Writing and Publishing Your First Fiction Novel Course

Lesson 1 • What Fiction Does and Why

Examines fiction's core functions: entertaining, illuminating truth, and creating empathy. Establishes the philosophical foundation that drives every craft decision in the course.

Lesson 2 • Understanding Story Structure

Surveys major structural frameworks including three-act structure, the hero's journey, and story circles. Students select a framework suited to their project.

Lesson 3 • Developing a Writing Practice

Establishes daily habits, goal-setting, and accountability systems that sustain a long project. Students leave with a personalized writing schedule and word-count targets.

Lesson 1 • Identifying Genre and Audience

Maps major fiction genres, their conventions, and their reader expectations. Students pinpoint their primary genre and target readership to guide every subsequent craft decision.

Lesson 2 • Crafting a Compelling Premise

Defines premise as the one-sentence engine of a story and teaches the logline formula. Students draft and refine a premise that encodes conflict, character, and stakes.

Lesson 3 • Building a High-Level Story Outline

Guides students from premise to a scene-by-scene skeleton using their chosen structural framework. The outline becomes the navigational tool for the entire drafting phase.

Lesson 1 • Building a Supporting Cast

Explains how secondary characters serve thematic and plot functions without overshadowing the lead. Students assign clear roles and distinct voices to each supporting character.

Lesson 2 • Anatomy of a Protagonist

Breaks down the components of a compelling lead: desire, wound, flaw, and misbelief. Students apply these components to build a protagonist whose inner conflict mirrors the external plot.

Lesson 3 • Writing Authentic Dialogue

Teaches dialogue as a tool for revealing character, advancing plot, and creating subtext. Students practice writing exchanges that sound natural while serving multiple story functions.

Lesson 4 • Designing Antagonists and Conflict

Teaches that antagonists must be as motivated and logical as protagonists. Students create antagonists whose goals directly oppose the hero's, generating unavoidable conflict.

Lesson 1 • Developing a Distinctive Authorial Voice

Defines voice as the sum of diction, syntax, rhythm, and attitude and shows how it differs from character voice. Students identify their natural voice through targeted writing exercises.

Lesson 2 • Point of View Options Explained

Compares first person, second person, third limited, and third omniscient with concrete examples. Students understand the trade-offs of intimacy, distance, and narrative freedom each offers.

Lesson 3 • Avoiding Head-Hopping and POV Breaks

Identifies common POV violations and their effect on reader immersion. Students revise flawed passages to maintain a clean, consistent narrative perspective throughout a scene.

Lesson 1 • Scene vs. Sequel Structure

Introduces the scene-sequel unit as the fundamental building block of plot momentum. Students learn to alternate action scenes with reflective sequels to control pacing and reader engagement.

Lesson 2 • Cause-and-Effect Story Logic

Establishes that every scene must result from the previous one and cause the next. Students audit their outline for logical gaps and replace coincidence with earned consequence.

Lesson 3 • Managing Subplots and Pacing

Shows how subplots reinforce theme, develop secondary characters, and modulate narrative pace. Students weave at least two subplots into their outline without disrupting the main throughline.

Lesson 4 • Midpoint, Climax, and Resolution

Examines the structural pillars that give a novel its shape and emotional payoff. Students plot their midpoint shift, all-is-lost moment, climax, and resolution with precision.

Lesson 1 • Sensory Detail and Immersive Description

Teaches the use of all five senses to anchor readers in a scene without slowing pace. Students practice writing setting passages that reveal character and advance mood simultaneously.

Lesson 2 • Research Methods for Authentic Settings

Covers primary and secondary research strategies for writing settings the author has not experienced. Students build a research log and learn to use detail sparingly for maximum authenticity.

Lesson 3 • World-Building for Any Genre

Provides a scalable world-building framework applicable to realistic, historical, and speculative fiction. Students build a world bible covering geography, society, rules, and history.

Lesson 1 • Completing the Draft on Schedule

Teaches deadline management, milestone tracking, and recovery strategies for missed writing days. Students build a completion timeline with buffer weeks and a final-push protocol.

Lesson 2 • Drafting Strategies and Techniques

Surveys proven drafting methods including sprints, scene-by-scene drafting, and writing out of order. Students experiment and adopt the method that maximizes their personal output.

Lesson 3 • Sustaining Momentum Through the Middle

Addresses the notorious mid-novel slump with structural and psychological tools. Students identify their personal danger zones and prepare targeted strategies before they stall.

Lesson 1 • Working with Beta Readers and Editors

Explains the roles of beta readers, developmental editors, copy editors, and proofreaders. Students draft a beta reader brief and learn to evaluate feedback without losing their voice.

Lesson 2 • Publishing Pathways and Next Steps

Compares traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, and self-publishing across key dimensions. Students assess which path aligns with their goals and begin preparing their submission materials.

Lesson 3 • Line Editing and Prose Polish

Teaches sentence-level revision: cutting redundancy, strengthening verbs, eliminating clichés, and improving rhythm. Students apply line-editing techniques to a sample chapter.

Lesson 4 • The Revision Process Overview

Distinguishes macro revision from line editing and proofreading and sequences them correctly. Students create a multi-pass revision plan tailored to their manuscript's specific weaknesses.