The ONLINE Write Your First Novel Now Workshop is a 12-week workshop every Wednesday from Jan 13 to March 31.

Instructor: Julia Lye

What’s the most difficult part of writing a novel?

Writing a novel is a huge project. No one just sits down and cranks one out without putting a lot of thought and planning into it and, most importantly, getting down to the business of writing on a regular basis.

There are no short cuts. You can't write a novel by reading about how to write a novel.

But if you’re willing to spend an hour or two every day writing, then I can help you get your first 60,000 - 75,000 word novel drafted in about 3 months. Nick wrote 65,000 words in about 10 weeks. Debbie wrote 100,000 words in 12 weeks. Amanda wrote and published her first novel on Kindle in 11 weeks. Your satisfaction is guaranteed!

We meet for 12 sessions beginning January 13 from 6 - 8 pm online via Google Meets

Here are some of the things we'll cover:

• Finding your perfect novel and how to shape a story idea
• Create your lead character and supporting cast
• Plotting the way the pros do
• Interweaving story lines
• Surprising the reader
• Ending on all the right notes
• Putting it all together
• Mastering action, summary and dialogue
• Mastering feelings, thought and background
• Completing the draft
• Editing and the final touches

• PLUS you have full access to my private Facebook writers group, novel-building templates, and ongoing feedback.

What We'll Do

Hangout time is a mix of teaching the above writing strategies and showing real-life examples of how they work. We will also spend time writing and discussing our writing in class so you’ll have a chance to learn as much as we can from each other.

Our Role

Our role is to coach you through the story-writing process, give you constructive feedback, show you the proven techniques that experienced writers use, and challenge your assumptions. We will help you develop your story idea, characters and plotting so you have a clear roadmap to follow.

But don't take our word for it... Here's what Amanda had to say after completing the workshop last spring...

“Drafting a novel has been a lifelong goal, and every computer or notebook I’ve ever purchased I told myself this would be the one in which I plotted and wrote my first novel. I obtained two university degrees in writing, and yet I still couldn’t get past my fear of failure or my uncertainty about where to start and how. David’s course gave me the framework for accountability and all the support I needed to finally write my first novel in less than eight weeks. The course starts with a plotting structure that helped me enormously to visualize my novel and then follow through with writing it in a logical progression. He’s always available for questions, and each class is structured so that any concerns or challenges during the process can be raised and discussed with other writers. You have to do the work on your own, but this course gives you all the tools you need to succeed. If you’re like me and want more than anything to write your first novel, but something is holding you back, this is the course for you.”

-Amanda Vollmershausen, first-time novel writer

Money Back Guarantee

We're so confident my program will help you draft a great story that we're offering a 100% personal money back guarantee. If you do the work and you're not completely satisfied by the end of the workshop, we'll personally help you get on track or give you your money back no questions asked (minus the Eventbrite fee).

Class size is limited so sign up today!

What Others Are Saying About the Ottawa Writing Workshops

"I was made to feel comfortable from the very beginning. Normally I am very hesitant to share anything I write with people other than close acquaintances, the environment you provided made it so I could share without hesitation from the very first class."

"Julia’s enthusiasm, knowledge, and positive attitude made for an enjoyable and productive workshop."

“Thank you! Wonderful, useful and welcoming!”

“Great session!”

“I really enjoyed the class. I learned a lot. I would have liked an even longer session as I really enjoyed everything we learned today. Thanks!”

“The writing exercises were fun and motivating.”

“Best practical ‘How To’ guidelines to writing and revising”

Refund and Intellectual Property Policy

When you sign up for this workshop, you agree to and understand the following:

• any stories, story ideas, character ideas, or anything related to the development of fiction in the workshop remain the intellectual property of the individual participant
• full refunds (minus the Eventbrite fee) will only be issued up to 7 days before the workshop takes place. After that, no refund will be issued for any reason, including but not limited to personal issues, schedule conflicts, or illness. This is necessary to ensure that the costs I have to commit to personally are covered.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to register for the workshop?

No. Everyone is welcome and all levels are welcome from beginner to experienced.

What can I bring to the writing sessions?

Bring any story ideas you may already have, laptop, writing tablet, worksheets and enthusiasm!

I've never used Google Meets... is it hard?

No. You'll receive by email an invitation to attend the Meet, then just click on the link and you'll be there. It may take a bit of getting used to, but our experience shows that once writers have played with it a bit, they find it quite easy.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

contact David at davidallanhamilton00 @ gmail.com

Meet your instructor, Julia Lye

Julia will facilitate this workshop. She is a graduate of the English Literature program at Carleton University, has participated in several of our workshops, and is the author of many short stories. Her most recent novel is "Anelisha Knight in The Yarns of Gods". Julia was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her interest in writing fiction began one March Break, long ago, when her sister suggested they each write a story to fill their boredom. Since then, she has never stopped writing, except to binge-watch TV shows and get creative with Dungeons and Dragons.