Write A Story That’s Worth Publishing
Reviews like this are the norm when people read my novel, SoundCheck. And I’m not the only one having this experience.
Author Stephanie Raffelock went from being on the verge of quitting storytelling to on the verge of having a publishing deal–she signed with a NYC agent who is committed to her success as an author.
And author, Zara Quentin also went from having an idea in her head to having her professionally self-published novel, Airwoman, out in the world. (And she just published her second and third novels in the series.)
After almost a decade of writing my own stories and teaching and coaching emerging novelists, I can tell you this isn’t a stroke of luck. With an understanding of the principles of storytelling and a process to implement those principles in your own stories, you can write a story that sells.
“Jennifer was my guide, my light. She kept me from getting lost. If you don’t have a structure to work from, after about twenty-five thousand words, you will not know where you are, let alone where you need to go. She worked with me step-by-step from idea to concept to premise, and then worked with me on plugging in plot points, pinch points and developing characters. The process was quite creative and even though I was itching to write, the planning and development of a story was much more creative than I thought it would be. This novel is my best to date. And now thanks to the book Jennifer helped me with, I have signed with a NYC agent who is shopping my novel to publishers.”–Stephanie Raffelock
Write Your Damn Story is THE workshop for emerging storytellers who want to write SELLABLE Novels and Screenplays
Have you ever written 25,000 words of a draft and then got stuck?
Do you have a clear idea of how your story has to begin and end, but the middle is always fuzzy?
Have you read every book on fiction writing and taken every workshop you could find, but you still haven’t been able to implement what you’ve learned into a cohesive, engaging story?
You’re feeling frustrated and blocked. And too often you find yourself watching Netflix or reading books instead of working on your own stories.
When you do manage to get yourself to show up to the page, you easily get distracted and end up self-sabotaging by wasting time on Facebook or checking email.
And after all these years of playing with story ideas in your head and writing first drafts, you’re still not where you want to be. Not finished. Not finding an agent. Not published.
If you don’t get a handle on this right now, a year from today you’ll still be in the same place – continuing to feel frustrated and one day maybe even quitting because you’ve had enough of the struggle.
At worse, you’ll die and your story will die with you. But let’s not go there…
Instead, imagine if anytime you got inspired, you had a process you could use to develop the idea into an actual story, and then create a story plan, with structure and scene-by-scene roadmap you can use to write your first draft.
And not just any first draft, but a first draft that contains the bones of your story and that’s a revision and edit away from being self-publishable or ready to submit to agents, executives and publishers.
There are 3 parts to writing a story: Find Your Story + Develop and Plan the Story + Write the First Draft. This course takes you through all three parts of the story development and writing process and supports you in finishing what you start through daily accountability check-ins and weekly live virtual group work sessions.
“But I’ve already read every book and taken every fiction writing course”
So had I. As an ambitious learner who is always ready for more, I spent years of my life reading books and taking every workshop and class I could find on fiction writing and storytelling. And while all those books and workshops and classes were great, they didn’t quite get it right.
Because there were key things missing that make the difference between a killer story and an episodic narrative of a character’s life. They also missed key things when it came to actually doing the writing – crippling things that can stop you from finishing. Ever.
The biggest gap of all that I found was there is very little out there on how to IMPLEMENT these key storytelling and craft principles into your own stories.
It’s great to have the info about craft and to learn all the plot point names and definitions, but if you don’t know how to then take that craft and those plot points and actually bring them to life in your own story, then all that knowledge is for nothing.
So after teaching dozens of my own classes and workshop and coaching hundreds of writers and seeing where they struggled and got stuck the most, and paying close attention to my own process and how I take an idea and turn it into an actual story, I’ve created a course that is the gap-filler.
That will help any writer who struggles with getting 25,000 words into a draft and then getting stuck or knowing what to do for the beginning or end of a story, but having no clue what goes in the middle, or who has a story idea and wants to bring it to life on the page, but just doesn’t know how (and anything you’ve tried, it never come out quite right).
This ain’t no fiction writing 101 shit – this is deep-dive master-level shit that will transform your storytelling ability, allowing you to not only have a better understanding of story, but also be able to implement it in your own stories and have a repeatable process you can use over and over again for every story you write, forever.
“After reading just about every ‘how to’ book on the shelf and after years of struggling to write a book on my own, I stumbled (thank goodness!) upon Larry Brooks’ website, StoryFix.com. After reading a few of his blog posts, I finally felt like I had some direction for my writing, but I was still having a hard time executing his principles.
Enter Jennifer Blanchard, the best darn story coach I could ever ask for. Jennifer’s program is jam-packed with information about story structure, easy-to-follow examples, and exercises that help you put the core competencies of story structure to use.
