The Advanced Outline Class

Master your storyline for a page-turning read

Courses & Classes

Classes

The Classic Storytelling Class

Time

30 lessons

Price

599

499

Suitable for

Writers aiming to get published

Ideal for

Writers who mean business

Prepare to write your best novel

Suitable for ambitious writers in need of refreshment who are writing for today’s publishing market.

Build a story that holds together—before you write a single chapter. Whether you’re refining an existing idea or preparing to write your breakout book, this class offers a master-level approach to outlining fiction that is elegant, layered, and fiercely intentional.

The Advanced Outline Class will help elevate your writing game, your confidence, and maximize your chances of success with an exciting storyline.

Reignite the magic. Realize your potential. Unleash the plot.

Get the inside track

This is a practical masterclass for serious writers who want to finish a publishable novel. You’ll move beyond basic plotting into real storytelling: pressure-based escalation, belief-driven conflict, and a cast and setting that build dramatic tension. With expert lessons on prose treatment, the mechanics of chaptering, the midpoint, B Story development and more, you’ll learn how to craft a novel that meets today’s editorial expectations. By the end, you’ll have a chapter-by-chapter plan and the confidence to write purposefully toward publishing.

We’ll take an insider’s look under the bonnet of Pulitzer and Booker Prize-winning novels to consider how to bring the best storytelling techniques to secure your place at the sweet spot where acclaim meets bestseller status.

Learn more

Your standout story

Why The Advanced Outline Class is the perfect fit for you

Say it with economy and style

With The Advanced Outline Class, you’ll learn who you are (or will be) as an author and how to play to your unique strengths. You’ll hone your writing skills and discover new-to-you techniques. You’ll take absolute control of your plot and its players.

But most importantly, you’ll reignite your passion for prose.

Say hello to your new writing chapter

When you sign up for The Advanced Outline Class, you get far more than an online writing program. You gain a global and supportive community of like-minded writers, editors, publishing professionals, and cheerleaders.

In fact, we’re the largest online writing community exclusively for novelists.

Here at The Novelry, you’ll find everything (and everyone) you need to write better, and write happy—from workshops, networking opportunities, and annual party get-togethers, to feedback sessions and safe spaces for sharing the ins and outs and ups and downs of the novelist’s affliction.

Write from the edge of your seat, and people will read from the edge of theirs

Writing for pleasure is one thing. Writing for commercial success is quite another.

In The Advanced Outline Class, you’ll learn the trade secrets of the bestseller. And our Story First Method™ will ensure the tale you want to tell has commercial appeal before you begin telling it.

You’ll discover the key ingredients required for readers to stay gripped to each and every word. All before you even put pen to paper.

This saves you a whole lot of time and trouble, so you can hit the page writing with confidence.

Not all writing classes are created equal

A great online writing class will go beyond general theory or tips and tricks. It’ll help you make smarter progress, faster. A great writing class will:

Teach tried-and-true techniques and invaluable skills that you won’t have encountered yet.
Be given by an award-winning author. (Who’s been around the block!)
Enable you to get your novel done. (And done well.)
Welcome you to a global and supportive writing community.
School you in the vital requirements of your genre.
Put you on a defined path to publishing.

With a great writing class you’ll get all the answers you require, the inspiration you want, and the support you need to thrive.

On your terms. At your pace.

‘The Novelry—from the twinkling of an idea through to a publishing-ready novel.’

‘Recommended by leading literary agencies.’

‘All aboard a different kind of writing school.’

‘A remarkable world-wide writing school (...) with classes run by tutors including brilliant authors and former editors from Penguin Random House.’

Achieve your writing ambitions

From awards listings and commercial sales figures to creative fulfillment. Whatever success looks like for you, The Advanced Outline Class will give you the insider’s advantage and a springboard for success.

Imagine having an award-winning, bestselling author vet your storyline before you start writing.

Your class includes a coaching session with a published, bestselling, or award-winning author of your choice. All our authors are experts in their genre. They will be able to advise you on how to make sure your story is the strongest it can be for today’s publishing market.

Nail your idea and theme for the vital organs of a story

Outline your story and plan your plot to go from stage to page

Flesh out your storyline with in-depth casting and a B Story

Submit a final plan for your novel or memoir

Schedule a session with an author coach to get feedback

The Advanced Outline Class

Master your story

Outline your novel to ensure you have a commercially sound base for a story that readers, literary agents, and publishers will love.

