The Complete Novel Revision Course
Take your novel from first draft to final draft with a time-tested revision process designed to make you feel organized, efficient, and in control.
START THIS COURSE FOR FREE!"Outstanding! Rather than feeling overwhelmed and confused, I now feel excited about revising."
- Dee D.
"I've written ten books and FINALLY have a formalized revision strategy."
-Shari H.
"Finally, a revision process that makes sense to me and makes me think I can actually do this!"
- Helen E.
So you wrote a first draft of a novel. Now what?
The short answer is: now you revise. But as you’ve probably already figured out, that’s not an easy task. Nor a straight-forward one.
It conjures up all sorts of panicky questions like:
- Where do I start?
- What do I focus on?
- Do I revise chronologically? Or out of order?
- What problems am I supposed to be looking for?
- How do I keep myself organized?
- Do I start a brand-new document or revise the one I have?
- What’s the difference between a revision and a rewrite and how do I know which one I need to do?
- What do I do if my first draft is such a huge mess, I don’t even want to look at it?
Revision can feel nerve-wracking and overwhelming and sometimes even insurmountable. Because the truth is, it’s NOT a straight-forward, systematic task with an easy-to-follow blueprint to ensure you’re doing it properly.
Well, until now, anyway. ;)
The Complete Novel Revision Course will walk you step-by-step through a tried-and-true, time-tested revision process that will not only answer all of those questions about how to revise, but will provide you with a systematic approach to the revision process that is designed to make you feel:
- Organized
- Efficient
- In control
- Competent
- Focused
- CONFIDENT!
This course is designed to turn you into a Revising Master!
Taught by Writing Mastery Academy founder Jessica Brody (author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and over 20 novels), this course will guide you step-by-step through the process of taking a first draft to a final draft, with all the necessary strategies, tools, and techniques to accomplish that.
Jessica has taken her knowledge from writing and revising 20+ novels, her experience working with over 100,000 writers (through her books, webinars, and online courses), and her interviews with professional editors and authors and combined it all to create this one-of-a-kind, systematic approach to revising a novel.
This approach is all about MAXIMIZING:
- Efficiency
- Organization
- Proficiency
And MINIMIZING feelings of:
- Anxiety
- Overwhelm
- Discouragement
Following the standard publishing industry practice, (and in order to set you up for the most effective, least stressful revision process possible), the course breaks down the revision process into three levels:
THE STORY LEVEL (or Developmental Edit) is where you'll focus on the bigger picture items that affect the entire story, like structure, plot, character arcs, character development, conflict, tension, worldbuilding and the overall pacing of the plot.
THE SCENE LEVEL (or Detailed Edit) is where you'll tackle your novel in smaller pieces, ensuring that each scene (or event in the plot) is crafted in the most engaging way. This is when you'll revise every scene individually to make sure they have solid pacing, structure, and all the components of a successful scene.
THE PAGE LEVEL (or Line Edit) is where you'll focus on making sure your writing is dynamic and compelling on every page. This is where you'll get into the nitty gritty editing work, revising and polishing every sentence until it shines.
Each level features tons of examples from popular novels and comes with a comprehensive set of "checkpoints,” making it easy for you to self-diagnose problem areas in your own manuscript and fix them. You’ll know exactly when you’re ready to move onto the next level when you’ve passed all the checkpoints!
And as you're revising your novel, Jessica revises one of her own! Throughout each level, she demonstrates the entire revision process, so you can watch step-by-step how she takes a first draft to a final draft, including storyboard demos, scene-card demos, and even live line-editing demos!
By the end of the course, you’ll have a shiny, finished draft that you’ll be proud and confident to pass on to the next step of your writing journey – whether that be uploading to a publishing platform, submitting to an agent, or turning in to your publisher.
You CAN revise this novel!
You can make it shine. No matter how messy your first draft is. And in this course you'll learn exactly how to do it.
