Learn how to plot a novel from beginning to end and make your stories compelling, complex and memorable
Writers’ HQ’s online creative writing course means you can learn the fundamentals of plotting your story, wherever you are in the world. Designed to fit around everyday life and a busy schedule, you will start with a simple idea, and finish with a comprehensive outline of your novel ready to be first drafted.
They say everyone has a novel inside them – the tricky part is getting it out without painful invasive surgery. This in-depth online plotting course contains everything you need to plan out your story from start to finish so that you’re rip roaring ready to get that first draft out, without too much swearing.
Over the six weeks, we’ll help you to build a practical understanding of story structure and plotting. By the end, you’ll walk away with a comprehensive outline of your story and a plan for what to do next (clue: write!).
Exercises, examples, group discussion, swearing and crying will enable you to grow your fictional world and build your story plan, taking it from ‘idea in your head’ to ‘actual real story that’s ready to be properly written’.
You’ll learn the fundamental elements that make up every good plot and the basics of story structure; explore who’s in your story, what their roles are, and how to make your characters compelling; how to add tension and conflict to your story; how good beginnings, middles and ends work; how to break your story down into chapters and scenes and more; and what to do with your outline once you have it.
WEEK 1: THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE
What are you *really* writing about? What’s the fundamental human truth at the bottom of your novel? What shape is your story? Get that first, very brief, very reductive outline nailed
WEEK 2: FINALLY, THE BEGINNING
The Magical 16 Point Plot Planner of Your Dreams
WEEK 3: AND NOW THE MIDDLE
Why the midpoint is the most glorious point of your story
WEEK 4: IN A SURPRISE TURN OF EVENTS, LET’S LOOK AT THE END
Make your end kick-ass awesome
WEEK 5: AND THEN?
Turning chapters into scenes
WEEK 6: GETTING READY TO WRITE
What now?
1. Enrol
Once you’ve joined you’ll get an email confirming your place and explaining how you access the course. Spoiler: you click a link. Super simple.
2. Read, watch, do
The lessons are a mix of text, images, videos and exercises. To get the most out of the course, try to give yourself at least an hour a day to read or watch the material and do the exercises. We’ve made them as bite-size as possible but also if you wanna do the thing you gotta do the work.
3. No rush
This course is written to be done over six weeks but if you miss a day or something comes up, don’t panic! Go at your own pace. We’ll be waiting for you in the community forums when you’re ready to catch up.
4. No money? No problem
Membership is the cheapest way to access this course, alternatively, if you can’t wait and have no cash, have a look at our bursary scheme.
5. Milk no sugar
Drink plenty of tea, stock up on biscuits, gin for later. Enjoy it. It’s supposed to be fun. Love you. Mwa.
SUPER SPLENDID IDEA GENERATING JOY! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’d been feeling like I’d lost the ability to generate ideas but this course gave me my confidence back. You’ll get the chance to play around with some really fun exercises and just see what happens! I got at least seven really decent ideas to develop further. It’s great value for money and will really give you a great big creative kick. Five gold stars from me!
Lela
Seven Ideas In Seven Days
Fantastic Course ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thoroughly excellent course. A guided tour of the first draft you thought you knew, with myriad exercises to ensure you end up knowing it better. Help to recognise its strengths, and strategies to deal with its weaknesses. Advice, support, and plain good sense. A variety of approaches, to suit different kinds of writers. By the end of the course, I was raring to go, and what’s more, I knew what I had to do to make my draft into the best book it could be.
Cassie Oakman
Plotstormers II
Wow! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Being on draft 9 for the book I wanted to edit AGAIN, I wasn’t sure how this course was going to make me see things differently. But wow, it really did. Breaking a novel down into its mathematical building blocks (and let’s face it, i do have geek tendencies, so if there is a formula, I’m happy) was a unique way to go about editing. Pulling apart first rather than building. Once all those little itty bitty blocks became their own entities, it was so much easier to see where the gape were in my novel and what needed fixing. I will definitely be using this method for all of my other novels and going back over them with this same approach. Sharing with other writers at the same stage, both offering and receiving support gives companionship in a lonely career/hobby etc. So glad that I have now met more writers and hope we can continue to engage. A great way to learn. Also – the humour of Jo (and Sarah) really make the learning curves a little less painful and I can’t count the number of times I’ve have quite literally laughed out loud. Am contemplating coming back for more as wondering what the initial plotting course is all about. Husband….?
Marisa
Plotstormers II: The Editing Strikes Back
More ideas than you can shake an inspiration stick at ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fab exercises for toning up your idea muscles. A fun, inspiring week.
Jennifer
Seven Ideas In Seven Days
Sarah Lewis
Half of Writers’ HQ
Procrastinator Level: Set up WHQ and had a baby to avoid writing her novel
Jo Gatford
Half of Writers’ HQ
Procrastinator Level: Set up WHQ and did an MA to avoid writing her novel
Plotstormers II
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get your novel written!
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write a killer synopsis
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