Finish your novel or memoir this year.
Guidance. Community. Accountability. NOVEL IN 9, 2024.
Do you want to write a novel or memoir? Do you need structure and accountability to see your book through to completion? Do you want to finish a manuscript you started or bring a dreamed-of writing project to life? Then my nine-month writing program, Novel in Nine, will help you meet your goals.
Course dates: February - October, 2023
New lessons drop every week. Because the course takes place over nine months, and you will have access to the course for 18 months, you can begin after the official start date and work through the lessons at your own pace.
In Novel in Nine, you will write a complete draft of your novel or memoir in nine months. You will get weekly lessons and assignments, monthly word count check-ins, optional live sessions, and practical downloads to help you plan scenes and chapters and keep track of your progress.
How it started: I began teaching this course online while living in Paris in 2020. One of my first students just landed a major two book-deal at auction with the book she began writing in the five-month version of this class. Other students have gone on to successfully independently publish their books and publish in anthologies and literary magazines. Many more have finally realized their dream of completing a draft.
"Novel in Nine was much more than a class for me, it was a transformation. I had tried for years and years to write a novel, always unsuccessfully. Under Michelle's guidance, I was able to complete my first novel in a seamless, uncomplicated, and manageable workflow. Her experienced directives help me move through my writing to that final goal. I am forever grateful for this class, and for Michelle’s help. I’d do it again." Polly K.
How (and Why) It Works
In Novel in Nine, you will write a complete draft of your novel or memoir in nine months. Instead of a burst of activity followed by months of stalemate, you will take the slow and steady approach, writing about 2,000 words per week—with time for breaks when you need them. At the end of nine months, you will have a solid novel or memoir of 70,000 to 80,000 words.
You will get:
New video and written lessons, along with a new assignment, every week for nine months
Dozens of practical video and written lessons on narrative craft, including in-depth lessons on premise, characterization, point of view, plot, structure, dialogue, setting, description, pacing, subplot, suspense, voice, and more
Monthly live Zoom sessions (all recorded for playback)
Monthly word count check-ins to help you stay on track
Ongoing discussion forums where you can interact with me and your peers
Helpful downloads and the Novel in Nine workbook
Advice and guidance gleaned from my twenty-year career as a New York Times bestselling novelist, veteran writing teacher, and small press publisher
Optional instructor feedback on up to 5,000 words per month (limited availability)
Plenty of inspiration, plus a serious craft intensive
You will learn how to infuse your opening chapters with urgency, how to create a subplot and weave it into the larger narrative, how to handle point of view, how to add depth to your writing with research, how to create suspense in any genre, how to maintain your momentum through the novel or memoir’s challenging middle distance, how to craft a strong midpoint, how to bring your story to a satisfying and surprising conclusion, and much more.
“Novel in Nine was even more than I had expected. Who would imagine I would write a full 75,000-word first draft of a novel in only nine months? This class was always a bright spot in my week. Michelle has top-notch expertise and teaching skills, and she is generous with her time and input. She and the other serious-writer classmates provided valuable feedback and motivation. Novel in Nine was the perfect way to make novel writing a priority, and get to THE END in a timely way.” Kathy B.
How Novel in Nine is different
This class takes place in a dedicated course space (not Substack) available only to our small, committed cohort of writers. With more than a decade of experience teaching in Masters of Fine Arts programs in creative writing, I bring you the craft insight of an MFA program with the support of a small, private cohort. I designed the class to teach aspiring writers things I never learned in my MFA.
I want to help you write the best book you can write starting from where you are. In Novel in Nine, we welcome and celebrate writers in any genre. Whether your novel is literary fiction, mystery, thriller, fantasy, historical fiction, coming-of-age, a cross-genre novel—or whether you’re still figuring that out—you will find support for the story you want to write.
Who takes Novel in Nine? Previous students have included therapists, tech workers, journalists, a producer of a major true crime show, a writer for a hit TV series, a sculptor, a Broadway performer, a retired FBI agent, a popular blogger, a trucking company operator, small business owners, a librarian, an attorney, stay-at-home moms and dads, a professional athlete, published novelists, a pediatric neurosurgeon, teachers, and more.
Everyone is welcome, whether you’re writing your third book or your first. I strive to create a positive, supportive space, where we learn from and are inspired by each other.
If you have a book-in-progress, Novel in Nine will give you the tools to complete it. If your novel or memoir is just an idea in your head and you haven’t yet written a single word, Novel in Nine will help you write it from the first page to the last.
What Students Are Saying
"It was a wonderful experience…We started with little seeds of an idea, and with Michelle's guidance and insight, we brought them to light." Bradford D.
"I've learned the most from taking this class because it taught me to just show up on the page without fear." Kim S.
“I found Novel in Nine to be a comprehensive step-by-step method of completing a novel in nine months...I would definitely recommend the class to all writers, especially those who are experiencing hiccups, writers’ block, or self-doubt." Joanne Huspek
“I signed up for Novel in Nine as a novice writer seeking guidance on taming my 140k-word manuscript…I left with a manuscript of less than 60K words that was focused and captured the essence I sought…Michelle's lessons, submission feedback, and online meetings with peers helped shape me into a better novelist.”
This one-of-a-kind cohort happens just once a year. If you want to learn your craft, grow as a writer, find your writing community, stay accountable, and get your novel or memoir on the page this year, I would love to see you in class.
About your instructor: I’ve been mentoring writers for more than twenty years. I’m also a working writer: my books include six novels with Random House and Grove Atlantic and two award-winning story collections with university presses. I have taught in the Masters of Fine Arts programs in creative writing at the University of San Francisco, Bowling Green State University, California College of the Arts, St Mary’s College of Moraga, and Notre Dame de Namur University, and I have designed and taught novel writing for Stanford Continuing Studies. I am the founder and publisher of Fiction Attic Press.