And while Jennifer’s program provides TONS of helpful information, Jennifer doesn’t just let you wade through it yourself. She supports her writers through Facebook and during coaching calls where you discuss your progress from the week before.
The coaching calls are by far and away the best thing about this program. The calls are fun (Jennifer is really great to talk to in general!), informative, and there is a high level of collaboration with respect to the story itself. In other words, we spend much of the hour spit-balling ideas back and forth, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and in a word, it’s awesome. This experience, to be able to bounce my ideas off of someone with an inherent knowledge of story structure, has been invaluable.
I struggled to write my story for almost a year. Now, it is finally, (FINALLY!) taking cohesive shape and it’s all because of Jennifer’s help and support.
If you’re like I was – just about to give up, thinking you don’t have what it takes to be a writer – do yourself a favor and work with Jennifer. Don’t let the cost scare you – it’s worth every penny, and more. Think of it as an investment in your future. You will be so glad you did! I know I am.”
Johnna Hutnick
About the Course Leader
Hey there–I’m Jennifer Blanchard. I’m a novelist, screenwriter, Developmental Book Editor and story coach who spent 13 years totally oblivious to what it took to write a good story. Once I figured out what was required, I was able to master the craft of storytelling, which allowed me to publish my debut novel, SoundCheck (in May 2015), and have my screenplay, The Rules, place as a Semi-Finalist in the Stage32 Rom-Com Script Contest (in Feb 2019). My goal with Write Your Damn Story is to cut YEARS off your storytelling journey and speed up your learning curve so you can write a better story, faster.
WRITE YOUR DAMN NOVEL: COURSE OVERVIEW
In this course you will go from a struggling novelist to the author of a story that you’re proud of.
Have you ever written 25,000 words of a draft and then got stuck?
Do you have a clear idea of how your story has to begin and end, but the middle is always fuzzy?
Have you read every book on fiction writing and taken every workshop you could find and you still haven’t been able to implement what you’ve learned into a cohesive, engaging story?
You’re feeling frustrated and blocked. And you find yourself watching Netflix or reading books instead of working on your own stories.
When you do manage to get yourself to show up to the page, you easily get distracted and end up self-sabotaging by wasting time on Facebook or checking email.
And after all these years of playing with story ideas in your head and writing first drafts you’re still not where you want to be. Not finished. Not published.
If you don’t get a handle on this right now, a year from today you’ll still be in the same place—continuing to feel frustrated and one day maybe even quitting because you’ve had enough of the struggle.
At worse, you’ll die and your story will die with you. But let’s not go there…
Instead, imagine if anytime you got inspired, you had a process you can use to develop the idea into an actual story and then create a story plan, with structure and a scene-by-scene roadmap that you can use to write your first draft.
And not just any first draft, but a first draft that contains the bones of your story and that’s a revision and edit away from being publishable.
There are 2 parts to writing a novel: Develop and Plan the Story + Write the First Draft. This course takes you through both parts of the novel-writing process and supports you in finishing what you start through daily accountability check ins and weekly live-virtual group work sessions.
This virtual workshop runs from June 4 to July 31 with a Bonus support from August 1 to August 31.
WHAT THE COURSE COVERS:
Phase 1: Develop and Plan the Story
Week One: Concept — you’ll create the landscape or “stage” that your story will take place on
Week Two: Premise, Character, Theme — you’ll figure out your plot, who your Protagonist and opposing Antagonist are, what the Protagonist’s character arc will be, and the theme that supports it all
Week Three: Subplot — you’ll determine the side stories that will be going on along with your core plot
Week Four: Story Structure — with the work from weeks one through three, you will build the structural framework for the plot points of your story
Week Five: Scene Roadmap — with the plot points in place, you will now create the specific scenes that will connect your plot milestones and create a cohesive story
Week Six: Writing Voice — you’ll improve your writing voice and dialogue, as you prepare to bring the story to life on the page
Phase 2: Writing the First Draft
Week Seven: Getting Words on the Page, Scene Writing — you’ll start writing your first draft and getting your scenes written with ease
Week Eight: Dealing with Resistance, Procrastination, Fear, Distractions, Doubt, Disorganization — you’ll defeat the top 7 things that cause writers to self-sabotage and not finish their novels
“Jennifer gives you the big picture, the little picture and shows you how it ties together. Unless you know about story structure and know exactly how to apply it to your work, you might waste weeks, months or years in your publication journey. Do yourself a favor and use Jennifer’s expertise and straight-forward teaching methods to show you the way.”
