Write Your First Novel Course

Lesson 1 • Reading Like a Writer

Trains analytical reading as a craft tool rather than passive consumption. Students deconstruct published novels to identify techniques they will later apply.

Lesson 2 • Major Genre Categories and Conventions

Maps the primary commercial and literary genres and their reader expectations. Helps writers position their project before drafting begins.

Lesson 3 • Identifying Your Novel's Core Premise

Guides writers from vague ideas to a focused, testable premise statement. A strong premise prevents structural drift throughout the drafting process.

Lesson 1 • Voice, Physicality, and Distinctiveness

Develops the surface layer of character: speech patterns, body language, and sensory presence. Distinct voices prevent reader confusion and deepen immersion.

Lesson 2 • Character Anatomy and Function

Breaks down the roles characters play in narrative and how each role serves story mechanics. Establishes vocabulary for all character-building work ahead.

Lesson 3 • Secondary Characters and Relationships

Builds supporting cast members who reflect, challenge, or complicate the protagonist. Relationship dynamics generate subplots and thematic resonance.

Lesson 4 • Character Arc and Transformation

Connects internal psychology to external plot events through a structured arc. Students map how their protagonist changes from page one to the final scene.

Lesson 1 • Scene-Level Outlining

Translates the macro structure into a working scene list with goal, conflict, and outcome for each scene. This outline becomes the writer's drafting roadmap.

Lesson 2 • Plotting the End

Constructs the climax, resolution, and denouement with thematic payoff. Every ending element is traced back to seeds planted in earlier chapters.

Lesson 3 • Plotting the Beginning

Designs the opening quarter of the novel: hook, ordinary world, inciting incident, and first plot point. Each beat is mapped to its narrative function.

Lesson 4 • Core Structural Models Compared

Surveys the three-act model, the hero's journey, and the story grid as complementary lenses. Writers choose the framework that best fits their genre and premise.

Lesson 1 • World-Building for Realistic Fiction

Covers research, specificity, and the use of authentic detail in contemporary or historical settings. Grounded worlds increase reader trust and immersion.

Lesson 2 • Setting as Character and Atmosphere

Reframes setting as a force that exerts pressure on characters and mood. Writers learn to select and render details that do narrative work.

Lesson 3 • Integrating Setting into Scenes

Teaches techniques for weaving setting into action, dialogue, and interiority rather than isolating it in description blocks. Integration sustains pacing and immersion.

Lesson 1 • Point of View Options and Trade-offs

Compares first, second, third limited, and third omniscient POVs across intimacy, flexibility, and genre fit. Writers evaluate each against their specific project.

Lesson 2 • Developing a Distinctive Narrative Voice

Separates author voice from character voice and teaches how to cultivate a consistent narrative persona. Voice is the quality that makes a novel unmistakably yours.

Lesson 3 • Managing Multiple Points of View

Covers head-hopping prevention, chapter-based POV switching, and maintaining distinct voices per viewpoint character. Multi-POV novels require strict discipline.

Lesson 1 • Dialogue That Does Multiple Jobs

Trains writers to load dialogue with subtext, conflict, and character revelation rather than mere information transfer. Every line must earn its place on the page.

Lesson 2 • Writing Action and Emotional Scenes

Applies specialised techniques for high-stakes action sequences and emotionally intense moments. Both scene types require distinct pacing and sensory strategies.

Lesson 3 • Pacing Within and Between Scenes

Controls narrative speed through sentence length, white space, summary, and scene selection. Pacing keeps readers turning pages without feeling rushed or bored.

Lesson 4 • Scene Architecture

Applies the goal-conflict-disaster model to build scenes with internal momentum and clear narrative purpose. Every scene must change the story's direction or stakes.

Lesson 1 • Building a Sustainable Writing Habit

Designs a personalised writing schedule using word-count targets, time blocks, and environmental triggers. Consistency beats intensity for completing a novel.

Lesson 2 • Completing and Celebrating the Draft

Guides writers through the final sprint, the emotional finish, and the compulsory cooling-off period before revision. Finishing is a skill that must be practiced deliberately.

Lesson 3 • Navigating the Messy Middle

Provides tactical solutions for the motivational slump that strikes between the 30% and 70% marks. Writers learn to diagnose and fix structural problems without stopping.

Lesson 4 • Drafting Mindset and Productivity

Establishes the psychological framework for first-draft writing: permission to write badly and momentum over perfection. Mindset failures kill more novels than craft failures.

Lesson 1 • Structural and Story-Level Revision

Audits the manuscript for plot holes, pacing failures, arc inconsistencies, and missing beats. Structural problems must be resolved before line-level work begins.

Lesson 2 • Line Editing for Clarity and Style

Refines prose at the sentence level: eliminating redundancy, passive voice overuse, and weak verbs. Line editing transforms competent prose into compelling writing.

Lesson 3 • Scene and Chapter-Level Revision

Evaluates each scene for narrative purpose, tension, and contribution to the whole. Scenes that do not advance plot or character are cut or combined.

Lesson 4 • Proofreading and Final Manuscript Prep

Catches spelling, grammar, and formatting errors before the manuscript reaches any reader. A clean manuscript signals professionalism to agents and publishers.