What you'll learn

Turn Your Idea Into a Novel
Discover Your Dramatic Elements
Create a Premise that Sells
Develop Interesting Characters
Construct Your Novel in Three Acts
Learn How To Write Effective Scenes
Explore Viewpoint, Voice and Tense
Add Conflict, Mystery and Suspense
Polish Your Manuscript
Develop a Marketing Plan
Get Published!

Course content

6 sections • 28 lectures • 4h 57m total length

First Steps9:21
Welcome to the course! This lesson provides an overview of what's to come, and suggestions for how to choose a fun and marketable subject for your novel.
Plot vs. Story8:22
Discover the important difference between plot and story, and learn how you can improve your novel my achieving the perfect balance between them. I've included examples from popular books and movies to help make the difference between plot and story crystal clear.
Dramatic Elements10:25
Just four dramatic elements underlie every novel. Here's your chance to discover what works best for you, and to begin constructing both your story and your plot by creating a premise.
Planning

Character Building16:13
This lesson shows you how to create great characters, step by step. What's important and what (surprisingly) isn't important? We'll make some exciting discoveries!
Your Protagonist6:46
Create a protagonist your readers will relate to by drawing upon the tools from your own experience.
Your Antagonist6:15
How do you create an effective antagonist? This lesson will show you several techniques, and explain why it's a powerful technique to relate your antagonist's flaw to that of your protagonist.
Other Characters5:12
This lesson shows you how to create all the secondary characters you'll need. I'll explain the roles of the important and lesser characters, and show you how to "cast" your novel.
Characters

Three Act Structure9:13
Three Act Structure is the key to writing a successful novel. I'll graphically reveal the path you'll follow from beginning to end. By the time you complete this lesson, you'll be brimming with ideas for the structure of your own novel!
Act One8:49
Discover the three checkpoints that make an effective Act 1 and then apply them to create the first act of your own novel.
Act Two7:48
As you develop Act 2 you need to keep your readers engaged and excited. This lesson shows you how.
Act Three13:43
Get ready to wrap things up! This lessons shows you how to create a satisfying climax, and an ending that remains true to your theme.
Story Structuring Checkpoints

Scene and Sequel18:42
Discover the magic of scene and sequel. This simple structure, repeated over and over, is the key to writing your novel. By the end of this lesson you'll have a road map for your entire manuscript, and the structuring process will be complete.
Conflict6:06
Discover the importance of conflict in your novel, and practice three great ways to create it.
Suspense9:56
In this lesson you'll explore four great techniques for creating suspense to captivate your readers and keep them on the edge of their seats.
Mystery4:53
Employ these four techniques to keep your readers in the dark!
Pacing6:29
This lesson introduces three techniques you'll use to control the pacing of your novel, so you can mix fast paced action and slower paced reaction in any combination you like.
Viewpoint12:08
Test the three most popular viewpoints out on your own novel, and see which one works best. You'll see the advantages and disadvantages of each, and be able to choose wisely.
Voice7:28
Voice is a slippery subject, but I'll help you get a handle on it in this lesson and the accompanying test drive.
Tense6:58
There are only two common tenses for you to use to tell your story. That should make the choice simple... but there are advantages and disadvantages to both. This lesson lets you explore how they work for you, so you can make the best choice.
Setting11:06
Learn how to build amazing settings, step by step. You'll be amazed at the results!
Dialogue14:17
This lesson gives you seven reasons to use dialogue, and five techniques for making your dialogue more interesting. Then, in the accompanying handouts, I'll have lots more dialogue Dos and Don'ts, and a really fun test drive where you'll get to fix a famous novel's awful dialogue!
Beginnings and Endings20:26
Beginnings grab your readers, and endings leave them thinking. Creating a relationship between The two can reinforce your theme or show changed circumstances. This lesson lets you experiment with which techniques work best for you.
Creating Your Manuscript

Collateral8:02
Create the collateral you'll need to plan, write and sell your manuscript.
Manuscript Evaluation Checklist11:17
Once you've checked each of The items in my Manuscript Evaluation Checklist, you'll be ready to publish your novel.
Getting Published19:56
You've put in the hard work, here's how to get published!
Selling Your Novel
Next Steps1:00
Now that you've completed the course, here are some ways you can stay involved, and further develop your novel writing skills.

Requirements

Open to all aspiring writers, young or old, experienced or just getting started

Description

Have you started a novel only to get part way into the manuscript and find yourself stuck? Or do you have an idea for a novel but aren't sure where to begin? Have you completed a first draft but feel it doesn't quite have the luster of professional Novel Writing?

In this lively and fun course Steve Alcorn shows you how to achieve success. Here you'll learn How to Write a Novel Step by step you'll breathe life into old manuscripts create new novels that real like bestsellers and put the spark back into your writing life. Topics include:

* Story Structure
* Character Building
* Viewpoint
* Tense
* Voice
* Setting
* Conflict
* Suspense
* Mystery
* Dialogue
* Writing Big
* Beginnings and Endings
* Getting Published

Whether you're a first time novelist still planning your story or an experienced author looking for ways to bring your fiction to life Novel Writing Workshop is the course for you.

Who this course is for:

First-Time Authors
If Your Manuscript Needs Polish
If Your Manuscript is Unfinished
Authors Who Want to Get Published

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Planning Your Novel3 lectures • 28min

Characters4 lectures • 34min

Story Structure4 lectures • 40min

Creating Your Manuscript11 lectures • 1hr 58min

Polishing Your Manuscript2 lectures • 38min

Selling Your Novel4 lectures • 40min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: