Foundations

From first idea to a finished, revised draft.

A practical starting course for anyone writing their first book, fiction or non-fiction. You will test an idea until you know it can carry a whole book, decide exactly who it is for, build a writing habit that survives real life, choose a planning method that fits how you think, get a complete first draft written, and revise it in a sensible order. The last lesson covers how to use AI tools for brainstorming, outlining, critique and drafting while keeping the book, and the voice, yours.

You’ll learn to

• Turn a vague idea into a one-sentence premise and test whether it can sustain a book.
• Name your reader, your category and the promise your book makes to them.
• Set a realistic writing schedule and word-count target, and track it so you finish.
• Plan a book with an outline, by discovery, or with a hybrid method, then write a complete first draft.
• Revise in layers, from structure down to typos, and use AI as a collaborator without giving up your voice.

Lesson 1 is open to everyone. A free account unlocks the rest.