First Draft Fast Track Online Program
Want to write a book? You need a first draft! That’s the funny thing about writing, well, anything, really- to write, you have to write. You have to take the spark of an idea and tease, massage, twist, poke and pull it into a shape, specifically, a book shape. It takes consistency and commitment, as well as a willingness to let go and trust in your own abilities.
A first draft is the first step to a published book, and it’s one that trips up many would-be authors. Writers can agonise over that first draft, constantly rewriting, overhauling outlines, shifting the book’s focus and changing the thesis. With this comes angst and blows to confidence as while the desire to write never abates, the actual physical act of sitting down to tinker with a story becomes something to dread as the progress never seems to go anywhere, and ‘the end’ seems far too far away.
Instead, how about an approach with a dedicated, limited writing schedule with no time to waste, with momentum-building practices for strict forward movement? Add to that a fabulous small group of people chasing the same goal at the same time, as well as a cheerleading Word Nerd in your corner. Six weeks later? Say hello to your book’s first draft.
First Draft Fast Track is a six week online program that provides:
- Scheduled non-negotiable writing time to write a workable first draft
- Highly structured group mentoring
- Accountability, motivation and momentum
- Proven tips, strategies and approaches to writing
- A supportive community of people who are racing towards writing ‘the end’ alongside you.
How it works:
Over six weeks, as a group, we work together to write a solid first draft of a book.
I want to set you up for success, so before we officially start the six weeks writing extravaganza we kick off with a ninety minute planning workshop to clarify your message, find your story’s bones and develop your ideas into a book outline. I give you a couple of weeks to finesse that process, and then off we go!
For six weeks, we catch up on Tuesday mornings each week as your book comes to life:
- Weekly ninety minute virtual co-writing sessions with time allocated to share progress, talk out problems, offer solutions followed by focused, dedicated writing time.
- Weekly emails with brainstorming ideas, motivation, strategies to get the words flowing and quick challenges to give word counts a boost.
- Weekly accountability check ins.
Oh, and there’s a pop-up Facebook group which will become the engine room and home for us for the process, with support, connection, momentum, brainstorms and market testing by the metric truckload.
Why write with me?
Whilst it’s in my Aussie-girl nature to be self-deprecating, I feel obliged to point out that I’m pretty damn good at what I do. I’m an unashamed and unabashed Word Nerd, with a Master of Writing and Literature and a Master of Arts in Communications to prove it, as well as a freaking swoon-worthy roll call of recommendations on my LinkedIn profile. For the past two decades, I’ve drafted hundreds of thousands of words for people and I’ve drafted more pieces of content than I could possibly count. My day job is helping incredible people tell their story and grow their brand through beautiful communications, and my life revolves around writing.
Who for:
First Draft Fast Track online program is perfect for people who:
- Want to kick off their dream of writing a book to life with a solid, completed first draft.
- Like accountability, support and structure to get the job done, rather than having a constant repeat of ‘I must get on with writing’ in their heads.
- Love the discipline that comes with having a clearly defined goal to work to within an approach that ‘forces’ scheduled writing time.
- Want that special sauce of motivation, focus and support that comes from working alongside other people achieving their own goals.
- Know that participating in a program will drive the momentum to keep that word count ticking along.
Psst: Already have a book in progress? First Draft Fast Track will get you over the line!
Inclusions:
- One x 90 minute group book planning workshop to scaffold the first draft writing process
- Six x 90 minute co-writing zoom sessions to get together with your fellow writers to work on your draft, collectively
- 1 x half- day batch writing workshop (9.30am – 1.15pm) to give the word count a click up le clacquer
- Accountability and cool progress tracking tools to get the job done
- Closed Facebook group for support, encouragement, (fun!) challenges and feedback.
Investment:
$1250 +GST
*Payment plan available.
Is it doable to write a first draft in 6 weeks? Really?