By the End of This Course, You'll Have:
An organized step-by-step strategy for turning any first draft into a final draft (no matter how messy it is)
Tips and ideas for revising common problems out of your manuscript (with on-screen editing demos)
Tons of inspiring examples from popular novels to deepen your understanding of what makes a novel work
Tools and strategies for building your revision plan, so you'll always have a clear, up-to-date view of your entire story and what you need to work on next
19 "story-level" checkpoints that will ensure your plot, character arc, and worldbuilding are solid, well-structured, and fully developed
14 "scene-level" checkpoints that will ensure every scene in your novel is compelling, well-crafted, and necessary
5 "page-level" checkpoints you need to ensure every page of your manuscript is polished, well-written, and engaging
A customizable "level-down" approach to revisions that maximizes focus and efficiency and minimizes superfluous work, so you can finish your revision quickly
Meet Your Instructor
Hello, I’m Jessica Brody, founder of the Writing Mastery Academy and author of more than 20 novels, as well as the best-selling plotting guide, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.
I have been working full-time in the publishing industry for more than a decade and over the years I’ve worked with professional editors at major publishing houses like Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Disney Press. And through my online courses, webinars, and books, I’ve helped more than 100,000 writers improve their stories, their confidence, and their craft.
And now, I’m excited to bring you my most robust and comprehensive course yet: The Complete Novel Revision course, which will guide you step-by-step through the process of taking a first draft to a final draft.
Sadly, I see too many first drafts abandoned or left in the proverbial drawer because they’re too messy, or the thought of trying to revise them is too overwhelming. And that’s why I developed this course, which utilizes a strategy that I call “level-down revisions” to ensure you’re only focusing on one aspect of your novel at a time, thus reducing stress and overwhelm and increasing confidence, focus, and efficiency. It works for any novel. Not matter how messy it is. And it will work for yours too.
What Students are Saying
Course Outline
Introduction
Becoming a Revising Master (Mindset and Tools)
The Story-Level Revision
The Scene-Level Revision
The Page-Level Revision
Wrapping Up
This course is part of the Writing Mastery Academy
Here's what you'll get as a member:
Save the Cat! Novel Writing Course
OFFICIAL SAVE THE CAT! COURSE
Discover the secret storytelling code behind all great novels and use it to outline, write, or revise your own
Included with Membership
Novel Fast Drafting Course
Stop stressing, second-guessing, and revising endlessly. Learn the fastest, most efficient way to write novels (and finish them every single time)
Included with Membership
The Complete Novel Revision Course
Learn a time-tested, step-by-step revision process for taking your novel from first draft to final draft
Included with Membership
Crafting Dynamic Characters
Learn to create fully fleshed-out, dynamic characters and how to reveal them to the reader in a way that grabs their attention and captures their heart
Included with Membership
Foundations of Fiction
Master the foundations of compelling fiction and use them to craft killer novels, memoirs, or short stories
Retail Price: $99
Included with Membership
Scene Crafting Masterclass
Master the art of writing scenes that hook, engage, and leave readers hungry for more, with craft book & fiction author Jordan Rosenfeld
Retail Price: $199
Included with Membership
Level Up Your Writing
Challenge your creativity and sharpen your skills across seven key story elements in this interactive online course with bestselling author Scott Reintgen
Retail Price: $199
Included with Membership
Productivity Hacks for Writers
Learn to "hack" your brain, space, and devices to stay focused, be more productive, and get the most out of every writing day
Retail Price: $99
Included with Membership
Secrets to Self-Publishing Success
A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to successfully self-publishing and marketing your novel, with bestselling author Bethany Atazadeh
Included with Membership
Develop Blockbuster Ideas that Sell
Unleash your creativity and brainstorm "high-concept" book and movie ideas that sell
Retail Price: $99
Included with Membership
Conquering Writer's Block
Proven strategies, techniques, and tools to overcome writer's block (for good!), and become a Prolific Writer
Retail Price: $99
Included with Membership
Sell Your Novel to a Major Publisher
A comprehensive, step-by-step insider's guide to selling your book and becoming a paid, published author
Retail Price: $199
Included with Membership
Fiction for Young Writers
A fun, interactive workshop to help young writers unlock their creativity, improve their craft, and write better stories (ages 9+)
Retail Price: $49
Included with Membership
All Future Courses
Members of Writing Mastery Academy always get first-look access to all future courses, with no change in membership price
2. Access to the Writing Mastery Community
($1,799 Value)
You're not in this alone
Writing can be a solitary endeavor, but it doesn't have to be. As a Writing Mastery member, you'll become part of a thriving, positive community of writers of all skill levels, from around the world. With dedicated topic areas for each course, plus topics for staying accountable to achieving your goals, finding critique partners, discussing specific genres, or just talking shop, the Community is there to support you on every step of your writing journey.
