*30-Day Plan Your Novel Course*

This course is designed for the writer with a life — you have other activities that you’re committed to in addition to writing.

This course will run from October 1-30, 2016

In this course, you’ll plan your novel and prepare it for NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and takes place every November (and a smaller event every July called Camp Nanowrimo.) A free event, writers use NaNoWriMo to “win” the challenge of writing a 50,000-word novel. “Winners” get a certificate and the pride in completing a manuscript.

In our 30-Day Writing Challenge, we will help you think and write through the steps to create your novel — from character development to plot structure to story themes and world building — so that you can start NaNoWriMo prepared.

We run the class via a few mediums: email, premium live webinars  (recorded), and a premium private Facebook group — our Fellowship of the Pen for October —  to build community and connect with your fellow writers for support and accountability.

Who is this course for?

For: Experienced writers or ambitious new writers who want to plan their novel in an organic or step-by-step way, so that on Nov. 1st you can start writing it alongside the NaNoWriMo comunity.

This course is designed for the writer with a life — you have other activities that you’re committed to in addition to writing.

We know that.

We know you’re busy with other obligations AND you want to be writing.

Well, you can, in small, manageable bite-sized pieces.

Each activity can be done in as little as 15-20 minutes.

You can plan your novel in a way that fits into your life.

We know, because we’ve done it, multiple times!

With this course, you’ll be able to:

• Plan your novel
• Step into a sense of satisfaction and creative accomplishment
• Get excited for NaNoWriMo
• Believe that you can write a novel

What you can expect:

• You’ll put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard and write while you think, in specific ways, with specific focuses. Words will pile up, along with ideas, story questions, and scenes.
  
• You’ll be invited to read short lessons, watch some video or listen to the lessons, then write — put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and actually do some thinking of your story on the page.

This class is good for you:

• If you have never written a novel, and have always wanted to, and still feel lost on how to go from brilliant idea to The End, then you will be stretched in new and different ways.

• If you’re an experienced novelist, with 1 or 2 completed or partially completed novels under your bed, and you’re stuck somehow. You may find this course structured in a way that’s new to you and yet familiar.

• If you have 5 or more unfinished novels sitting in a drawer, and always hit that sagging middle and lose focus or lose interest, this course will help you dream up exciting ways to torture, I mean challenge, your characters all the way to the resolution of the story.

Duration

Date: October 1-30, 2016

A 30-day course, structured so you can do it at your own pace.

Your time commitment: All told, if you follow the curriculum, you will probably spend 4 – 10 hours or more over the month to follow through on the assignments and exercises, all designed to help you plan your novel, so that you are prepared and can just sit down and write. Of course, some of you will spend less, and some may spend more time on this course.

This course is designed with the understanding that you have a busy life, full of commitments — family, job, second job, pets, friends, and oh yeah, sleep.

This course will cover:

Week 1: Elevator Pitch & Short Synopsis

We will help you write the 1-2 paragraph story blurb, also know as the elevator pitch, that you can later use in a query letter. Next we’ll cover the 5-6 paragraph story synopsis that can form the basis of a synopsis agents and editors request. We’ll also touch on the story’s theme and genre to help you have a better idea of the focus of your story and your audience’s expectations.

Week 2: Get to Know Your Main Characters

We cover getting to know your main characters. Great stories start with great characters that you love! We’ll expand on the “10 Questions to Ask Your Characters” tip sheet (PDF) that you got when you signed up for the course. We also have more character questions to share with you and special exercises to help you get to know your characters so you can bring them to life when you write your novel.

Week 3: Story Plot & World Building

We will help you design the story’s main plot points and get to know the world of your story better, in other words, world building. Plot comes from characters and from knowing your story world and from asking some good questions. We will help you design a plot that will keep readers at the edge of their seats turning pages deep into the night.

Week 4: Scene-by-Scene Outline & Plotting

We guide you through the final preparation step of building your story scene-by-scene. We help you create an organic outline from all the notes and thinking that have gone before and also provide tips on a more linear approach to plotting your story. Once you have completed this exercise, and all the ones before, you’ll have a good sense of your entire story, and can sit down to write your novel with excitement and confidence.

About Barany School of Fiction Plan Your Novel course

Christie Maurer, author of The Dark Lady’s Stone

“Your class was VERY helpful. I listened to your presentation again and went over your tips. What helped me the most was your character development questions.” — Christie Maurer, author of The Dark Lady’s Stone

Carol Malone, author of Ladies Night, & Ladies Night: Christmas, Fight-Card Romances

“I want to thank Beth Barany and Ezra Barany for taking the time … Their encouragement helped to get me on the stick and get ready to write my novel.” — Carol Malone, author of Ladies Night & Ladies Night: Christmas, Fight-Card Romances

 

Tricia Riel, author of the Zephrum Gates series

“Beth & Ezra are super accessible… & they have great ideas for guiding an author’s success. It’s been fun to virtually meet other creative writers as well. The support is fabulous … a real community.” –– Tricia Riel, author of the Zephrum Gates series

 

Investment

2 levels of commitment:

1. Dive In

• “10 Questions to Ask Your Characters” tip sheet (PDF), plus audio goodie.
• Weekly emails prompts to get you writing. You’ll be guided each week on a new focus following the course structure above.
• 4 live video group teaching webinars with the instructors
• Step-by-Step instructions and examples in the form of Handouts, Templates, Checklists, Videos, Audios, and Quizzes (Lifetime access!)
• A private Facebook group with the writers and the instructors so that you can be in community for support, accountability, and guidance

