Ultimate Novel Writing Course

No other writing course offers more. Take advantage of regular 1-2-1 mentoring, weekly tutorials, editorial guidance, literary agent feedback, and exclusive networking events. Start with a work in progress – end with the tools and contacts you need to get published.

We’ll take you from first draft, through to publication – with expert support and guidance every step of the way. Starting with a rough outline, you’ll work closely with our team of renowned authors to plan, write, and edit your manuscript over the course of a year – and at the end you’ll walk away with a polished novel and comprehensive submission package. No other course in the world offers this level of support, guidance, or opportunities to help you get your work discovered.

Welcome

Welcome to the Ultimate Novel Writing Course
UNWC Anthologies
UNWC End-of-Course Readings
Your Course Alum Forum

Month 1: Planning Your Novel

Month 1 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week 1: The Essential Building Blocks of Story
Week 2: The Hook
Week 3: Rising Action
Week 4: Chapter Planning

Month 2: Point of View 

Month 2 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week 1: Understanding Point of View
Week 2: Limitations & Possibilities of POV
Week 3: POV’s Impact on Style
Week 4: Narrative Distance, Narrative Withholding & Narrator Reliability 

Month 3: Setting

Month 3 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week One: Researching & Developing Your Setting
Week Two: Understanding Your Setting
Week Three: Incidental Settings
Week 4: World Building

Month 4: Character

Month 4 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week 1: Developing Your Protagonist
Week 2: Developing Your Antagonist
Week 3: Dialogue & Character
Week 4: Character Arcs & Incidental Characters
Guest Webinar: Character with Yvonne Battle-Felton

Month 5: Emotions & Senses

Month 5 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week 1: Show, Don’t Tell
Week 2: Creating Complex Relationships and Conveying Emotion 
Week 3: Creating Texture and Nuance 
Week 4: Close Paragraph Work 

Month 6: Pacing & Tension

Month 6 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week 1: Gradual Information Reveal, and Information Withheld 
Week 2: Building Tension with the Hitchcock “Bomb Under the Table” 
Week 3: Making Sure the Stakes are Raised 
Week 4: Making Every Scene Count 

Month 7: Voice & Style

Month 7 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week 1: The Main Character 
Week 2: The Power of Words 
Week 3: Dialogue 
Week 4: Understanding Genre 

Month 8: Making a Great Ending

Month 8 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week One: Psyching Yourself Up for the Ending 
Week Two: Structuring the End  
Week Three: Making Sure the Rest of the Novel Fits 
Week Four: Themes, Resonance, and the Right Note 
Jericho Writer’s Q&A

Month 9: Self-Editing 

Month 9 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week One: Overview of Editing (The Importance of Cutting Down)  
Week Two: Dialogue, Revisited 
Week Three: Openings, Revisited 
Week Four: Character Development, Revisited  
Guest Webinar: Self-Editing with Debi Alper

Month 10: Getting Published

Month 10 Lead Tutor Webinar
Week 1: Submission Packs and How to Edit your First Three Chapters
Week 2: Betareaders, AgentMatch, & More
Week 3: Different Paths to Publication
Week 4: Our Publishing Journeys

Month 11: Author-Led Marketing & Self-Publishing

Guest Webinar: Self-Publishing with Debbie Young
Week 1: Introduction to Self-Publishing
Week 2: Creating a Self-Publishing Package
Week 3: Building an Author Package
Week 4: Your Self-Publishing & Marketing Homework