Lessons: 30 (1 hour each)

1 x writer coaching session

Discover ‘The Big Question’ that is the main driver of a page-turning read. Create a credible setting and establish a sense of place. Formulate your theme, consider the narrative perspective, prepare a story structure, and learn from the works of Patrick Rothfuss, Liane Moriarty, Sally Rooney, Philip Roth, Daphne du Maurier, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Agatha Christie, Mark Haddon, and more.

💡 Lesson 3: Theme

What do you have to say to readers? You’ll define the central concern of the story—emotional, moral, or philosophical—and learn how to use it to guide your choices. Theme isn’t something you tack on later. It should shape your character, structure, and stakes from the start.

👤 Lesson 4: The main character

What do they want? What’s in their way? What are they afraid of? How are they failing to see themselves clearly? You’ll define the personal failing or blindspot that gives your story stakes. You’ll dig into contradiction and vulnerability—the stuff that makes a character work on the page. It’s about bringing to life a person the reader can care about.

❓ Lesson 5: The big question

What keeps the reader turning pages? What are we reading to find out? You’ll learn how to shape that question for narrative momentum—and how it evolves across the novel to sustain reader interest. This is how you make your novel unputdownable.

🌍 Lesson 6: The setting

Settings carry tone, reveal character, and create pressure. You will create a setting that’s far more than a backdrop. Explore what your setting says about the world of your story, and what it makes possible—or impossible—for your characters.

🪞 Lesson 7: Narrative perspective

You’ll test the implications of first versus third person, close versus omniscient—and make a deliberate choice. You’ll explore perspective as a moral lens. You’ll understand how to shape the reader’s experience through point of view, and why it matters.

📚 Lesson 8: The Hero Books

You’ll choose a published novel to study for reference—not imitation. You’ll break it down structurally, scene by scene, and use it to pressure-test your own decisions. How is it built? Why does it work? It’s your North Star. The Hero Book will act as a guide you can return to when you feel unsure or stuck. We’ll show you how the great authors used theirs.

🏗️ Lesson 9: Story structure

You’ll build a working outline that gives you freedom to write—and the motivation to finish. This isn’t about formula. It’s about finding a structure that fits your story. You’ll sketch the arc, midpoint, and ending, and learn how structure emerges from character change. Learn how to manage pace, progression, and emotional turns. Everything in the right order at the right time.

You’ll move from sketch to scaffold—developing your plot and cast into a workable plan. You’ll start plotting with purpose, sketching the bones of your plot and populating it with a psychologically rich ensemble aligned to your theme.

🗺️ Lesson 10: Starting to plot

Learn to identify the opposing beliefs that drive the story—and use them to structure the conflict. Shape the plot around your character’s emotional and moral journey. Get your first glimpse of the full story arc here! You’ll learn to weave your story’s moral tension—the rope of theme—through the story. Your plot will no longer be a sequence of events, but a structured reckoning.

👥 Lesson 11: The cast

Who belongs in this story—and what role do they play? Using real-life observation, you’ll be able to give even minor characters agency, conflict, and psychological coherence. Rather than leaning on tropes or clichés, breathe life into your secondary cast with quirks, contradictions, and hidden histories. Understand how to reveal the inner lives of even your smallest roles. Cue reader empathy or suspicion not just through dialogue and action, but through nuance: their associates, appearance, and physical gestures.

✍️ Lesson 12: Treatment

You’ll write a few paragraphs to test the shape and tone. This helps you find weaknesses early, before committing to chapters. It’s your first reality check. You’ll test your idea by laying out the key beats and emotional shifts, checking for shape, tension, and movement. It’s a low-pressure draft of the big picture—a way to catch problems early and spot what’s missing before you dive in.

❤️ Lesson 13: The main character—feeling for them

What do they want? But, more crucially, what do they really need? It’s time to map how this tension plays out across the plot—and how it earns reader empathy. You’ll begin to view your protagonist as both a person and a philosophical battleground. This lesson helps you discover how your character behaves under pressure and how their internal contradictions drive the story.

⚖️ Lesson 14: Midpoint

You’ll define what changes halfway through—and why it matters. This moment should reframe the story and shift the stakes. Learn how to use the midpoint as a fulcrum: a scene or revelation that changes how the character (and reader) understands the stakes and brings momentum to your second half.

🧮 Lesson 15: The first plan

Now to create a more formal working outline! You’ll decide what needs to happen at the beginning and what shifts in the middle, marking key beats, emotional shifts, and the endgame. You’ll discover how to keep your outline flexible, so it supports creativity. This is your launchpad.

