This is an overview of the Novel in Nine Curriculum. Every module includes a written and video lesson, assignments, focused discussions, downloadable checklists, and recommended reading. Because the curriculum remains fluid to ensure that participant needs are addressed as they arise, lessons may appear in a different order, and additional lessons may be added as the course progresses.

Month One

• Week 1: Situation and Story: What to Know Before You Begin
• Week 2: Understanding Your Protagonist
• Week 3: Protagonist, Part 2: Obstacles and Influences
• Week 4: How to Find Your Novel’s Urgency and Nail Chapter One 

Month 1 Process: Down the Rabbit Hole and Out Again: How to Handle Research

Month Two

• Week 5: Setting Your Novel in Time and Place
• Week 6: Whose story is it? Zeroing In on Point of View
• Week 7: Finding Your Narrative Voice
• Week 8: Three Kinds of Plot 

Month 2 Process: Embracing Uncertainty

Month Three

• Week 9: The Anatomy of a Scene
• Week 10: The Secret Structure
• Week 11: Anatomy of a Chapter
• Week 12: Constructing Your Subplot

Month 3 Process: Working with Scrivener

Month Four

• Week 13: Scene vs. Summary
• Week 14: Building a Scene List
• Week 15: Close Connections and Emotional Intimacy
• Week 16: Shaping Your Antagonist

Month Four Process: Inspiration vs. Practicality: How to Sustain Your Momentum

Month Five

• Week 17: The Art of Description
• Week 18: Emotional Friction
• Week 19: Finding Your Narrative Voice
• Week 20: Managing Parallel Plots

Month Five Process: Reading as an Avenue into Writing

Month Six

• Week 21: Everything You Need to Know About Dialogue
• Week 22: The Art of Suspense
• Week 23: Structure: Patterning and Pacing
• Week 24: Harnessing the Power of Theme

Month 6 Process: Editing as You Go

Month Seven

• Week 25: Plot by the Numbers
• Week 26: Surprises vs. Plot Twists
• Week 27: The Point of No Return: Writing the Climax
• Week 28: Concluding Your Subplots

Month 7 Process: How to Power Through Writing Fatigue

Month Eight

• Week 29: The Art of the Layered Ending
• Week 30: Understanding Your Novel’s Echoes
• Week 31: Filling Out Skeletal Scenes
• Week 32: The Final Chapter

Month 8 Process: The Power of Associative Thinking

Month Nine

• Week 33: First Draft vs. Final Draft
• Week 34: Revising for Suspense
• Week 35: Revising for Depth of Character
• Week 36: Revising for Story Arc
• Month Nine Bonus Lesson: How to Publish Your Novel

Month Nine Process: The Art of Letting Go: Knowing When Your Novel is Finished