Ute Rosenbilds
JOIN US FOR WRITE YOUR DAMN NOVEL
Write Your Damn Novel–Basic
You want the WYDN workshop, which includes:
- Write Your Damn Novel–the full 8-week course
- Private Facebook group–so you can connect with other workshop participants and have unlimited access to Jennifer for feedback, support and guidance
- Bonuses–see the Bonuses section of this page for more details (all Bonuses–unless otherwise specified–will be sent out after the workshop ends)
Doors to This Workshop Are Now Closed
Write Your Damn Novel–The VIP Experience
You want the WYDN VIP Experience, which includes:
- Write Your Damn Novel–the full 8-week course
- Private Facebook group–so you can connect with other workshop participants and have unlimited access to Jennifer for feedback, support and guidance
- Unlimited Email and Facebook Messenger Access to Jennifer–during the 8-week workshop you’ll have unlimited access to be able to email Jennifer or send a message to her on Facebook for private, direct feedback, support and guidance on your story
- One Private Phone Call with Jennifer (up to 60 minutes)–during the 8-week workshop you get one 60-minute call with Jennifer to discuss your story, brainstorm with her, get feedback and support
- Bonuses–see the Bonuses section of this page for more details (all Bonuses–unless otherwise specified–will be sent out after the workshop ends)
Doors to This Workshop Are Now Closed
What You Get In This Workshop
- Weekly training and assignments to help you develop your idea into a story–delivered every Monday for 8 weeks via email
- Private WYDN Facebook group–this is where all the interaction will take place during the workshop with Jennifer and the other workshop students
- Unlimited feedback, guidance and support from Jennifer in the workshop FB group
- Weekly Q&A livestreams with Jennifer–we’ll meet up once a week in the private Facebook group for a Q&A (everything is recorded if you can’t be there live)
- A repeatable process for planning and developing a story from idea to first draft
- BONUSES!!! (See below)
BONUSES
PAY IN FULL BONUS–for anyone who signs up and pays in full, you’ll get a FREE 30-minute ‘Concept and Plot’ session with me where we’ll discuss your story idea and come up with a Concept and potential plots, so you can really hit the ground running in the workshop.
1. ‘Finish Your Draft’ Support (a $97 value)–in addition to the 8-week workshop, you’re getting an extra 30 days of support so you can finish your story plan and/or start and/or finish your first draft.
2. Kick-Start Your First 25,000 Words (a $97 value)—this training will get you motivated and putting words down on the page at a rapid pace
3. The Story Revision Kit (a $150 value)—this kit haas everything you need to revise your story, including checklists, audio trainings and more.
4. How To Find and Hire An Editor (a $150 value)—this MP3 training and resource list will help you find the best editor for your project and your budget
5. Sell More Books (a $97 value)—this masterclass will teach you the foundations of building an author platform online and using it to sell more books
6. Lifetime Updates (Priceless!)–whenever I update the Write Your Damn Novel course materials, you’ll automatically get access to the updates, forever AND anytime I run it live you get to participate for free
14-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
Write Your Damn Novel is the culmination of two decades of experience with writing my own stories and almost a decade of teaching and coaching writers on how to write cohesive, engaging stories. I’ve put my heart and soul into this course and believe so deeply that it will forever change the way you develop your ideas and write your stories.
Which is why I’m offering a 14-day money back guarantee—try the course out for 14 days. Follow along, participate fully, do all of the assignments. If at the end of the 14 days you’re not satisfied with your results, just send an email to: support@jenniferblanchard.net with all of your finished assignments to show us that you did the work and we’ll refund the money you’ve paid up to that point.
“Having someone to bounce ideas off of, and the feedback I received in the first six weeks, was critical to being able to finish my draft. I found the feedback to be the most valuable [part of working with Jennifer].”
Glenn Dyer
Author of, The Torch Betrayal
FAQs
1. I’ve taken tons of fiction writing courses and read tons of books…what makes Write Your Damn Novel different?
Write Your Damn Novel isn’t just another fiction writing course. It’s a hands-on experience in turning an idea into a workable first draft of a story. And learning a process that you can repeat with every story you write, forever.
You’ll not only have step-by-step guidance, but depending on which package you choose, you’ll also get unlimited access to Jennifer in the private Facebook group, so you can get feedback, support and guidance along the way.
2. What if the dates don’t work for me?
That’s OK! The dates are just when the live course is running, but you have access to the content forever (as well as the Facebook group) so you can work at your own pace and get support when you’re ready. PLUS you get Lifetime updates and access, which means anytime I update the content or run the workshop live, you get to participate for FREE!
3. Does “live” workshop mean you have to be there in person?
Nope! Live just means there are specific dates when the workshop content will be available and when the group will be working on it. This workshop is 100% virtual–so you can participate no matter where you are in the world. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection.
4. How does the workshop work?
Each week for eight weeks, starting on June 4, you’ll receive a lesson and assignment via email (see the “course schedule” above for complete details).
