Welcome to the StoryCraft Novel Challenge. This in-depth, six-week writing bootcamp will introduce you to the StoryCraft method of developing your book using the foundations of craft, as well as some strategic planning.

StoryCraft was born from hours of conversations about what it’s like being both writers and publishing professionals, and how we realized just how many writers out there are lost in their pages because they don’t have a solid foundation of craft. 

As writers, we both understand exactly what it’s like to be stuck trying to find the best version of the story while battling jobs and family and whatever else life throws at you. But as publishing professionals, we also know just how competitive the market is and how strong books need to be to stand out.

Thankfully, we came up with a solution. We developed a simple, step-by-step process to work through every element of a great story, all while providing education on the foundations of what we call StoryCraft. It’s a process we know works because we’ve both used it to successfully draft our own novels, as well as supporting those of our clients.

The reality of the publishing industry today is that it’s tough. There are only so many resources available for new books, and everyone is competing for shelf-space. Finding success in publishing is a bit of luck and a lot of work. We can’t do much about the luck part, but we can help you build a process that allows you to find the core of your story quicker and is actually enjoyable. Writing should be fun (most of the time).

Over the next six weeks, we’ll be working through a high-level overview of our online course, StoryCraft: Writing Your Novel. It’s a six-unit course designed to lead you through developing your book from ideation to outline and beyond. The course is currently in Beta, and you can join in now for $150 off with coupon SCBETA.

We’ve also developed the StoryCraft Workbook, available in print or digital formats, which provides a series of exercises designed to lead you through the StoryCraft process. You can find that HERE.

We believe in this process because we know it works. After years of battling writer’s block and creative output issues, we created a step-by-step map through all the critical elements of story: structure, the emotional arc of the protagonist, dynamic subplots, setups and payoffs, finding the voice of the book, and so much more. We will both be working through the challenge with our own new novels, so you can follow along our journeys as well. Find Jess and Lindsay/Theo.

Here’s what the next six weeks will look like:

Week One - Building Concept

• Ideation

• Creating a Wishlist

• Determining Genre, Audience, and Market

• Finding Authenticity

• Creating a Developmental Logline

Week Two - Structure

• How structure can actually free you

• Narrative Structure

• The main structures - Hero’s Journey, 3-Act, 7-Point

• The Emotional Arc of the Protagonist

• Building your Protagonist’s backstory

Week Three - Story Foundation

• Character roles

• Antagonist and Mentor arcs

• Your setting as a character

• Choosing the right setting

• Worldbuilding

Week Four - Voice and Outlining

• Narrative structure outline

• 3-act Beatsheet

• Narrative Purpose

• Finding your Voice

• Character voices and Dual/Multi POV

Week Five - Style and Substance

• Perspective and Point-of-view

• Tense

• Pacing

• Experimenting with hook

• Writing the Big Emotional Moment

Week Six - Preparing to Write

• Setups and Payoffs - Story Clock

• Why you should write a full outline

• Pushing past writer’s block

• Setting good habits

• Good luck!

All you need to do to join the challenge is Subscribe to our Substack and social media channels, where we will be posting throughout the week, and work through the exercises for your book. Follow us here: Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok

Use the hashtag #StoryCraftNovelChallenge to post your own progress, and support your fellow writers as we embark on this journey together!

We’re so excited to see the amazing novel you’re going to write! We’ll see you next week when we choose our idea.

Happy Writing,

Jess and L Theodoora

https://www.story-craft.org/challenge