Do you want to write a novel (or memoir)?
Let me help you get started! (Plus writing news & resources)
For writing news, links, and resources, scroll down.
How great would it feel to write a novel?
Do you have a good idea for a novel? A story you’ve always wanted to tell? Characters who are begging to be brought to life?
Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a novel (or memoir) but felt unsure of how to begin. Or stopped writing because the task felt too daunting. A whole book? How do people write a whole entire book?
It’s not easy. But it’s also far from impossible. If writing a novel is one of your dreams, you can do it. I promise. Let me help you get started.
Getting Started on Your Novel (or Memoir)
Stop spinning your wheels and start writing your first draft! Based on my popular in-person workshop at The Writers Center, I have created a virtual do-it-on-your-own-time course in which you will:
generate ideas for your novel
write beginning scenes
flesh out the plot
get to know the characters and their motivations
learn about story structure, conflict, world-building, and other craft topics
Each week you will receive a new lesson (in both audio and written format). Each lesson will include instruction on a writing craft topic, examples from published books, and writing exercises for you to complete.
By the end of the course you will have the beginning chapter(s) of your novel and a plan for moving forward.
(Which is perfect because my next course this summer will be the follow-up to this one: Sticking With Your Work-in-Progress!)
Getting Started on Your Novel is a general course is for writers of all genres: YA, MG, thriller, romance, literary fiction, memoir, etc. And it can help you whether this is your first attempt at writing a novel or something you’ve dabbled with before.
Ready to get started?
Getting Started on Your Novel (or Memoir) will be available to paid subscribers of my email newsletter.
It’s $5/month to subscribe, and the course officially runs from May 21 – June 25 (though you can do it at your own pace). This means you will get the entire course for only $10.
By signing up you will also have access to the entire course of Cultivating a Regular Writing Practice — a great companion to Getting Started on Your Novel.
Cancel your subscription at any time, or stay with me to receive future courses:
Sticking with Your WIP (Work-in-Progress)
Writing a YA or Middle Grade Novel
Writing and Submitting Short Stories
Researching Literary Agents & Writing a Great Query Letter
Subscribe to my paid newsletter by clicking here.
Want to know more about the course?
The weekly lessons for Getting Started on Your Novel (or Memoir) are as follows. Each will be provided in both written and audio format and will contain multiple writing assignments to help you start generating pages.
Lesson 1: The Big Idea
Lesson 2: Characters
Lesson 3: Setting & World-Building
Lesson 4: Plot & Story Structure
Lesson 5: First Page, First Chapter, Next Steps
I will also give optional reading assignments from the following books, if you’d like to obtain them ahead of time from the library or bookstore:
—Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell
—Save the Cat Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody
Want to know more about the instructor?
I have been writing seriously for fifteen years now, and I’ve taught workshops at The Writers Center, The San Miguel Writers’ Conference, and the Hands On Literary Festival.
I have written eight complete novels, worked with a literary agent, and been mentored by award-winning novelist and screen writer Lisa O’Donnell. I received my MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of New Orleans, and my short stories have been published in literary magazines and even nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
I know how hard it can be to overcome the fear and excuses that might stand in the way of your writing journey. Writing a novel is HARD, and it can feel quite overwhelming at times. But it can also be incredibly rewarding, fun, and sometimes even a bit magical.
If writing a novel is one of your dreams, I can help you achieve it.
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions!
But I’ve Already Written a Novel and Now I Need to Revise!
That’s awesome! Then you might be interested in this online revision workshop May 8 and 9.
Writing News & Links
It’s not too late to work through the Cultivating a Regular Writing Practice email course! Paid subscribers to my newsletter will now have access to all four lessons. This series of do-it-on-your-own-time course will help you create a writing routine that works for you and keeps you writing regularly for the long-term. This is a great course to complete in preparation for my next one: Getting Started on Your Novel.
Write On Con, an online conference for kidlit writers is now open for registration. The conference will be held July 15-17.
And there’s also WOWCON, WriteMentor’s online conference for kidlit writers, coming up September 24 - 26.
Ever heard the advice that to become a better writer you need to read like a writer? I just started taking an online course that helps you do just that. Reading with Daniel is an online course aimed specifically for writers, so we can read novels with an eye to what makes them work. Daniel is a great instructor, and the discussion boards are full of thoughtful discourse.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this essay by Jessi Klein about motherhood as the hero’s journey (thank you, Meagan Boyd, for sending it to me!) If you are a mother, you must read it now.
On a related note, I also ABSOLUTELY LOVED Emily Itami’s debut novel Fault Lines, which also presents motherhood in a way I rarely see in fiction yet experience every day in my real life: that it is somehow degrading, isolating, annoying, hilarious, transcendent, joyous, and utterly exhausting, all at once. *Eva pauses to wonder, why are there not more devastatingly-real fictional accounts of being a mother to young children? Hmm, probably because the people having those experiences are too sleep-deprived and emotionally-depleted to write about them.*
The querying trenches are rough right now, and Twitter pitch parties ain’t what they used to be, but still, as I always say, it doesn’t hurt to try. So mark your calendar for these upcoming spring Twitter pitch parties. And be sure to read my article 13 Things to Know About Twitter Pitch Events.
May 19 (8am—8pm EST): #PitDark — Twitter pitch for manuscripts that contain an element of horror or darker writing in a range of age categories
May 26 (8am - 8pm): #Flippit — What started as a joke is now a real thing. Literary agents pitch to authors and we writers get to be the ones to click “like.”
Finally! After years of virtual conferences, we’re starting to see some in-person ones. Check out these upcoming summer conferences:
Washington Writers Conference: May 13-14 in Bethesda, MD.
Chesapeake Writers’ Conference: June 19-25 at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. A week of craft talks, lectures, panel discussions, readings, and daily workshops in fiction, poetry, songwriting, or creative nonfiction.
Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference: August 18-21 in Franklin, Tennessee. This conferences brings together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. They also offer discounts and scholarships.
For more writing conferences, check out this list.
NYC Midnight hosts a range of storytelling challenges throughout the year. I have done several of these and always been pleasantly surprised by what I come up with when the pressure is on. Not gonna lie, these challenges are pricey, but they’re a lot of fun. Upcoming challenge:
June 10 is the Flash Fiction Challenge. Early bird discounted registration ends May 5. You can read last year’s winning entry here.
Globe Soup offers a variety of contests, both free and paid, throughout the year. Their current contest is:
The Short Memoir Competition, deadline May 17. Theme: places that have made me, changed me, or inspired me.
This year the Writing Day Workshop “How to Get Published” Conferences will be held virtually. I attended one of these conferences in person a few years ago in Philadelphia, and I thought it was fantastic. I can’t vouch for the virtual version, but there are some benefits: recorded classes, no travel expenses, attend in your comfy pants. Plus, you can sign up for Zoom pitch sessions with agents for $29 a piece. Check out the upcoming conferences (and remember, anyone can attend from anywhere; just keep the time zone in mind).
Philadelphia Writing Workshop: May 6-7, 2022
Chicago Writing Workshop: June 10-11, 2022Live in the DC area? Mark your calendar for the FREE Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 21. A celebration of books, writers, and literary excellence with workshops, speakers, a children’s village, and more!
That’s all for now. How’s everyone doing? What are you looking for in terms of writing resources? Let me know!
Take care,
Eva