📝 Lesson 16: From stage to page

You’ll zoom in from scene shape to sentence texture. How do you handle interiority? When do you withhold? You’ll study how prose delivers emotion—and how to begin writing with forward momentum, not perfection. Learn how to handle exposition, interiority, and stage direction with lightness and control.

Let’s plunge into the hidden undercurrents that drive your novel. Enrich your plot with dramatic tension, emotional truth, and layered characters. You’ll layer complexity into your story by building a more psychologically charged protagonist who is dramatically at odds with the world you’re building around them.

🎭 Lesson 17: No more playacting

How does your main character perform for the world? How does that persona crack under pressure? What are they hiding? You’ll reveal your protagonist’s false self—the version they show the world. Consider how the façade cracks under pressure to dramatize that collapse. You’ll get the tools to dramatize internal conflict so that every scene reveals something new, so that you stop writing ‘about’ your character and start writing from within them.

📈 Lesson 18: The plot thickens!

You’ll build a chapter-by-chapter sketch. Go from event-based plotting to pressure-based escalation. How does each chapter change the character or their understanding of the world? Create moments of both surprise and inevitability, moving from false belief to earned truth, while exploring pacing, scene variation, and chapter length, to stay in masterful control of the story.

✍️ Lesson 19: Process

Define your optimal creative system. How do you caretake your ideas? How do you defend your writing time? Build habits that support momentum—and learn how to keep moving when things wobble. Pack a refreshed creative process that supports consistency and flow, and make writing a happy part of your daily life.

🧬 Lesson 20: Biography

Now write a formal biography of your protagonist. Not just what happened to them—but how it has shaped them. You’ll explore formative moments, internalized beliefs, and buried wounds. Discover how the past shapes present tension, and avoid backstory that derails the story. You’ll use this to guide how your character reacts under pressure and raise the game of their transformation.

🎯 Lesson 21: The B Story

You’ll choose a subplot that sharpens the main arc. This could be a relationship, professional thread, or personal reckoning. You’ll define how it echoes or contrasts with the central conflict—and make it count. Learn how to use subplots to add contrast, deepen theme, and keep your main character’s arc moving forward.

👤 Lesson 22: The second character

You’ll cast your protagonist’s foil—the person who holds a mirror to their flaw or desire. You’ll choose the one other character who matters most to the journey—often an ally, foil, or emotional catalyst. You’ll define the role they play in your main character’s transformation and explore how they pressure the protagonist to act, change, or break. This isn’t just a sidekick. This is the relationship that forces growth, complicates the path, and raises the stakes.

👥 Lesson 23: The cast review

Time for a review of the ensemble. Does every character earn their place? Do they each hold a clear role in theme, conflict, or plot? Let’s streamline your cast so that each scene stays active and emotionally charged. You’ll look at dynamics between characters—who supports, who challenges, and what’s at risk when those relationships shift. You’ll ensure every character serves a function—structurally or emotionally.

The last steps to go from plan to page with panache. You’ll stress-test your plan, face your doubts, sharpen what’s working, and cut what’s not. By the end, you’ll meet your best version of your novel—and begin it!

Discover advanced craft magic tricks and skills from great authors. Then, enjoy access to resources, advice on marketing, social media, publishing communication skills, and other essentials for your career as a published author.

🛡 Lesson 24: The bulletproof chapter

Learn how to shape every chapter with a simple format that makes your writing life easy. You’ll examine how great writers handle opening, movement, and close—from the taut suspense of Agatha Christie to the observational nuance of Sally Rooney. Explore the functions of a chapter: not just pacing, but change. You’ll finish with a test chapter you can hold up to the light—built to withstand doubt and revision.

🎬 Lesson 25: Opening the story

What makes a great first chapter? You’ll study how different authors establish tone, character, and tension early—without front-loading or over-explaining. Test different types of openings (in-scene, backstory, frame) and write your own opening with control and clarity of intent.

💭 Lesson 26: Doubts and dithering

When panic sets in, you’ll need tools. This lesson helps you diagnose stuck points—second-guessing, overwhelm, or fear—and guides you back to the plan. You’ll learn how to break through resistance using pragmatic strategies drawn from real writing lives.

✂️ Lesson 27: Cut!

You’ll practice cutting what’s not earning its place. This isn’t editing for polish—it’s structural revision. Learn how to spot scenes that duplicate work, characters that weaken tension, or threads that drift off-theme—and how to remove them with confidence. You’ll learn how to spot duplication, flab, and off-theme drift.

