It’s time to start (and finish!) writing your novel…
Do you want to write a book but can’t seem to get on a roll (or get started at all)? Let The One Week Writing Workshop help get your ideas out of your head and onto the page—where they belong! You’ll find:
- Real-world writing activities you’ll start using within minutes of opening the book
- A tried-and-tested 7-step method for starting your novel and seeing it through to the finish.
- Hands-on strategies for every step of the writing process, from generating ideas to revision
- Activities you can come back to again and again to bust past blocks, develop new story concepts and reconnect with the joy that got you writing in the first place
Author In Your Corner, Publishers
Release Date: October 17, 2024
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-896711-23-2
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-896711-22-5
Page Count: 212
Interest ages: 16+
Write Your Novel. Step By Step.
Let’s get over writer’s block and get going…together!
You’re creative and you have a great idea for a book.
You’ve read books by writing experts, watched videos—maybe even taken classes. All that’s left to do now is write. So…why is it still so hard?
Many writers know what it feels like to be unable to start or move forward writing their novel. It’s not about being uncreative. Mostly it’s that the gap between you and the finished product seems overwhelmingly vast.
But what if that gap was transformed into a series of steps? Suddenly, instead of feeling you need to take one giant, impossible leap, all you need to do is put one foot in front of the other taking one step at a time.
Why The One Week Writing Workshop Works!
The One Week Writing Workshop breaks down the writing process into a proven 7-step method. Not only that, it whittles it down even further into a series of bite-sized, actionable tasks that you can take immediately.
Helpful mini lessons will reinforce and complement what you already know about writing—and if you’ve never studied creative writing before, this is a great foundation! But mostly, this is a book that gets you writing now.
There’s no more delay—The One Week Writing Workshop gets your ideas out of your head and onto the page!
Karin Adams
What Will I Learn in The One Week Writing Workshop?
Adjust Your Writer’s Mindset
- Reset your thoughts, self-talk and your environment to fuel your writing
- Take concrete action to silence the forces contributing to your writer’s block
- Personalize your approach: do the workshop in one week, or go at your own pace
Get Motivated
- Plunge immediately into bite-sized, warmup writing activities and delight yourself as you create
- The blank page is addressed immediately; you’re writing soon after reading page 1
- Get practical strategies, including some outside-the-box suggestions you’ve not seen anywhere else
Gain Momentum
- Activities build on each other, helping to grow your ideas into story elements you can use and develop further
- Short, helpful instructions launch you quickly into highly practical creative tasks
- Develop ideas and push the envelope further every time your pen touches the paper
Master a Method
- Each chapter’s Core Activity is the essential task in the 7-step novel writing method
- Warmup Activities prepare you for the Core, and Stretch Activities enrich your experience
- You’ll gain hands-on experience with a solid method for writing your book and future novel projects
Expand Your Toolkit
- Get lessons to further stretch and level up your writing
- Learn how to tailor the writing steps to suit different projects
- Get tips for tweaking the workshop content for your writing personality
Halt Creative Crises
- Learn fast-acting strategies to push past common creative blocks
- Includes outside-the-box, away-from-the-desk ideas to prime your imagination
- Use the book whenever you write as an emergency kit to treat creative challenges
A 7-step method including 70+ author-tested strategies and activities. Jump-start your novel and get it done!
Author’s Notes
How to Use this Book
PART I: ICEBREAKERS
Hi! My name is ________, Writer.
Process Over Product
You Have a Gift (But It’s Not What You Think)
Reconnect With Your Writer’s Soul
Claim Your Writing Space
PART II: THE WORKSHOP
DAY ONE: IDEAS
The Art of Reading Like a Writer
Write With Your Eyes
Write With Your Ears
Big Box of Ideas
* The Inside/Outside World *
The Writer’s Walk
Step Away and Get Active
Write the Back of the Book
Draft an Email to a Friend or Your Editor
Dwell Amongst the Books
DAY TWO: CHARACTER
Listing Potential Story Characters
Character From a Photo
Listing Character Traits
* The Character Web *
What Would ‘You’ Do?
Character Biography and Autobiography
The Journal Entry
Character Portrait and Action Shot
Assemble a Character Scrapbook Page
Allies, Rivals and Other Characters
DAY THREE: SETTING
Get Sense-Sational
The Picture Worth a Thousand Words
One Space, Two Ways
Scape, Scope and Scale of a Setting
* The 5 Senses Web *
Activate Your Story’s World
Make a Map
Write a Brief History of Your World
Build Your Story’s World
Visit Your Character’s Bedroom
Enlarge Your Story’s World
DAY FOUR: PLOT AND PLANNING
Storyboard Prep
Step 1: Set Up Your Board
Step 2: Goals/Problems
Step 3: Anchor Your Plot at Both Ends
Step 4: MIDDLE 1–Searching, Trying, and Obstacles
Step 5: MIDDLE 2–Game Changers and Best Efforts
Step 6: Curtains Open
Step 7: Curtains Close
Step 8: Does Your Character ‘Level Up’?
DAY FIVE: DRAFTING
How to Begin?
Beginnings Can Be Choosy
Start on Page 1, Page 10 or Page 95
* The 500/500 Method *
More Show, Less Tell
Animal Action Words
Take it to the Mirror
Drop and Give Me 20 (Synonyms)
Practice Point of View
Get Tense
DAY SIX: REST
* A Workshop Recess *
DAY SEVEN: REVISION
Sit On Your Hands
Find the Keepers
* BIG to small *
Take a Story Inventory
‘Reverse’ Webs
Get Loud
Write Your Own “Reader’s Report”
Write the Back of Your Book
How to Get Feedback – Part 1
How to Act On Feedback – Part 2
PART III: FROM WRITING WORKSHOP TO WRITING YOUR NOVEL
Expanding on Ideas
Expanding on Character
Expanding on Setting
Expanding on Plot and Planning
Expanding on Drafting
Expanding on Rest
Expanding on Revision
Some Last Thoughts: Don’t Be Afraid to Zig Zag
A Brief Workshop Reflection
The Best Remedies For __________
Karin Adams Author & Creative Writing Coach
Karin Adams holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg and pursued doctoral studies at Harvard University, focusing on ancient languages and literature. After seven years as a university instructor, she returned to her first love—creative writing—and has authored five traditionally published works of fiction.
Since 2010, Karin has been delivering inspiring writing workshops and classes based on her own practices to help fiction writers of all stripes succeed in their projects. She has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and professional development events.
Karin Adams is the creator and author of The One Week Writing Workshop, a practical guide helping aspiring novelists to grow their ideas and complete their projects.
Her books for younger audiences include Lights! Curtains! Cows!, No TV? No Fair!, My Best Friend is a Viral Dancing Zombie, and Mermaid Warrior Squad. Her middle grade novel Frostbite Hotel was shortlisted for the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award and SYRCA’s Diamond Willow Award.