Course Topics
Share progress, ask questions, answer questions, and chat with fellow writers taking the same course as you
Genre Discussions
Chat with other writers working on similar projects in your genre
Writing Sprints
Why write alone? Join a scheduled sprint, or create one any time to challenge and motivate yourself to write more!
Monthly Challenges
Fun and motivating challenges every month to help you stay motivated and get to know your fellow members
Critique Partners
Find critique partners and beta readers to help you get more eyes on your work
Goals & Accountability
Simply announcing your goals to others has a HUGE impact on your success. And you've got a place just for this!
Writers Only
This is not a Facebook group. It's a community of 100% writers, so there are no distractions
A few posts from our members:
3. Monthly "Members Only" Webinars + Recordings
($1,499 Value)
Get access to live, monthly webinars on specific writing topics. Most webinars end with a Q&A session, which gives you a chance to get your questions answered by industry experts. Can't join live? No worries! Recordings of every webinar are available to watch (or rewatch) anytime.
Here are a few of the webinars available to watch now:
4. "Office Hours" with Instructors & Guests
($799 Value)
Get Your Writing Questions Answered
Bring your questions to our live "Office Hours" webinars, where instructors and special guests spend time dedicated to answering member questions.
BONUS: Searchable Q&As from Office Hours & Webinars
($499 Value)
Get Answers Fast from our Growing Library of Answered Questions
We take the top questions from all our Office Hours and Webinars, edit them into their own mini-lectures, and categorize them for you. Categories include character development, fast drafting, NaNoWriMo, pacing, point of view, revising, writing process, worldbuilding, and more. It's very likely we've answered a question similar to yours, so this is a great resource to get answers fast!
Here's a sample of the available questions:
Character Development
- How to create well-rounded characters?
- Does a hero always have to change over the course of a story
- What's the best way to have a character realize something organically?
- How do I make readers like an unlikable character?
The Publishing Industry
- What is a realistic timeline between drafting and getting published?
- How do I find an editor?
- Can you publish on various platforms?
- Is traditional publishing still a viable path?
Revisions
- How do you keep track of your revision process?
- How do you know when you're done revising a chapter?
- What do I do if I get bored with the story I'm writing?
- How do I start revisions for a very messy draft?
Save the Cat! & Plotting
- How do you structure a series using Save the Cat!?
- How do the Save the Cat! beats relate to chapters?
- How do you use Save the Cat! in the revision process?
- Does a hero always have to change over the course of a story?
World Building
- How do you build a convincing fantasy world?
- How do you describe a world in a way that shows rather than tells?
- How much setting detail is too much?
- What's the difference between a world and a setting?
Writing Process
- How do you defeat perfectionism to finish a book?
- How do you find your voice as a writer?
- How do I prioritize all the story ideas I have and avoid leaving stories half-finished?
- How do I turn a hodgepodge of detailed notes and dialogue into a draft?
BONUS: Surprise Bonus Content
($399 Value)
Fun, Useful Tools & Resources to Keep You Moving Forward
You'll find all sorts of fun and useful things here like free beat sheets, extra writing prompts, interviews with special guests, behind-the-scenes peeks at writers' processes, and much much more! And the longer you're a member, the more Bonus Content you'll collect!
Here's Everything You'll Get When You Join the Writing Mastery Academy Today:
Unlimited access to all our on-demand writing courses
$2,137 value
The Writing Mastery Community
$1,799 value
Monthly "members only" webinars + webinar recordings
$1,499 value
"Office Hours" with instructors & guests
$799 value
Searchable Q&As from office hours & webinars
$499 value
Surprise bonus content
$399 value
TOTAL VALUE
$7,132
Join Now For Only:
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30-Day 100% Risk Free Guarantee
Our Promise: We think you'll love being a Writing Mastery Academy member, but if for any reason you don't, our membership is backed by a 30-day money back guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
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