🧩 Lesson 28: The last piece

Take stock of what’s missing. This could be a reveal that lands too late, a set-up that lacks payoff, or a character whose function isn’t clear. This lesson helps you test your structure, checking the weight of your midpoint, the depth of your B Story, and the balance of action and reaction. You’ll address the gaps before they become problems in the draft.

👋 Lesson 29: Meet your novel

Here, you’ll summarize what you’ve built—a working map of your story. Not a pitch or a synopsis, but a private tool. You’ll define the arc, emotional spine, and key beats in one page. This gives you a clear guide for the writing ahead.

🚀 Lesson 30: Onward

No more outlining. Now it’s about sustaining energy, managing expectations, and making steady progress. You’ll explore what a ‘good’ writing day looks like, focusing on meaningful output over perfection. You’ll decide where to begin (not necessarily at Chapter One), how to set targets that support momentum, and how to keep checking your emotional resources as you go. Learn how to track ideas without cluttering your draft, and how to protect your writing time from feedback too early. The goal is trust in your process.

🪄 Bonus lessons

Magic tricks and tips

These practical tips are your secret stash—ready when you need them. A grab-bag of tools, including smart ways to handle exposition, build emotional subtext, and manage reader expectations. Use it when you get stuck or need to sharpen a scene on the fly. From keeping tension alive in quiet scenes to handling dialogue and exposition, this collection gives you real tools for real problems.

Tips for published authors: social media

You’ll explore how to use social media intentionally—as a tool, not a distraction. Discover how to set boundaries, establish your voice, and define your goals. You’ll learn how to engage in ways that protect your energy and reflect your values.

Career advice

You’ll get practical, honest insights about the writing life—what it takes to finish, how to know when to share your work, and what agents and publishers really look for.

‘Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.’

—Sylvia Plath

Our coaching team

Their books have hit the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller lists and have been adapted for screen and optioned for major motion pictures.

Tara Conklin

New York Times bestselling author of The House Girl and The Last Romantics, selected by the Today Show Book Club, Barnes & Noble Book Club, Target Book Club, and as a No.1 Indie Next Pick and Amazon Best Book of the Month.

Evie Wyld

The prize-winning literary fiction author of All the Birds, Singing and The Echoes, winner of the Miles Franklin Award, the Stella Prize for Fiction, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Betty Trask Award.

Andrea Stewart

‍Sunday Times bestselling author of multiple fantasy series including The Bone Shard Daughter, a finalist for the British Fantasy Awards, praised by Sarah J. Maas.

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Dhonielle Clayton

A publishing industry tastemaker with years of experience. Dhonielle Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author, story proliferator, and the board chair of We Need Diverse Books.

Lesley Kara

Sunday Times Top Ten and Amazon No.1 internationally bestselling author of psychological thrillers including The Rumor.

Piers Torday

Bestselling author of multiple middle-grade books for children, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize winner The Dark Wild.

Clare Mackintosh

New York Times and Sunday Times number 1 bestselling crime author, notably I Let You Go, selling more than 3m copies.

L.R. Lam

Sunday Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction, notably Seven Devils and Dragonfall, a Barnes & Noble monthly pick.

Bea Fitzgerald

Sunday Times bestselling author of YA romantasy and adult thriller, including the RNA Romance Novel of the Year, Girl, Goddess, Queen.

Emylia Hall

Top Ten bestselling author of cozy crime, notably The Shell House Detectives series, and women’s fiction including The Book of Summers, a Richard and Judy Book Club pick.

Urban Waite

The Esquire Best Book of the Year winner, multiple award-nominated author of The Terror of Living, highly praised by Stephen King and published in over 40 countries.

Tasha Suri

Winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, author of The Jasmine Throne and Empire of Sand, one of TIME magazine’s best fantasy novels of all time.

Colleen Oakley

USA Today bestselling author of 5 novels including The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, translated into 21 languages, and Georgia Author of the Year.

Kate Dylan

Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction novels for both YA and adult, including Mindwalker, one of Kirkus’s best YA books of the year, and Until We Shatter.

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Anissa Gray

New York Times acclaimed author of contemporary fiction novels including The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls, a Marie Claire Book Club Pick optioned by Sony Pictures, and a DuPont and Emmy award-winning journalist.

Gina Sorell

‍New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and acclaimed contemporary fiction author of The Wise Women, a People Magazine Best New Book Pick.

