What if this time next year you could call yourself a writer even if you currently have no idea where to start your novel?

What if this time next year you could call yourself a writer even if you currently have no idea where to start your novel?

If you've always wanted to write a book but you keep telling yourself "maybe one day", keep reading. You'll find out how you can start working on that dream TODAY.

You can start writing your first novel within weeks even if you currently have no idea where to begin writing (hint: not from page 1).

Since you're reading this, I know you've dreamed of writing a novel of your own.

The problem is, it's so easy to read a book but so much harder to write one. When you've compared your own writing to your favourite authors, you might have wondered if you really have what it takes to write a novel.

What if your writing just isn't good enough? Can you really become an author if you don't have a degree in ceative writing or literature?

Reading a good novel can feel like magic but writing one is just a skill. All you need is practice and a simple parth to follow.

You might think you're not quite cut out for writing novels because if you were, you would already know what to do. I can tell you that's not true.

I can walk you through the whole process of writing your novel from start to finish. We don't even need to hold hands.

If your writing has never lived up to what you imagined in your head, it's not your fault.

You see, reading a book is easy.
You just start from page one and proceed until the end, and that's it. That was the story.
Writing a book, though, is completely different, and that's why you can't learn to write just by reading.
Pretty much the only reason you're struggling is that you approach writing a book the way you approach reading a book.

Perhaps you’ve written multiple stories already, but you keep stashing them in your desk drawer (or in your Google Docs account since it’s 2023 after all) because your writing is so far away from the great ideas in your head.

You can see you need to fix your writing but you don't know how or what to fix,

so you've started to believe you’re just not a good enough writer. But now you're finally ready to do something about that.

Sure, you can DIY writing your first novel, but I don't want you to waste time trying to figure out things that don't help you write an unforgettable story.

I don't want you to spend your precious time wondering what software to use and how to start your first chapter before you’ve even decided what you’re going to write about.

And then, you might start off strong, but if you don’t know where your story is going, you’ll more than likely lose motivation and start feeling like you just weren’t meant to become an author.

I don’t want that to happen to you.

I don’t want you to hide your cool story ideas and unique point of view locked into your desk drawer for one more year. Why? Because we need stories from all kinds of people, and because your future readers are already waiting to hear what only YOU can tell them.

Imagine if your favourite author had decided against writing your favourite book - what would you have missed out on? Someday you could be that writer to someone else and they'll be grateful you made the decision to write your books.

You can learn a lot from authors like Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, but you can't apply any of that if you don't even know how to get started.
This is the novel writing course that solves all your beginner writer problems.
You're going to learn even more than what I teach in my in-person creative writing classes while still getting PERSONAL feedback from me.

There are still aspiring authors out there who start writing from page 1 and continue until the story is finished, and then they check the manuscript for typos and call it a day.

Then they wonder why nobody LOVES their stories when they haven’t even learned to map their story structure beforehand, they don’t know what makes an unforgettable protagonist and they don’t know the easy-to-conquer steps to editing your novel.

Writers who are never happy with their writing are missing important storytelling building blocks and they don’t even realise it.

If you’ve started dozens of stories that you’ve never finished, you might be making the same mistakes that they are making.

If you agree that you need someone to show you a step-by-step process to writing your first novel, let’s continue.

Let me introduce... WRITING YOUR FIRST NOVEL

Writing Your First Novel - Become a writer and proudly share your stories with the world, even if you don't yet know what to write about or where to start

Writing Your First Novel turns your story idea into a novel you can hold in your hands and show off to everyone you love (or even everyone you hate, that’s your choice.)

You can confidently pursue getting published with a book you're excited to have other people read.

You’re going to learn everything you need to write your first novel without getting confused, without feeling like you’ll never be as good as your favourite author and without getting lost in the trenches of the editing process.

  • Learn what your school didn’t teach you about writing a novel
  • Steal my methods of outlining and editing that make the whole process, dare I say, fun
  • Make your writing shine with exercises that actually teach you to write well
  • Stop procrastinating and know exactly what you need to do to have your first draft written in less than a year
  • Learn the secret ingredients you can find in ALL the stories you already love
  • Get support and feedback that keep you on the right track

"I've started writing so many stories, how do I know things will be different this time?"

Thanks to my Troublemaker Method, your story will practically write itself. (No, we won't be using AI or ChatGPT to write for us because we're better than that.)

If you've thought plotting your story and knowing what should happen in your novel is hard, you're going to be surprised about how easy it really can be.

Highly recommend Katri to anyone considering her to help with their own novel.

