Zero to First Draft: A 12-Week Novel Workshop

If you’re like most writers, you’ve been carrying a book idea around for months—maybe years. You jot notes, tweak outlines, open the document, close it again. You tell yourself you’ll get serious “when life slows down.” It never does. Meanwhile, the pages stay blank, the story lingers unfinished, and the gap between the writer you want to be and the one you are keeps widening. Every week you don’t make progress, it gets harder to believe you ever will. A twelve-week sprint from idea to finished draft This workshop is designed for writers ready to stop circling their novel and finally get it on the page. Over twelve focused weeks, you’ll move from a spark of an idea to a complete first draft—through a mix of structure, accountability, and deep creative work. Each session blends craft, process, and progress: Accountability checkpoint: Did you hit your writing goal? What’s working and what isn’t?Process conversation: Explore how, when, and where you write—so the habit becomes sustainable.Milestone lesson: Learn that week’s narrative pillar and how to build it from the inside out, grounded in your character’s choices.Writing sprint: Put new lessons into action. Get words on the page, right then and there.Goal-setting: Commit aloud to your next word count target (usually 5–8k words between sessions). By the end, you’ll have a full draft—and a writing practice strong enough to carry you into revision. Meet your Instructor Eli Ryder! ​Eli is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Austin Community College. He has appeared as a panelist and podcast guest for several venues discussing both the craft of writing and the thrill of dark fiction. ​His horror and sci-fi has appeared in numerous online, in-print, and audio publications, and his plays have appeared on stage in Los Angeles and San Francisco. ​He is a Roswell Award honoree and stole his M.F.A. from U.C. Riverside. He plays D&D, has the best kid ever, and is an avid lover of all things spooky. Weekly Milestones July 9th: Idea, Character, Setting July 16th: Inciting Incident & Character Change July 23rd: Resistance & Early Conflict July 30th: The Debate & Forward Momentum Aug 6th: New Pressures, Changing World Aug 13th: Escalation & Major Setback Aug 20th: Midpoint Shift—Reaction to Action Aug 27th: Rising Stakes & the Cost of Change Sept 3rd: Dark Night of the Soul Sept 10th: Revelation & Decision Sept 17th: Resolution & Consequences Sept 24th: Completion, Celebration, and Next Steps Each story beat is drawn from timeless narrative frameworks—the Hero’s Journey, five-act structure, Truby, Dan Wells—but reframed through a character-first lens. Where plot becomes the natural consequence of who your protagonist is and what they want. This is a serious drafting commitment for writers ready to push themselves and turn an idea into a manuscript! Expect to write 5–8,000 words per week and to finish the program with a complete, character-driven manuscript draft—and the confidence that comes with it.