Kate Riordan

Sunday Times bestselling author of contemporary thrillers published by Penguin, including The Heatwave, an Apple Fiction Chart No.1. fiction bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club pick.

Heather Webb

USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction and Goldsboro RNA Award finalist, translated into 17 languages, notably Meet Me in Monaco and Rodin’s Lover, a Goodreads Top Pick.

Melanie Conklin

Award-winning author of children’s middle-grade fiction, notably Counting Thyme, winner of the International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice Award and the Nerdy Book Award.

Alice Kuipers

Carnegie medal nominee and winner of the Grand Prix de Viarmes, author of YA, children’s fiction, and memoir, including Life on the Refrigerator Door, a New York Times Book for Teens.

Kate Davies

The Polari Prize-winning author of In at the Deep End and Nuclear Family, The Times book of the year. Kate writes contemporary fiction and children’s fiction.

Sarah Turner

Multiple Sunday Times bestselling author of Up Lit, witty contemporary fiction, and parenting diaries.

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Libby Page

Sunday Times bestselling author of Up Lit novels including The Lido (USA: Mornings with Rosemary), winner of the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award.

Katie Khan

RNA Romance Novel of the Year finalist and author of Hold Back the Stars, praised by Matt Haig, translated into 20 languages and optioned for film by the producers of Stranger Things.

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Amanda Reynolds

The number 1 bestselling author of suspense novels including Close To Me, adapted for television by Channel 4.

Mahsuda Snaith

An Observer New Face of Fiction and Costa Book Awards judge, the award-winning author of The Things We Thought We Knew, a World Book Night title, and How to Find Home, a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime.

Ella McLeod

The Branford Boase-nominated author of YA fiction and romantasy, including Guardian Best Books Pick The Map That Led to You.

David Solomons

Winner of Waterstones Children’s Prize and author of acclaimed middle-grade children’s novel My Brother is a Superhero, the British Book Industry Awards Children’s Book of the Year.

Katalina Watt

Royal Society of Literature Awardee, UNESCO Writer in Residence, and Hugo Award finalist with a decade of experience in the book industry.

‘I’m diving into my next novel feeling more prepared than ever before’

‘The Advanced Class not only gave me the crucial accountability I needed to get going, it also helped me to tackle structure, plot and theme, and realize what kind of writer I am. All of these things gave me a huge boost of renewed confidence, allowing me to dive into my next novel feeling more prepared than I ever have done before. I’m feeling hopeful that maybe, just maybe, I could be on to a winner.’

Ella Dove

Journalist and author of Five Steps to Happy.

Success Stories

The world's best-loved writing school

More 5* reviews than any other writing course

Write for pleasure at The Novelry and you’ll be rewarded with far more than you ever imagined. But don’t just take our word for it…

‘Targeted the exact issues I needed to work on’

‘I thought I’d try something new, and from taking the class, I got a plot! I got an outline! And I feel ready to write my novel. This class targeted the exact issues I needed to work on. I feel ready to complete this novel!’

Beth Little

‘I’m constantly amazed by how much The Novelry has to offer’

‘The class provided me a lot of lightbulb moments that I gobbled up like candy. I’ve learned a ton from the workshops and live sessions. I’m constantly amazed by how much The Novelry has to offer!’

Rebecca Dodson

‘From the very first lesson I felt at home’

‘When I wrote my first novel, I just started from the beginning and “winged” it, but I needed a map drawn by professionals. Each lesson has a sense of friendship and positivity. From the very first lesson I felt at home.’

John Hearon

‘I now have the tools to create a well-crafted novel’

‘Had I not been referred to The Novelry and gone through the course and many other resources, there’s no way I’d know how to approach the massive revision of my manuscript. I now have the tools to create a well-crafted novel.’

Nicole Ardiel

‘I have gained so much information and confidence’

‘I have gained so much information and confidence. The class has gifted me with an invaluable understanding about how to plot, structure and pace my novel. Thanks to The Novelry, I am confident that my novel will be a cracking success!’

Diana Dunetz

‘I have my writing mojo back!’

‘The class exceeded all my expectations. I always looked forward to the next lesson and was quite sad when it came to an end. It’s truly the most helpful thing I have done for my writing. I have my writing mojo back!’

Ana Rita Gilmore

‘So many “aha” moments’

‘At the suggestion of a writing colleague, I signed up at The Novelry. It gave me clarity and there were so many “aha” moments as I learnt tips, tricks and tools (not rules!). I loved every moment.’

