A Novel Idea

A Novel Idea is a year-long course that will take you through plotting, writing, and editing your book, and then help you figure out what to do with it once you have it polished to a bright shine.

As you work through the exercises you’ll first turn the spark of an idea into something viable, then bring that spark into a fully plotted roadmap that will lead you through writing your book. If you’ve been a pantser in the past (working without a plot), you’ll love that A Novel Idea’s plotting workshop is intuitive and flexible. It’s easy to adjust the story if things change while you’re writing.

Once your story is plotted--and you have a plot board and synopsis to work from--you’ll start writing. The course is paced to allow you to finish your first draft in six months, at a rate of about 500 words a day. I’m a big believer in small goals--there’s no need to slam your first draft out in record time. If you slow down and learn the craft of writing as you go, you’ll end up with a first draft you’re proud of.

Once you have that first draft, you’ll set it aside for a few weeks while you plot your next story. Because absence lets you read your story with fresh eyes when you go back to it. The editing portion of A Novel Idea is three months long and walks you through the process of polishing your draft until it shines.

What Students Are Saying About A Novel Idea

Finding Shaunta and The Plotting Workshop, was the best thing I could have ever done for my writing. Before joining my plot lines were weak. Now I have a solid foundation and am working on Act 2 of my WIP.

The community that Shaunta has gathered from her Ninja Writers is everything to an inexperienced writer just starting out. The friends I have met by posting my prompts are amazing. Without their daily encouragement, I don't know where I would be.

With Shaunta's instructions and assignments you will have all the tools you need to sit down and create a book everyone will be dying to read! The only regret you'll have is not finding the courses sooner!!

I feel like I have a better grasp on my story than ever before. Usually I jump right in with a great idea and it fizzles out because I haven't thought through where it's going, who's involved, and what obstacles are going to arise. I love the process of discovery that happens when I write- about my characters, events and relationships that I hadn't even considered- and I don't feel like I'm going to be sacrificing that by plotting so thoroughly.

The Plotting Workshop has for me been a great experience and a crucial tool in planning my novel. It has helped me more than words can say, and I've made some great friends among the Ninja Writers too! I can't thank this program enough! I've found it so helpful for making my plot concrete. It is really bringing all my ideas together and helping me to organize my thoughts and see what is pliable to the story or not.