Laura WelchLaura WelchWriter

Here's what you learn when you enroll:

Module #1: Your story begins here

  • Kickstart your writing journey even if you have zero experience in writing fiction
  • Find out exactly what you should write about
  • See the “behind the scenes” of writing a novel from start to finish

Module #2: Writing great characters

  • Create an unforgettable main character
  • Know who does and doesn’t belong in your story
  • Describe characters so that they feel like actual, real-life people

Module #3: The Troublemaker Method

  • Use conflict to generate dozens and dozens of plot events
  • Bring meaning to your story while advancing your plot
  • Get the spreadsheet that practically plots your story for you

Module #4: Story structure - the hidden skeleton of your story

  • Learn the science behind every great story in the world
  • Figure out exactly what should happen in your novel
  • Learn the secret language of stories
  • Structure your scenes like an author

Module #5: Making your writing shine

  • Know how to actually apply the most common writing tips to your own writing
  • Find out what actually matters when you want to write well
  • Learn how to avoid amateurish writing (yikes)

Module #6: Creating a setting that feels REAL

  • Choose where your story should take place for maximum impact
  • Discover how to write tangible settings so that your readers feel like they’re inside your story world
  • Find out what to research and how to do worldbuilding

Module #7: The novel outline that saves you time and energy

  • Find out how writing an outline fixes most of your writing problems
  • Choose the outlining method that works for YOU
  • Learn the easiest way to eliminate writer’s block almost completely

Module #8: Sitting down to write your book

  • Know exactly how to put all the lessons into action
  • Find out why your first draft HAS TO suck
  • Learn why you already have enough time to write
  • Set up a writing practice that works for you and your life

Module #9: Editing your novel without losing your mind

  • Find out how you’ve been editing your novel wrong
  • Use my simple process of editing your novel without ever getting overwhelmed by the whole process

Plus the monthly workshops and getting personal feedback from me

Here's what you learn when you enroll:

Module #1: Your story begins here

  • Kickstart your writing journey even if you have zero experience in writing fiction
  • Find out exactly what you should write about
  • See the “behind the scenes” of writing a novel from start to finish

Module #2: Writing great characters

  • Create an unforgettable main character
  • Know who does and doesn’t belong in your story
  • Describe characters so that they feel like actual, real-life people

Module #3: The Troublemaker Method

  • Use conflict to generate dozens and dozens of plot events
  • Bring meaning to your story while advancing your plot
  • Get the spreadsheet that practically plots your story for you

Module #4: Story structure - the hidden skeleton of your story

  • Learn the science behind every great story in the world
  • Figure out exactly what should happen in your novel
  • Learn the secret language of stories
  • Structure your scenes like an author

Module #5: Making your writing shine

  • Know how to actually apply the most common writing tips to your own writing
  • Find out what actually matters when you want to write well
  • Learn how to avoid amateurish writing (yikes)

Module #6: Creating a setting that feels REAL

  • Choose where your story should take place for maximum impact
  • Discover how to write tangible settings so that your readers feel like they’re inside your story world
  • Find out what to research and how to do worldbuilding

Module #7: The novel outline that saves you time and energy

  • Find out how writing an outline fixes most of your writing problems
  • Choose the outlining method that works for YOU
  • Learn the easiest way to eliminate writer’s block almost completely

Module #8: Sitting down to write your book

  • Know exactly how to put all the lessons into action
  • Find out why your first draft HAS TO suck
  • Learn why you already have enough time to write
  • Set up a writing practice that works for you and your life

Module #9: Editing your novel without losing your mind

  • Find out how you’ve been editing your novel wrong
  • Use my simple process of editing your novel without ever getting overwhelmed by the whole process

Plus the monthly workshops and getting personal feedback from me

Get PERSONALISED help with your writing

We've added two ways for you to get help and feedback that is tailored to your needs

  • Submit up to FIVE pages each month to get feedback from me - find the good and the bad in your writing
  • Submit questions to monthly Q&As and workshops to get answers to questions that the course material doesn't answer - no question's too big or too small to explore!
  • Get the most thorough feedback possible by submitting your writing to be reviewed on video - sharing with the class helps everyone

This course teaches you the same things I teach in my creative writing workshops, except you have the privilege of learning from the comfort of your home.

Normally all this would cost $260, but since you've purchased the Lizzy's Christmas Party® Premium Goody Bag, you get it for free.

And that's not all: you get this growing collection of bonuses, too

Bonus #1: Book-writing for total beginners

If you know nothing about writing a novel and you don't know anyone who's done it before, I've got you covered. This Writing 101 lesson makes sure you know what you're getting into.