Rae Blair

‘After nearly giving up the dream, I feel like I can absolutely be a novelist’

‘The class did a terrific job of unsticking my writing progress. After nearly giving up the dream, I feel like I can absolutely be a novelist. I have hope for my writing career in a way I haven’t had since my undergraduate days.’

Joie Filippini-Gibbons

‘Made my writing journey less arduous’

‘I have a completed novel I am editing, and as a result of taking this class, I was able to make the story tighter. The Novelry made my writing journey less arduous and gave me insight that will hopefully translate into successful publishing.’

Allie Wetzel

‘The Novelry provides writers the opportunity to fulfill a dream’

‘A complete and thorough package with so many incredible aspects. The Novelry provides writers the opportunity to fulfill a dream. And while they push you, they always let you know everything will be OK. I’ve learned so much about myself. It’s wonderful.’

Chris Thompson

‘Given me confidence and then some!’

‘I’ve never written a novel before and was worried I wouldn’t be able to, but I enjoyed this course so much and am motivated to write. It has given me confidence and then some! I’m so grateful I found this course.’

Corinne Beirne

‘Given me a thorough insight into what makes a good book’

‘This course has given me a thorough insight into what makes a good book. I feel a lot more confident and I feel like I’ve got the tools to write with purpose.’

Lou Abercrombie

‘The Novelry is a magical place for writers’

‘The Novelry is a magical place for writers to gain confidence, feel supported and learn about all aspects of writing and craft. From their excellent courses, supportive workshops, caring mentors and wonderful editors, it’s the best place to be!’

Fraer Stevenson

‘Perfectly paced and seemed to anticipate my every need’

‘Perfectly paced and seemed to anticipate my every need, even down to understanding where I felt confused and in over my head. I feel fully prepared and excited to start my adventure. Thank you, The Novelry, I would not be here without you.’

Jane Birch

‘I love the workshops and being part of the community’

‘Such a positive experience. I love the workshops and being part of the community. I’ve written a solid synopsis and feel more confident about getting my first novel published. Being a member of The Novelry looks good in a query letter!’

Dawn Camp

‘I’m feeling newly energized to start re-drafting this book’

‘I joined The Novelry because I was starting to spiral and knew I could use some help. Thanks to the class, I’ve honed my theme and pinpointed issues I hadn’t noticed before. I’m feeling newly energized to start re-drafting this book.’

Evan Anderson

‘I’m genuinely excited!’

‘The lessons are fantastic and easy to digest. By the time I completed them, I had a clear plot for a story. Thanks to this course, I’m genuinely excited to start writing!’

Kate Kiefer

‘Thank you for creating this, a place where anyone and everyone feels at home’

‘I learned how fun it is to be curious and see what happens on the page. This has been huge. Thank you for creating this, a place where anyone and everyone feels at home and in safe hands.’

Ashley Redwood

‘Given me knowledge and confidence’

‘Practical and understandable in a way that I haven’t found in other writing books and courses. The class has given me knowledge and confidence in how to build a strong foundation while keeping flexible enough to grow and change with my novel.’

Katy Bowman

‘Now I have all the tools I need’

‘The Novelry really helped me organize my story. Before, writing an entire novel sounded too overwhelming, but now I have all the tools I need to make my story the best it can be. I can’t wait to write it!’

Miranda Cameron

More reviews

Why The Advanced Outline Class?

Progress at your own pace

Course and community access for an entire year.

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Your success, on your terms. Always.

This is a self-paced class; you drive the development of your story. You have immediate access to all lessons. The tempo of the march is yours to decide.

You’ll need at least 30 minutes for each lesson, and probably some time to capture your thoughts and ideas as you start writing.

We recommend setting aside an hour a day just for you and your writing.

This class will get your words flowing and help you find your way into the story. Give each lesson as much time as you want and revisit the lessons as you tighten the premise.

And if time is tight and life is getting in the way, never fear. There are 30 lessons in total, and 365 days to do them.

Stay a little longer

Life. It happens to the best of us.

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A good story will wait

You have 365 days’ access to The Advanced Outline Class. But don’t worry if you need to pause to think for a while.

You can easily extend your access to the class itself, or stay as a member with access to the workshops and community for just $299 or £249 a year.

Money-back policy

Our Happy Writing guarantee.

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Time to check it’s right for you

We maintain a happy and supportive community for all of our writers. So, we offer a 7-day money-back Happy Writing Guarantee for all our classes and courses, should you change your mind.

