Join the challenge and get a step-by-step course and writing community designed by a professional author to take you from blank page to first draft in just 10 weeks.
Join the challenge and get a step-by-step course and writing community designed by a professional author to take you from blank page to first draft in just 10 weeks.
Our 10-week First Draft Bootcamp will help you get from premise to finished first draft using our proven system
This isn’t just a course, this is a challenge – an opportunity to strengthen your creative muscles, hone your craft and develop writing habits that will actually last in a supportive environment with expert tutors and a strong community around you.
You’ll get access to an exclusive, private community, weekly live sessions over Zoom, self-paced lessons and downloadable worksheets. Plus, for new and existing Novel Factory users, 6 months of The Novel Factory for free.
- You’ve tried NaNoWriMo but never quite finished
- You’ve got a story concept you love, but no idea how to turn it into a book
- You keep dreaming of writing a novel, but find it hard to sit down and write
- You’re tired of trying to squeeze in writing here and there but never seeing it go anywhere
- You want to finish a first draft you’re proud of by the end of the year
Weekly lessons and worksheets to get you from idea to fully-fleshed outline based on the exact process that landed author and The Novel Factory founder, Katja Kaine, a six-figure book deal.
Join us for weekly live workshops where we take what you’ve learned and put it into practice. Once May starts, you’ll get free access to our full Author Panel Masterclass series, plus hit your word count goals with additional live write-in sessions.
Share your work and get weekly peer feedback in live workshops, as well as written feedback from Katja herself to make sure you’re on the right track.
And, gain access to a private online community with other Bootcampers where you can get your questions answered, share your victories, find critique partners and stay accountable.
All participants get 6 months of free access to The Novel Factory to help them plan and write their novel, whether you’re a new or existing user.
- A solid plot outline built on proven storytelling principles
- 30,000–70,000+ words of your first draft
- Developed writing habits that last
- A complete toolkit for taking a novel from idea to first draft
- A community of writers to share your wins and frustrations with
What writers say about First Draft Bootcamp…
Don’t get bogged down wondering what to do next. Each week follow practical, proven steps developed by author and founder of The Novel Factory, Katja Kaine, to build your story from an idea to a fully-fleshed out first draft. You’ll get downloadable worksheets and weekly feedback to apply what you learn in real-time.
The first half of this course is all about plotting and planning your novel. But that’s not where we stop. The second half? It’s all about helping you sit down and actually draft your novel with live write-ins, weekly motivation and community support, plus our full Author Panel Masterclass Series, full of insights from published authors and publishing professionals to inspire you as you draft.
Join weekly video calls for inspiration, accountability and feedback. You won’t just be typing away by yourself; you’ll be joining a community of like-minded writers who will be cheering you on the whole way through. Plus, get access to exclusive workshops with Katja Kaine.
You can take the lessons and strategies you learn here with you and apply them to your future writing endeavours. Plus, you won’t lose your community once the course is done.
Katja’s story: Why I created First Draft Bootcamp
The next step to helping writers become authors
I’m always looking for ways to improve my processes and reach success, and that’s why over the past 15 years I’ve been developing the Novel Factory software, and the Novel Writing Roadmap – two tools which have helped me understand my process and write more efficiently. I love helping other people reach for their dreams too, and it makes me so happy to know that by sharing my software and writing guides I have helped so many people find satisfaction, joy and success in their writing.
Over those 15 years, there is one major barrier to writing which has come up over and over again, and that’s getting started. So many people have told me that they just can’t seem to sit down and write – or they do, they find the blank page overwhelming. This First Draft Bootcamp is my effort to help in that area.
Personally, I’m a very disciplined writer, and am proud of my writing habit and the amount I’m able to achieve. And yet, whenever I have taken part in community writing sprints, I’ve been blown away by how much more I’ve achieved. There’s something about having an external structure, and having a community of peers cheering you on and challenging you, that just unlocks an incredible amount of creativity.
So if you’re itching to write that novel but keep having false starts, then this is for you. See you inside!
We’ll spend the first half of First Draft Bootcamp plotting and structuring your novel. Lessons will drop weekly to help you develop your novel from first idea to a fully fleshed-out outline. Fine-tune every element with 90-minute workshops and written feedback from Katja.
The second half focuses on getting words onto the page. No more lesson drops, instead, you’ll get weekly motivation, accountability and live sessions and Q&As with guest authors and experts as you work towards a completed first draft.
Live workshops and author panels will take place on Wednesdays at 9 AM Pacific / 12 PM Eastern.
Live write-ins will take place on Sundays at 11 AM Pacific / 2 PM Eastern.
Sessions will be 90 minutes.
Recordings of live workshops will be available shortly after each session.
*Exact course content may be subject to minor changes.
