Build Your Novel (High School)

Bring your plan, write your novel, and finish with a complete draft ready for editing. Twelve weeks of focused novel drafting with coach feedback on every section

You have a plan. Now write the book.

Build Your Novel is for students who are ready to draft their novel. Students work through their manuscript in four structured sections drafting, receiving coach feedback, and revising as they go. The overlapping cycle of writing new material while revising earlier sections mirrors the way professional novelists work and builds the stamina and discipline a long-form project demands.

This class is not about planning and not about publishing. It’s about the hardest part of writing a novel: actually writing it. Your coach reads every section, provides detailed feedback on craft, structure, pacing, and voice, and helps you push through the inevitable moments where the story feels stuck. Students finish the semester with a complete draft ready for professional editing.

Students who have completed our Plan a Novel workshop are ready to begin. Students who have planned independently are welcome. If you’ve started writing but stalled – whether you have 10 pages or 100 – reach out to us. Your coach can help determine whether you’re ready to dive into Build Your Novel or if a few weeks with Plan a Novel would save you time in the long run.

Your story. Your voice. No creative limits. Whatever genre you’re writing, this class gives you the structure to finish it.

Intended For Grades: 9-12

Time Expectation:

Classes have weekly assignments. All assignments will be due midnight Friday EST each week. Assignments are intended to take approximately 2-3 hours per week

Class Objectives:

Produce a complete novel draft through sustained, structured writing over 12 weeks
Apply narrative craft skills including pacing, dialogue, scene construction, and chapter transitions in a long-form project
Develop revision skills by working on new sections while revising earlier ones simultaneously
Evaluate their own writing through coach conferences, identifying and addressing structural and craft issues as they arise
Build the discipline and stamina required to complete a book-length manuscript

Class Features:

Daily contact with a coach who reads every section and provides detailed, individualized feedback on craft and structure
Four structured writing and revision cycles that mirror the professional novel-writing process
This class focuses on individualized, one-on-one work with your coach — dedicated feedback on your writing without the group dynamic
Designed to follow Plan a Novel (workshop) and lead into Meet with an Editor and Publish (semester) or Publish Your Book (workshop)

Pre-Reqs: Completed plan or outline for a novel

Required Materials:

A completed novel plan or outline (our Plan a Novel workbook is recommended; digital copy available for separate purchase)
Access to a word processing program (Microsoft Word or Google Docs)

Note: This course runs as a continuous 12-week semester. The writing and revision cycles build on each other sequentially and are designed to be completed together.

Week 1: Introduction & Section #1 Planning
Week 2 & 3: Draft Section #1
Week 4: Revision & Section #2 Planning
Week 5 & 6: Draft Section #2
Week 7: Revision & Section #3 Planning
Week 8 & 9: Draft Section #3
Week 10: Revision & Section #4 Planning
Week 11 & 12: Draft Section #4

$375.00

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When would you like to take your first unit? *Units start first Monday monthly.

When would you like to take your second unit? *Units start first Monday monthly.

When would you like to start your third unit? *Units start first Monday monthly.

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We accept all major credit cards and PayPal payments.

Additionally, we accept ESA in participating states, click here to learn more.

Purchase Course Materials:

Online Annual Writing Classes

Online Semester Writing Classes

Online Writing Workshops