Dive In: $159

 

2. All In

• “10 Questions to Ask Your Characters” tip sheet (PDF), plus audio goodie.
• Weekly emails prompts to get you writing. You’ll be guided each week on a new focus following the course structure above.
• 4 live video group teaching webinars with the instructors
• Step-by-Step instructions and examples in the form of Handouts, Templates, Checklists, Videos, Audios, and Quizzes (Lifetime access!)
• A private Facebook group with the writers and the instructors so that you can be in community for support, accountability, and guidance
• A one-on-one private 60-minute coaching call with Beth Barany to focus on shaping your story or questions about overcoming inner blocks, or both. Beth can also review your story notes, up to 10 manuscript pages.
  • Normally, Beth’s coaching calls are billed at $250, but she’s offering a deal here to those who are committed to the challenge of planning their novels.

All In: $299

Special Opportunity

Pay only $30/month for 12 months. This payment option gives you membership into the Group Coaching Program for Genre Novelists, Call to Adventure level.

In the CALL TO ADVENTURE level, you’ll get two monthly group calls, plus access to 3+ years of archives, and access to the 9 homestudy courses, and Dive In access to 5 live classes in the year ($20 per class).

CALL TO ADVENTURE

Monthly Payment Plan for 12 months

$30.00 USD/monthly

Sign up for Author Group Coaching with Beth and Ezra Barany

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Or click here if you’d like to pay in full for the CALL TO ADVENTURE Program:

$329 for the 12-month program ($31 off).

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About Barany School of Fiction Plan Your Novel course

Diana Pardee, writer, creative entrepreneur

“I found that even though I feel I know my main character quite well, asking about these details {in Week 2} clarified things I hadn’t thought much about, and also reminded me to share more of those little details with my readers. I enjoyed this process and am working on doing the same for all my major characters.” — Diana Pardee, writer, creative entrepreneur

Beth Barany + Louise Foerster at RWA 2015, New York City

“I just [have] to say thank you from the bottom of my heart and with the full wide-eyed wonder of a writer who has been stunned at how penetrating and fantastically motivating your course is! … I LOVE the coursework. It is generous, bracing, actionable, everything that I was hoping for when I signed up. The novel that has been perplexing me for months upon months is now moving steadily along and the characters in the story went way further than the interview modes to share their favorite songs (elderly Eleanor is partial to Pearl Jam) and memories along with the important turning points for the story that had eluded me all this time.

“I remain stunned by how practical this course is and what an incredible difference it has made for me in my work! …

As I’ve told many fellow writers, the worksheets/sessions that you offer are invaluable resources for us solitary novel-writing types, banging around in our own heads so much of the time….”
— Louise Foerster, Author

WHO WE ARE

About the Instructors

Beth and Ezra Barany are award-winning, best-selling novelists, who have worked with over 100 authors to help them get their books written and published. 

Happily married for over 15 years, we’re passionate about writing, story telling, and guiding authors to achieve your dreams.

Together we have written and published 25 books, plus 3 audio books. Together and separately, we have taught thousands of students over the years, in both the public and private sector, including overseas in Paris, France. We both teach (and in Beth’s case, coach) and are working on writing and publishing our novels.

Why work with Beth and Ezra:

• Beth has written and published 5 novellas, 3 novels, a collection of the romance novellas, a short story, and a novel prequel in the last few years. She has a 9-book romance series in the planning stage, and more completed novels in the wings.
• Beth is an experienced teacher, working with writers and novelists for over 20 years.
• Beth has taught these tools to other authors over the last 10 years and has seen how effective they are.

 

• Ezra is an experienced teacher and mentor and has written 4 novels during Nanowrimo.
• He successfully uses the techniques that we teach.
• Ezra has published 2 thrillers and is editing the third in his series this year.

 

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FAQ

What time are the weekly live calls?

All calls and webinars will be 5-6:30pm Pacific. (Use this time converter to find your time zone.) Sometimes we go a few minutes over, but we’ll let you know if that will happen.

What is your refund policy?

Due to the nature of committing to your writing, there is no refund for the course.

Can I access the live webinars and calls after they occur?

You have 30 days from when the course ends to download all the October live webinars and calls. (Until November 30, 2016.)

Can I access the course material after the course has ended?

Yes! You have lifetime access to all of the course curriculum.

Can I download the course material?

Yes, I highly recommend you download the course lessons, videos, and audios. That way you can use the content without being connected to the Internet.

What if I can’t finish by the 30th?

We know that people go at their own pace. You can always return to the course at a later date and finish on your own.

When do I need to take advantage of the coaching call with Beth?

Schedule your call with Beth as soon as possible. You need to take advantage of actually having the call before November 30, 2016.

Can I upgrade from one level to the next once the course has started?

Yes! Once the course has started, you can upgrade to the next level. We will be sending you information on how to do that.

Do you have a Scholarship?

We do! Go here to apply. The scholarship application period is from now until Wednesday, August 31, 9pm Pacific. (Use this handy time zone converter to determine when this is for you.)

Winners will be announced Sept. 1st in my newsletter.

What if I want to just take the self-paced course?

You can, at the Barany School of Fiction here.

 

Not ready to commit? Then Get Started here: A Gift for You, Free:

“10 Questions to Ask Your Characters” tip sheet (PDF), plus audio goodie.

You’ll be added to our Creativity Sparks weekly newsletter and be notified when we run the class again next year.

If you still have questions for us, just contact us via email, and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.