Write with the best in the business

Award-winning authors. Publishing editors. Leading literary agents.

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Coaches not lecturers

Many online writing programs promote ‘featured’ videos of one or two big-name stars. And you sit, you watch, you learn. Passively.

Here at The Novelry, our online writing classes and courses come with a team of writer all-stars built right in. They’re part of the furniture around our happy writing home. You’ll run into them in the virtual halls of The Novelry, in your personal coaching sessions, and week in, week out at workshops or in your online community.

We’re talking stars whose books have hit the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller lists, and have been adapted for screen and optioned for major motion pictures.

Writing stars who work with you, not lecture at you.

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60+ workshops a month

In addition to your class.

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Write in good company

Guided, group-based workshops with fellow writers, bestselling authors, and publishing professionals. Offered live online, but also recorded, so you can easily catch up if you miss one.

You’ll get advice and writing prompts, genre-specific challenges, and exercises to help you develop your writing and deepen your craft. And of course, you’ll have a community of like-minded spirits, cheering you on as you reach each milestone on your journey.

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Genre expertise

What’s your style?

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‘Outstanding genre-specific workshops!’

—April Love-Fordham

You may be burning to write a thriller, yearning to capture a romance, or scoping out the near-future world of a science fiction story.

Maybe you’re yet to discover your type. Perhaps you’re between genres right now.

Any which way, this course will help you put your story on steroids. You can choose your author coach based on their expertise, and our genre-specific workshops are in a league of their own.

Video masterclasses

From the likes of Kristin Hannah and Yann Martel.

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Catch Up TV for storytellers

(Binge-watch the series.)

Over 100 classes with famous bestselling writers, publishing experts, and leading literary agents for you to explore in your own time.

Find out how your best-loved authors (really) write their books, from Tess Gerritsen, Paula Hawkins, Sophie Kinsella, and Val McDermid to Lucy Foley, Katherine Rundell, Samantha Shannon, Steven Erikson, and (so) many more.

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A supportive writing community

Find your people.

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Come for the course. Stay for the people.

We’re the largest online writing community exclusively for novelists and memoir writers. This group offers you a safe space to share the ins and outs and ups and downs of the creative life.

It’s ad-free and bound by the terms of confidentiality, allowing you to be yourself as a writer among industry professionals, trusted new friends, and like-minded people.

What’s more, our annual U.S. and U.K. parties and networking events offer the perfect opportunity to mingle and celebrate your work. Cheers to that!

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More 5-star reviews

Than any other writing course. The Novelry is the world’s top-rated online writing school.

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We’re the home of happy writing

When choosing your writing course, always make sure to look for these things:

Independent rave reviews from real people giving their names.
Writing coaches who are award-winning and bestselling published authors.
One-on-one, personalized instruction focused on what you need.
A professional path to getting published with links to a range of literary agencies.
An inspiring writers’ group with a kind and encouraging ethos.

Reviews

A clear path to publishing

Yours if you want it. Fine if you don’t.

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Your adventure awaits

Storytelling lies at the very heart of the class.

But that can mean a myriad of things to many different people.

Some join us simply to write for the pleasure of the process. Some, for family and friends.

Others wish to tread the commercial path to publishing. Which is why you should know that we’re trusted by the world’s leading literary agents, and our graduates go on to secure major contracts from Big Five publishers in the U.S.A., the U.K., and worldwide.

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Created by a Booker Prize-listed author

We don’t just talk the talk.

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‘Louise Dean is a significant voice in fiction’

—The Observer

When it comes to writing, and writing success, Founder and Course Director Louise Dean knows a thing or two about a thing or two.

Booker Prize-listed, winner of the Betty Trask Prize and the Le Prince Maurice Prize, finalist for the Costa Coffee 2020 Short Story Award, longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Award, and nominated for the Guardian First Book Prize (among others), Louise has earned plaudits from the Nobel Laureate for Literature, no less. Her books have been praised by the New York Times, the Guardian, the Observer, and the Sunday Times.

Louise shares her (award-winning) wordsmithery secrets in the courses and classes and draws on a lifetime and love of reading fiction and the techniques of the greats.

Meet Louise

Ready for your most ambitious fiction adventure yet?

Next-level storytelling!