Look, I’m not going to lie, writing a first draft in six weeks is intense but hundreds of thousands of writers complete 50,000 words in 30 days as part of NaNoWriMo each year! The operative word is ‘first draft.’ Your work won’t be publishable in six weeks – let’s punch that little idea right out of the stratosphere. As Hemingway said, ‘all first drafts are shit’ or thereabouts. This process is about creating a strong, workable first draft of your book which you’ll then invest time and effort into turning into writing that’s a beautiful reflection of you and your work. It’s about creating the time and space, the commitment and diligence to focus deeply on a piece of work, aka your book, to go from a sparkle of an idea to a document ready for the red pens and highlighters to do their thing.
So, what’s a first draft? How many words are we talking here?
OK, this varies between publishers and genres but here’s a rough guide:
Australian adult fiction novels sit at 75,000 words, with 50,000 considered a minimum. For trivia sake, science fiction and fantasy novels are ‘allowed’ more leeway of around 120k words because of all the world building shenanigans.
Non-fiction has a ton of genres from memoir through to instructional workbooks and thus there’s more variability in terms of word counts, with different publishers having different guides, however a good rule of thumb is between 30,000 and 50,000 words.
How do I go from 0 to 30,000+ words in six weeks?
All you need is grit, spit, stick-with-it-ness and a bloody good group of humans including one specific Word Nerd by your side! Look, it all comes down to maths. Ugh, I know, but going back to NaNo’s premise:
1667 words per day + 30 days = 50,000 words
The ‘problem’ comes when life gets in the way, and suddenly the 1667 word count needs to be 3334, and then you blink, and you’re almost 7,000 words behind schedule, and arghhhh!
First Draft Fast Track has a more gentle approach. For one thing, we have six weeks, not 30 days. Secondly, we kick off with a ninety minute workshop where you pick a topic, organise your ideas and make an outline and/or a structure to follow over the six weeks of the program, so you’re not flying by the seat of your pants every time you sit down to write. Thirdly, the approach to achieving your word count is up to you. Some people will write daily, others every second day, others will block out whole days to write, and supplement that writing time with the weekly 90 minute co-writing sessions and the half day batch writing session that’s included in the program. The most critical thing? Identifying roughly how much time you need to write within the context of your broader life, scheduling that time with a fervour that’s akin to religiousness and not letting anything, ANYTHING, intrude on those hours. NB this is also where the power and the beauty of the group dynamic comes into play – we’ll tussle out these details together.
I can’t get to some of the co-writing dates - is that a problem?
Look, as Jedi as it sounds, there is great power in the collective. That said, as long as you’re allocating time within your schedule to Get. It. Done. and reporting back to me with an agreed measurement (for example word count, time written, pages written), then that’s a-ok. Life and work has a very rude habit of intruding on writing plans. I get it. I live it!
What if I get stuck and overwhelmed and ready to set fire to my laptop?
You might feel that prickle of ‘holy forking shirtballs’ throughout out the process – every writer does! Writing is hard; let’s not sugarcoat things. But, and big but, because I like them and I cannot lie (sorry) you’re not going it alone! You’re writing your first draft with a group of people who are also writing, who will give you pep talks and recriminations (gentle ones, I promise), will brainstorm your ideas and tease out your thinking. We’re all in this together…
Will you read my draft and provide feedback?
Technically, no. My Numbers Nerd and Business Mentor would kill me. Feedback on your work falls into the scope of my Book Lab mentoring program. This program is designed to be a way for you to get out of your own way and write your first draft to ‘the end’ , rather than me tinkering away in your draft. I’ll be sharing structural feedback, answering questions and brainstorming with you every week for six weeks. That said, I’m a nosy, interfering person who would love, love, LOVE to get my eyes on your prize, and so submit up to 20 pages during the program and while I won’t be able to go over it with a fine-toothed comb, I’ll have a squizz and give you some action-based feedback.
What happens if at the end of the six weeks my first draft isn’t complete?
Dead to me! JK… Here’s the thing: if you follow the plan, make the time and write the words you’ll get there. That said, life is a slippery witch and may get in the way, forcing your draft down the priority list. Even then, I have some tips and tricks around that: I wrote half of a NaNo novel in pen and paper by the side of the trampoline one year… If you have the will, I’ll give you the way. Regardless, at the end of six weeks, no matter what happens, you’ll have more words written than you did at the start and you can either come along on another six week adventure with me, do it solo using the same framework, or engage me to be your writing mentor.