Take your novel plan and turn it into a 50,000+ word first draft
Finish the course with a solid manuscript
Join our lovely little online community to support you through starting, middling, finishing and beyond
Let us hold your hand through the epic first draft slog
All the guidance you need, coupled with swearing, tea-drinking, and gold stars
In case you hadn’t noticed yet, writing a novel is haaaaard. And we don’t mean walking-up-a-steep-hill hard or having-to-tell-someone-they’ve-got-a-bogey-on-their-nose hard – we mean like pushing something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of Smarties tube hard. But you know what? Every day, people do it. People have been doing it since the dawn of time. It’s one of the reasons that we’re so successful-slash-cataclysmic as a species; our ability to do art. It’s what we were built for.
Think of this course like hypnobirthing for writers. NCT for novelists. Mothercare for motherfucken wordsmiths. This novel is coming out of you one way or another, we’re just here to make the process smoother, calmer, and full of appropriate medication.
This is a badass course for badass writers. You’ll start with a plan and finish with a novel. We won’t lie: it’s full-on. But the results are totally worth it. So let us guide you, step by step, towards a completed first draft novel in six months (or less, or more – it’s up to you!).
LESSONS IN THIS COURSE
CREATING ORDER
THE FIRST ACT
INCITING STUFF
REFUSE THE CALL
SET UP
CRISIS AHOY!
CROSS THE THRESHOLD
SUBPLOTS
THE SECOND ACT
MIDPOINTS
BAD TIMES
PINCH POINTS
ALL IS LOST
NAVEL GAZING
THE THIRD ACT
GET IT TOGETHER
SLAY THE BAD GUYS
FAILURE
THE CLIMAX
WRAPPING UP
ENDINGS
THE FINAL SPRINT
WHAT NEXT
Get full access to The First Draft when you join Writers' HQ today!

Get stuck in straight away with our specialist library of online courses covering everything from productivity, idea generation, short stories, novels, editing, and publishing – suitable for writers at any point in their writing journey.
ROADMAPS TO GUIDE YOU FROM STARTING, MIDDLING AND FINISHING
Our step-by-step roadmaps will guide you from a standing start to a solid writing routine, help you smash through writers block, and hold your hand through the winding alleys of novel writing.
With Writers’ HQ, there’s no writer left behind.


THE MOST AWESOME, SUPPORTIVE, HILARIOUS, PRODUCTIVE writing COMMUNITY
Whether it’s to help you workshop a story, offer in-depth critique, celebrate a finished story, squee over an acceptance, argue over the finer points of an arcane novel, or pick you up when you’ve had a rejection, the Writers’ HQ community is everything.
Members get access to special buddy groups and accountability logs, and you’ll often find Sarah and Jo loitering on the forums instead of doing their own writing.
Hone your craft by getting answers to your writerly questions and exploring your challenges with regular online events, including live Q&As with Sarah and Jo, Flash Fiction write-a-longs, and advanced journaling skills.

SERIOUS writers writing badass stories
If you’re ready to take your writing to the next stage just click the thing and do the thing. Woohoo yeah do it do it yeah woo etc and so on
PAY MONTHLY
-
Sign up now and get the first month for £10
-
Monthly recurring payment. Cancel any time
PAY ANNUALLY
-
Save £50 when you join for a year
-
No automatic renewal so no surprises in 12 months!
Head on over to the bursary page to find out about free Writers’ HQ membership