The Advanced Outline Class

Master your story

599

We accept

499

Membership (1 Year)
The Advanced Outline Class
A Coaching Session
A Year’s Access

Or sign up for our class bundles

One-off

Monthly

The Fast-Track Novel Course

Outline, write, and edit your novel to publishing standards with feedback on your manuscript

455

/ mo

4995

We accept

319

/ mo

3499

Welcome Call
Membership (1 Year)
The Advanced Outline Class
The Ninety Day Novel Class
6 Coaching Sessions
The Big Edit Class
2 Editorial Sessions
The Ultimate Manuscript Assessment

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From creating your story then writing a polished draft, to publishing your bestselling book. Our classes and courses support you across the whole journey.

Which course

FAQs

If you’re bursting with questions we haven’t answered here, check out our full FAQs page or feel free to get in touch.

How do I choose my writing coach?

You can browse our writing coaches and find the author you would most like to work with, then book your coaching session from your Library.

You may wish to book with an author experienced in the genre you are writing.

Another great way to consider who you want to write with is to take a peek inside the first pages of their published books on Amazon and see whose writing style appeals to you most strongly.

The wonderful thing about The Novelry is that you can work with the writing coach of your choice but also book sessions with any other writing coach whenever you wish. So if things change for your story, say you swap genre, or need more help on specialist technical matters from another coach, we’ve got you covered.

Do you offer a money-back guarantee?

Yes, we are all for Happy Writing. You can review our terms and conditions here. If, for any reason at all, the course is not for you, you can get a full no-questions-asked refund within the first seven days after purchase. Just email us and let us know.

English as a second language? Hearing or vision difficulties?

Our courses are suitable for people with visual or auditory impairment, dyslexia, and for those with English as a second language. We offer an app which translates the course into 99 languages and a speak-aloud option too.

‘Thanks to the expert guidance of The Novelry, my manuscript has received interest from a number of agents and was longlisted for an award this year.’

Talitha McQueen

Prepare to write your best novel

Get the inside track

Your standout story

You’re a skilled wordsmith. Now you’re ready to truly master the craft.

You love to write alone. But you don’t want to be lonely.

You don’t just want to be a writer. You want to be a bestseller.

This isn’t your first rodeo. You need a course that means business.

Say it with economy and style

Say hello to your new writing chapter

Write from the edge of your seat, and people will read from the edge of theirs

Not all writing classes are created equal

From awards listings and commercial sales figures to creative fulfillment. Whatever success looks like for you, The Advanced Outline Class will give you the insider’s advantage and a springboard for success.

Imagine having an award-winning, bestselling author vet your storyline before you start writing.

The Advanced Outline Class

Welcome

The Vital Organs

The Working Plan

The Depth Chargers

Magic and Mastery

‘Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.’

Our coaching team

Tara Conklin

Evie Wyld

Andrea Stewart

Dhonielle Clayton

Lesley Kara

Piers Torday

Clare Mackintosh

L.R. Lam

Bea Fitzgerald

Emylia Hall

Urban Waite

Tasha Suri

Colleen Oakley

Kate Dylan

Anissa Gray

Gina Sorell

Kate Riordan

Heather Webb

Melanie Conklin

Alice Kuipers

Kate Davies

Sarah Turner

Libby Page

Katie Khan

Amanda Reynolds

Mahsuda Snaith

Ella McLeod

David Solomons

Katalina Watt

‘I’m diving into my next novel feeling more prepared than ever before’

More 5* reviews than any other writing course

‘Targeted the exact issues I needed to work on’

‘I’m constantly amazed by how much The Novelry has to offer’

‘From the very first lesson I felt at home’

‘I now have the tools to create a well-crafted novel’

‘I have gained so much information and confidence’

‘I have my writing mojo back!’

‘So many “aha” moments’

‘After nearly giving up the dream, I feel like I can absolutely be a novelist’

‘Made my writing journey less arduous’

‘The Novelry provides writers the opportunity to fulfill a dream’

‘Given me confidence and then some!’

‘Given me a thorough insight into what makes a good book’

‘The Novelry is a magical place for writers’

‘Perfectly paced and seemed to anticipate my every need’

‘I love the workshops and being part of the community’

‘I’m feeling newly energized to start re-drafting this book’

‘I’m genuinely excited!’

‘Thank you for creating this, a place where anyone and everyone feels at home’

‘Given me knowledge and confidence’

‘Now I have all the tools I need’

Why The Advanced Outline Class?

Progress at your own pace

Your success, on your terms. Always.

Stay a little longer

A good story will wait

Money-back policy

Time to check it’s right for you

Write with the best in the business