Lessons
You can write a novel of at least 50,000 words in thirty days even if you have a day job, a social life, and a toddler. I know this because I have...
Being A Writer
Scheduling Your Writing
Finding Inspiration and Staying Motivated
Exercises
Bibliography
Lesson 2: Writing Your First Draft
While you write your first draft, focus on recording the ideas, events, dialogue, descriptions, etc. that you want to go into your novel. It's not...
Developing Ideas
Writing Quantity and Quality
Choosing Viewpoint and Tense
Planning and Organizing
Making Changes
Exercises
Bibliography
Lesson 3: Characters
Whether you consider your novel to be plot-driven or character-driven, your characters have great influence on your plot. Their personalities...
Creating New Characters
Basing Characters on People You Know
Delineating Characters
Exercises
Bibliography
Lesson 4: Plot
In simple terms, plot is what happens during your story. It's the sequence of events that happen to, and because of, your characters from the...
Beginning
Middle
Subplots
Climax and Ending
Exercises
Bibliography
Lesson 5: Theme
Theme is the universal truth behind your story. It's the hidden message that you and your readers subtly feel rather than consciously acknowledge....
Finding the Theme in Your Story
Polishing Your Theme
Exercises
Bibliography
Lesson 6: Advanced Techniques
Once you've got your basic story idea down, it's time to make it more powerful by raising the stakes, pushing the characters, and using the setting...
Raising the Stakes
Pushing the Characters
Using the Setting
Exercises
Bibliography
Lesson 7: Editing and Polishing
As I said in an earlier lesson, while writing your first draft, it's more important to focus on getting your story down than on creating fine...
Reading Through Your Novel
Making Changes
Choosing First Readers
Exercises
Bibliography
Lesson 8: Marketing and Selling
In this lesson, I'll briefly discuss how to format your manuscript, how to find markets, how to submit your manuscript with or without an agent, and...
Submitting Your Manuscript
Online Resources
Feedback
Bibliography
