The First Draft

Write your novel in six months

Get this course and so much more

Bash out your first draft with step-by-step guidance, support, inspiration and the best writing community in town!

Writing the first draft of a novel is an epic, exciting, and sometimes daunting undertaking — but you definitely don’t have to do it alone! The First Draft course will make even the most ambitious writing project feel totally doable by breaking the mammoth task of novel writing down into manageable chunks, and offering advice, support, tea, biscuits and silly gifs, every step of the way.

There’s no one single way to write a novel, which is why we’ve brought together a huge collection of flexible approaches, techniques and ideas to help you find the best way to write YOUR first draft. Whether you’re a planner, a pantser, or an ‘I have no idea what I’m doing’ writer, The First Draft course is packed with options to suit everyone, along with practical exercises, examples, and prompts to keep you going.

We also have the most AMAZING online writing community for 24/7 chat, feedback, critique, troubleshooting and general writerly shenanigans!

Let us help you walk your story idea through The First Draft and come out the other side with a novel.

What's inside the course?

Course Content

1. Get your house in order

2: The First Act

PART 3: Inciting stuff

4: Refuse the call

5: Set it up

6: Crisis ahoy!

7: Crossing the threshold

8: Subplots

1 of 4

The Sacred Writers' HQ Promise

You’ll write your butt off

You have stories in your head and you want to get your butt in a chair and get them onto paper, but life gets in the way. Kids, work, executive dysfunction, the state of the world, important doomscrolling – all these things conspire against you, but you know there’s a better way and you are ready to stop fucking about and start writing.

Learn how to carve time, prioritise your work, and evolve a deep creative practice

Gain strategies for getting the most out of every writing session

Find ways to love your writing, keep on going and finish your story

What's included

Text-based course units
Easy to follow exercises
Support forums and access to the best writing community this side of the internet
Love and validation and more writing-based pep than you can shake a stick at
Snacks*

*bring your own snacks

Nice things from nice people

After hanging around as a freebie member and completing the free courses, I was so convinced by the improvements to my writing – and amused by the emails! – I signed up for three months… I’m still here, months later! I’ve learnt so much, from courses like Plotstormers and The First Draft, and from fellow WHQers, I would rather give up cake and chocolate than let my membership lapse! Love you WHQ!

Jan M

Writers’ HQ has honestly been life changing for me! After doing the 14 Days to a Solid Writing Habit course, which gave me a great kick start, I have been doing Plotstormers II to help me edit my novel. How do I say this without swearing? Fuck it, it’s been sodding amazing! It’s helping me so much to edit my novel. I’ve also been doing the Flash Fiction course and a piece of mine is on the Welkin Prize shortlist!

Agnes H

I cannot imagine life without WHQ
I’ve been a subscriber since April 2019 and I now cannot imagine life without WHQ. It’s like my inner sanctum and I bang on about it to everyone all the time. They must get sick of me. In the past when I’ve had to knock other subscriptions on the head because of money, there was never any question of me doing the same for this wonderful organisation.

Lauren P

WHQ is fantastic! I did a free writing course with WHQ at the start of the pandemic and joined up straight after – since then I have had over twenty pieces published, been long and shortlisted in various competitions and won one at the beginning of this year – the tutors, and the encouragement of the forum members, are fantastic.

Claire

A wonderful community. Before I joined WHQ I never dreamed of submitting my work to magazines. Since becoming a paid-up member 5 months ago, I’ve had 6 flash fictions and 2 poems accepted for publication – entirely thanks to the inspiration and support of this wonderful community.

Sarah K

Get instant access when you join the most word-writing, tea-drinking, story-slinging, biscuit-dunking, productivity-boosting, super supportive writing community this side of the internet

Woohoo yeah do it do it yeah woo etc and so on

Freebies

Two creative writing courses
Flash Face Off and Flash Face Off Live
The Secret Retreat forum
That's it
If you want more you have to upgrade, sozzzz
See you on the inside mwa mwa mwa

Glorious Writing Beasts

Weekly write-alongs
Monthly live masterclasses with guest authors
Monthly Q&A support group
Monthly online retreats
Over 25 mammoth creative writing courses
Always-on workshop library
Flash Face Off, Flash Face Off Live and Introduction to Flash course and workshop
Monthly festivals and challenges