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.
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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
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 lessons, live online sessions with experts, and be matched with your own peer feedback group.
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.
Lifetime access means even when First Draft Bootcamp is finished, you’ll still own the course and can return to it at anytime.
Multiple live online sessions per week, including workshops to put what you’ve learned into practice, office hours to drop in and ask questions, interviews with authors and industry experts, plus optional peer feedback groups.
Can’t make a live session? No problem. Catch up and keep up with session recordings posted within 24 hours, plus ask questions and get feedback asynchronously through our online community.
Opt in to get matched with a small peer feedback group to support each other through the entire ten weeks, or drop in to our 30-minute feedback hotseat sessions for the opportunity to receive feedback from our expert tutors.
And gain access to a private online community with other Bootcampers where you can connect, share your victories, swap helpful resources and stay accountable.
All participants get 6 months of free access to The Novel Factory software 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 weekly author interviews, full of insights from published authors and publishing professionals to inspire you as you draft.
Get farther and achieve more by connecting with other writers who share your passions and goals. Join weekly video calls for inspiration, accountability and feedback. You won’t just be typing away by yourself; you’ll be joining a community that will be cheering you on the whole way through.
Designed to meaningfully transform your writing process and create lasting habits far beyond these ten weeks, First Draft Bootcamp will give you tools and methods you can apply to any future writing process. And with lifetime access to lessons and live session recordings, you can return to these resources whenever you need.
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 with Katja, plus live office hours sessions for any questions you have and opportunities for feedback as you go.
The second half focuses on getting words onto the page. No more lesson drops; instead, you’ll get weekly motivation, accountability and live interviews and Q&As with guest authors and publishing industry experts as you work towards a completed first draft.
Live office hours and write-ins (90 minutes): Sundays at 11 AM Pacific / 2 PM Eastern.
Live workshops and author interviews (90 minutes): Tuesdays at 9 AM Pacific / 12 PM Eastern.
Feedback hotseats and drafting check-ins (30 minutes): Thursdays at 9 AM Pacific / 12 PM Eastern.
Optional peer feedback groups (60 minutes): Scheduled with your group
Recordings of live sessions will be available in the community.
*Exact course content may be subject to minor changes.
Week 0:
Focus: Join the community, meet your peer feedback group and finalise your premise
Sunday Live Session: September 27th – Bootcamp Kickoff Call
Tuesday Live Session: September 29th – Workshop: Crafting Your Premise
Thursday Live Session: October 1st – Workshop: How to Give and Receive Helpful Feedback
Outcome: Feel confident navigating the community and The Novel Factory, connect to fellow writers and have your working premise complete
Week 1:
Focus: Meet your protagonist, understand your moral statement and create your plot outline
Sunday Live Session: October 4th – Weekly Office Hours
Tuesday Live Session: October 6th – Workshop: Plotting & Protagonists
Thursday Live Session: October 8th – 30-Minute Feedback Hotseat
Outcome: Protagonist profile and a completed plot outline
Week 2:
Focus: Expand your cast of characters and create a story synopsis
Sunday Live Session: October 11th – Weekly Office Hours
Tuesday Live Session: October 13th – Workshop: Building Your Cast of Characters
Thursday Live Session: October 15th – 30-Minute Feedback Hotseat
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: October 18th – Weekly Office Hours
Tuesday Live Session: October 20th – Workshop: The Story World & Goal to Decision Cycle
Thursday Live Session: October 22nd – 30-Minute Feedback Hotseat
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: October 25th – Weekly Office Hours
Tuesday Live Session: October 27th – Workshop: Scene Blocking & Preparing to Draft Q&A
Thursday Live Session: October 29th – 30-Minute Feedback Hotseat
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: November 1st – Drafting Month Kick-Off Write-In
Tuesday Live Session: November 3rd – Author Interview and Q&A
Thursday Live Session: November 5th – 30-Minute Drafting Check-In
Outcome: Completing a quarter of your word count goal
Week 6:
Focus: Conflict, escalation and writing the midpoint turn.
Sunday Live Session: November 8th – Office Hours/Write-In Time
Tuesday Live Session: November 10th – Author Interview and Q&A
Thursday Live Session: November 12th – 30-Minute Drafting Check-In
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: November 15th – Office Hours/Write-In Time
Tuesday Live Session: November 17th – Author Interview and Q&A
Thursday Live Session: November 19th – 30-Minute Drafting Check-In
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: November 22nd – Office Hours/Write-In Time
Tuesday Live Session: November 24th – Author Interview and Q&A
Thursday Live Session: November 26th – 30-Minute Drafting Check-In
Outcome: A complete or close-to-complete draft
Week 9:
Focus: Wrapping up and understanding next steps
Sunday Live Session: November 29th – Final Office Hours/Write-In Time
Tuesday Live Session: December 1st – First Draft Bootcamp Celebration Call
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, author interviews and write-ins to hone your skills
- Opportunities for 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