Week 0:
Focus: Join the community, set your writing goals and nail down your premise
Sunday Live Session: March 29th – Bootcamp Kickoff Call
Wednesday Live Session: April 1st – Workshop: Premises & The Novel Factory Walkthrough
Outcome: Clear goal, committed time, and a working premise
Week 1:
Focus: Meet your protagonist, understand your moral statement and create your plot outline
Sunday Live Session: April 5th – Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: April 8th – Workshop: Plotting & Protagonists
Outcome: Protagonist profile and a completed plot outline
Week 2:
Focus: Expand your cast of characters and create a story synopsis
Sunday Live Session: April 12th – Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: April 15th – Workshop: Building Your Cast of Characters
Outcome: Secondary character profiles completed, 4-10 page synopsis of your novel
Week 3:
Focus: Develop the locations and world of your story, and develop narrative structure through the goal-to-decision cycle
Sunday Live Session: April 19th – Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: April 22nd – Workshop: The Story World & Goal to Decision Cycle
Outcome: A fully realised story world and blueprint for how to drive the narrative forward scene by scene
Week 4:
Focus: Scene blocking and preparing for drafting
Sunday Live Session: April 26th – Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: April 29th – Workshop: Scene Blocking & Preparing to Draft Q&A
BONUS Live Session: May 1st – Drafting Your Novel Kick-Off
Outcome: All scenes blocked and ready to begin writing 50,000 words in a month
Week 5:
Focus: Building a writing rhythm and hitting your first milestones
Sunday Live Session: May 3rd – Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: May 6th – Author Panel Masterclass: Plotting and Planning with guest authors A.J. Clack and Sara Grant
Outcome: Completing a quarter of your word count goal
Week 6:
Focus: Conflict, escalation and writing the midpoint turn.
Sunday Live Session: May 10th – Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: May 13th – Author Panel Masterclass: Compelling Characters with guest authors Sebastien De Castell and Sunyi Dean
Outcome: You’ve hit halfway to your word count goal and avoided the midpoint slump
Week 7:
Focus: Recommit, revise your plan if you need to and power through dark moments
Sunday Live Session: May 17th – Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: May 20th – Author Panel Masterclass: Memorable Settings with guest authors Sarah Brooks and Nicholas Eames
Outcome: 60–75% of your wordcount goal completed and a revised plan that will get you to the finish line.
Week 8:
Focus: Wrapping up plot and character acts, writing satisfying endings and preparing for revisions.
Sunday Live Session: May 24th – Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: May 27th – Author Panel Masterclass: Editing Your Draft with guest editor Hayley Fairhead and author and writing coach, C.S. Lakin
Outcome: A complete or close to completed draft
Week 9:
Focus: Wrapping up and understanding next steps
Sunday Live Session: May 31st – Final Weekly Write-In
Wednesday Live Session: June 3rd – Author Panel Masterclass: Paths to Publishing with guest author Cara Miller
Outcome: Feel confident about your journey after First Draft Bootcamp
The Novel Factory is a complete creative companion that helps you go from initial idea to completed manuscript using an easy-to-use interface that connects your ideas in intuitive ways.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned author, The Novel Factory harnesses your creativity to help you become more confident and productive.
With this course, you’ll have access to The Novel Factory for 6 months absolutely free, including features such as the Plot Manager, powerful character builder and detailed Novel-Writing Roadmap.
Join the 10-week First Draft Bootcamp and get access to:
- A step-by-step proven system for planning your novel
- Weekly workshops and write-ins to hone your skills
- The full Author Panel Masterclass series featuring 10 guest authors and experts
- Personalised feedback to know if you’re on the right track
- Access to a private community to collaborate with other authors
- AND 6 months of The Novel Factory at no additional cost
Need to pay in instalments? Contact us at info@novel-software.com.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How does the 6 months’ access to The Novel Factory work?
First Draft Bootcamp includes 6 months of access to The Novel Factory, which will be sent as a gift subscription code. You can find full instructions for redeeming gift subscriptions here.
For existing subscribers, all you need to do is make sure you use your Novel Factory email address when you purchase the course, and you’ll then receive a code which you can use to extend your current licence.
Can anyone in the world sign up?
Yes! All the course content is available online, with sessions held virtually, so you can join from anywhere in the world.
What happens if I’m not satisfied with the course?
If you’re not completely happy with your experience, just contact us within 14 days of the course start date (March 29th), and we’ll give you a full refund.
What if I can’t attend the live sessions?
All live Zoom sessions will be recorded and uploaded shortly after, so there’s no need to worry if you can’t make one.
Is this course only for new Novel Factory users?
Not at all! Existing subscribers will receive a 6-month extension to their current plan.
Do I have to write 50,000 words?
That’s our suggested target, but you can write more or less.
What happens after the course ends?
You’ll still have access to the Novel Factory software, community and course content.
Got a question we haven’t answered here? Email us at info@novel-software.com and we’ll be happy to help however we can