Bonus #2: Go from Zero to Hero with these writing exercises

Even if you've never written fiction in your life, these writing exercises get you in the right place before you continue with the course.

Bonus #3: Fillable structure map

Plan your novel wherever you are with this clever Google Sheets template that walks you through the entire story structure that you learn in the course.

Bonus #4: The tools that make writing easy

Get my best resources for making the writing process easier and (almost) painless.

Bonus #5: yWriter tutorial

Learn to use this FREE software for writing your story in a fun and organised way

ywriter tutorial
Idea mining workbook

Bonus #6: The workbook for finding your best ideas

Figure out exactly what you should write about and get more ideas than you know what to do with

Bonus #7: 365 writing prompts

Get writing inspiration for every day of the year

ywriter tutorial
Writin Your First Novel - Become a writer who can proudly share their story with the world

When you join Writing Your First Novel,

you get a full course that takes you from “no idea what to write about” to “wow, I just finished writing my first novel”.

You get help and feedback from someone who actually knows how to fix the issues in your story and you gain confidence that you really can be the author that you want to be.

You could have your first draft written in less than a year, even if your plate is already full, and you could be well on your way to finishing the novel that previously you could only dream of writing.

About your teacher

We might not be friends yet, but I'm Katri and I'm the face, brain and the rest of the body behind Protagonist Crafts. I write a blog about writing fiction and I've been thanked for inspiring aspiring authors on their writing journey, and I also make digital products that actually make writers' lives easier.

On top of that, I'm a published author and I've been writing stories ever since I learned to write. (It was a little before I learned how to read, which made writing my first story a little tricky.) Outside the internet, I teach creative writing and run a local writer's group, because yes, I'm that much obsessed with writing. (My other obsession is selling digital products. You're welcome.)

Smart people ask these questions:

Why are you the right person to teach this course?I’ve been where you are - a passion for writing and heaps of ideas but no clue how to turn all that into stories that work or into a novel that people would love to read over and over again. I know exactly how to teach storytelling skills to people who might not have any kind of formal education on literature, I know what it’s like to want to focus on your writing even when you’ve got a life full of responsibilities and I understand the underlying structure of great stories so well I could explain it to my children. I don't do this stuff just for fun, it's my life's mission. That, and seeing as many ravens as I possibly can.
I already write a lot, what can this course teach me?I’m someone who’s always been “good at writing” which is why I used to think I didn’t need to learn anything new. Writing and reading frequently is 100% necessary if you want your writing to be great, but you can only improve so much when you don’t know what you need to improve. Knowing what makes a great story is another thing that doesn’t necessarily come intuitively to most writers and it’s something you can absolutely be taught. Since you’re reading this, I know you haven’t quite nailed writing your first novel yet, and I’m looking forward to teaching you.
Can't I just learn all this on my own?You absolutely can! But if you have a life full of responsibilities, do you really want to spend more time figuring out what you need to learn before you can even start writing your novel, which on its own is going to take time and effort? I started the process of learning everything I could about writing when I was hanging out at the hospital getting my eldest child evaluated at children’s neurology, and ever since I’ve taken every chance I could get to learn more, but for you, it can be so much easier. The learning is never over, but WYFN is the quickest way to get your first novel actually started.
Will this course teach me to write fast?Writing is not a speed race but you can definitely learn to write more efficiently. It means that when you enrol in WYFN, you won’t waste time on things that don’t actually matter and the quality of your writing increases. Do you actually know how long it took the author to write your favourite book? Taking ten years to write a novel won’t make your book any worse and your readers won’t have a clue, but if you try to write a book as fast as possible, it will definitely show and you will leave your readers disappointed. In this course, we’re going to focus on writing WELL instead.
Is this course for me if I don't intend to write in English?As long as you can read English, you’re fine! What you learn inside WYFN applies to stories in all languages because we don’t go into nitty-gritty things like grammar. And hey, English is not my native language either and I’ve only been published in Finnish this far!
Can't I just use artificial intelligence to write a book for me? I mean, ChatGPT is free...Artificial intelligence can certainly put words after another and even create grammatically correct writing, but a novel and a story are far more than that. All AI ever does is regurgitate other people's material, not create anything new. It doesn't have experiences to use in its writing and it's not capable of creating anything meaningful. Trust me, authors will never be replaced by computers.
Will this course help me to get published?Writing a great book is a step towards getting published, sure, but we don't talk about the publishing process in this course.

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