You’ll be able to post your assignments in the private Facebook group to get feedback and guidance as you go through the course. You also get access to post-workshop Bonuses based on when you signed up and for which package.
This Workshop Is Perfect For You If You:
- Don’t want to waste yet another year writing a draft you can’t do anything with
- Get stuck in the middle of the story and never know what to do from there
- Desire a process that allows you to take your idea, flesh it out and turn it into an actual story with structure and a scene-by-scene roadmap you can use to write your first draft (plus, a repeatable process you can use over and over again)
- Would thrive with support, accountability and feedback from a professional novelist and story coach
ENROLL IN WRITE YOUR DAMN NOVEL
Write Your Damn Novel–Basic
You want the WYDN workshop, which includes:
- Write Your Damn Novel–the full 8-week course
- Private Facebook group–so you can connect with other workshop participants and have unlimited access to Jennifer for feedback, support and guidance
- Bonuses–see the Bonuses section of this page for more details (all Bonuses–unless otherwise specified–will be sent out after the workshop ends)
Doors to This Workshop Are Now Closed
Write Your Damn Novel–The VIP Experience
You want the WYDN VIP Experience, which includes:
- Write Your Damn Novel–the full 8-week course
- Private Facebook group–so you can connect with other workshop participants and have unlimited access to Jennifer for feedback, support and guidance
- Unlimited Email and Facebook Messenger Access to Jennifer–during the 8-week workshop you’ll have unlimited access to be able to email Jennifer or send a message to her on Facebook for private, direct feedback, support and guidance on your story
- One Private Phone Call with Jennifer (up to 60 minutes)–during the 8-week workshop you get one 60-minute call with Jennifer to discuss your story, brainstorm with her, get feedback and support
- Bonuses–see the Bonuses section of this page for more details (all Bonuses–unless otherwise specified–will be sent out after the workshop ends)
Doors to This Workshop Are Now Closed
“Here’s what I love about working with Jennifer:
(1) Response: Jennifer gets back with you when she says she will. It can be frustrating having someone promise to get back with you on a timely basis and then not do so. Jennifer returns messages promptly.
(2) Substance: Jennifer gives substantive feedback. Her comments aren’t meant to sugarcoat problems but at the same time she isn’t brutal with her instruction.
(3) Encouraging: She will remind you that you owe her a response to her critique. She’s not going to bombard you with emails or messages. But she will respond in a timely encouraging manner. She’s not going to forget you.
Jennifer has guided me to a solid story form from a sad little outline. Although my story has a long way to go, I can now complete my draft because of her great coaching. And that’s what I was looking for in a coach.”
Paul Swann
STILL NOT SURE? EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO: JENNIFER(AT)JENNIFERBLANCHARD.NET
“Before I started working with Jen, I was battling two major demons: fear and procrastination. Like a lot of writers, I can be quite adept at finding ways to put off sitting down at the page. Unfortunately, I was getting better and better at avoidance tactics. But the more I dodged my writing, the more I became paralyzed and afraid I just couldn’t do it anymore. That’s when the Universe did me a solid and allowed me to stumble across Jen’s Procrastinating Writers site, where I met a person I can honestly say has changed my life in ways I never expected.
There are a lot of self-styled “coaches” out there, but I can tell you with certainty that Jen has a true gift. Before I worked with her, I had been absolutely terrified to tackle a novel for literally two decades. I read every book and did every exercise, meditation and ritual on the planet to get me past my fear to no avail. But Jen’s incredible knack for mixing kick-in-the-ass calls to action with compassion got me past my blocks, and I finally finished my novel. I’ve also learned how to stick to a writing schedule for the first time in my life!
Aside from being an exceptional teacher, Jen is one of the kindest, funniest and most good-hearted people you could ever meet. So, if you get the chance to work with her, seize it. You’ll be glad you did.”
Mary DeRosa Hughes
“The program is all about helping you put Larry Brooks’ storytelling principles to work. It’s the practical application of theory, if you like. This is never easy to do without knowledgeable guidance, in any endeavor. More specifically, writing a novel can seem like a huge, overwhelming undertaking.
Jennifer’s step-by-step approach breaks it down into very manageable individual tasks. You just lay down one brick today, another the next. Anyone can do that. Then one day you look back and realize your wall is already half built. The intimidation factor is completely gone.
My story, while still complex, has a definite shape to it now. You can see the skeleton where all the other bits need to be attached. I am still working on my first draft but I have no doubts about whether I will finish it. I will because at every step, I know exactly what the next step will be. No more feeling around and hoping. This is very liberating.
I am beginning to allow myself to think of myself as a fiction writer. This is because I know now the things that a fiction writer needs to know to get the work done. You cannot put a price on this.”
>> Read Christopher’s Case Study
Christopher Y.