunities to receive peer and instructor feedback

• Two rounds of developmental edits - one at the beginning and one editorial read at the end

• Access to ask questions to guest authors, editors, and agents

• Writing tools and revision strategies that will last a lifetime

• A supportive community of serious fiction writers

• Substantial progress toward a complete, polished manuscript

• A sense of accomplishment and pride that comes with transforming your work

Click HERE to Apply.

Who This Program Is For

This workshop is designed for writers who are:

• Serious about making substantial progress on your novel 

• Able to commit 10-15 hours per week to their project

• Ready with a draft that they’re ready to revise 

• Open to learning and collaborative feedback

• Eager to contribute to an encouraging writing community

It’s recommended to have at least 25,000 words going into the course so that you can devote significant time to the revision process. 

Student Testimonials

"My relationship with my writing developed to be more authentically aligned with my values - compassionate, honest, evolving, non-perfectionistic, which was all very healing for me." ~ Jay

"This is an incredibly welcoming and comforting space to grow while also creating some structure around accountability that I find helpful." ~ Jess

"After this program, I became less nervous about writing and felt gradually that 'writer' is something I could call myself." ~ AJ

"Yes! This program provided a safe and nurturing space for me to learn about my relationship to my creative practice while providing outside accountability. Joss is a clear and thoughtful communicator with a wealth of knowledge around the writing process." ~ Diane

"I found this to be a wonderful community of like-minded writers who all wanted to improve their writing while figuring out how to do so within the energetic boundaries of workaday life." ~ Liz

Tuition Payment

Full tuition for the 12-month program is $7,200. You can pay the tuition in full, or payment plans of varying installments are available upon acceptance to the course. Accepted writers must commit to the full year and meet all assigned deadlines.

Additional Program Information

• Tuition is $7,200

• Between 6-12 writers will be accepted

• Program starts January 2026

• The mentorship is fully online and students may participate from anywhere

• Meeting format: Zoom (Professional account provided by instructor)

• Level: Intermediate to Advanced fiction writers

• NOTE: Shifting some dates around may be necessary but any changes will be communicated well in advance, if possible

Click HERE to Apply.