Finish Your First Draft
Step-By-Step For First-Time Book Writers (Or Those Who Want to Learn Traditional Structure)
Enroll in Course
Finish Your First Draft is a four-module online course, consisting of ten monthly lessons, covering all the skills and techniques you need to turn your book idea into a finished draft.
This course aims to help you get your ideas out of your head and onto the written page. We’ll give you the tools, resources, and support you need to go from thinking or dreaming about your book idea, to finishing your first draft, and actually holding your manuscript in your hands.
It doesn’t matter if this is your very first attempt at writing a book, if you’re already a published author, or if you’re looking to write a breakout book in a new genre. We understand the problems, pitfalls and doubts you’re facing, and can help you overcome your uncertainty, frustration and confusion. Together, we’ll get this first draft finished.
“Great Tips!”
“Some great tips from Monica, and every writer, no matter where on the journey, can learn something new.”
~ Joanna Penn, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thriller under J.F. Penn, author of How To Market a Book and founder of TheCreativePenn.com
You dream about your book. You think about your book. You talk about your book. You may even write about your book.
But you have yet to write your book.
Are you:
- Frustrated with having a goal that doesn’t seem to be coming to fruition?
- Overwhelmed with decisions about where to start or how to approach your book project?
- Confused about why your book project isn’t moving forward when you know you're capable, motivated, and hard-working?
- Unsure if you really have a book in you, and wanting reassurance that you’re on the right path?
- Curious about the process of writing a book?
- Frustrated because you’ve written several books and don’t seem to be making progress toward full-time writing yet?
This course can help you move forward, with 10 self-study video lessons (available immediately), helpful worksheets that walk you through exactly what to do (just answer the questions and make immediate progress), and several bonus resources that will help you finally get your big idea out into the world!
“Actionable steps…”
"…almost everyone can walk away with actionable steps to take their writing business to new heights.”
~ Michael La Ronn, author of Modern Necromancy Series
It's time to Finish Your First Draft.
We’ll help you in every area, to move you towards your goal and get that first draft finished. Every writer needs something a little different. Maybe you need help in one of these areas:
WRITING
•We’ll show you how books written like yours are organized so you can get your ideas sorted out.
• We’ll help you develop your skill set to write a beautiful, flowy book, and improve your writing across all aspects of your business and brand.
• We’ll support you as you improve on any past attempts to write a book. We’ll gently bring you back to the basics of writing a stellar first draft.
TIME AND ENERGY
• We'll help you save time and energy by getting a solid outline in place before writing the first draft.
• We'll help you with step-by-step support and answer all your biggest questions about how to get that first draft onto the page.
• We'll help you stay accountable and get feedback from likeminded writers just like you in our Facebook group.
BUILDING YOUR SUPPORT
• In this course, you’ll find other serious authors who intend to be around for a while!
• From now on, you’ll have trusted peers in the industry, and you can all bounce ideas off each other, share your data, and give each other feedback.
• You’ll meet your people: people you can to go to when the going gets tough, people who know what you’re going through and will help you stay accountable.
“Excited and motivated to get back to writing…”
“Yay! I was so excited and motivated by your content that I wanted to get back to writing right away. I have so much respect for you as a writer, and I’m happy to note how your suggestions will make the the story spread.”
~ Susan Pogorzelski, author of Gold in the Days of Summer, winner of the 2014 International Rubery Book Award for Best Children’s Book
Your Instructor
Monica Leonelle is a USA Today bestselling author and creator of the Story Symmetry Framework, the Hierarchy of Prosperous Creation, and The World Needs Your Book—where we start with the impact we want to make on the world and then build a sustainable business around your idea, message, or story. Author of over 30 books, she’s been writing and producing her own fiction and nonfiction since 2009.
Monica is the author of the Growth Hacking for Storytellers series (which has sold over 50,000 copies), helping authors with everything from improving their writing speed to perfecting their author mindset. She’s been featured in several books and on over 30 podcasts about writing and publishing. Her books, website, podcasts and online courses have helped thousands of authors start, finish and publish their books.
Before becoming an independent author, Monica led digital marketing efforts at Inc. 100 companies like Hansen’s Natural and Braintree. She has an MBA in marketing, strategy, and entrepreneurship from the Chicago Booth School of Business. She’s been an avid blogger of marketing and business trends since 2007. Her ideas have been featured in AdAge, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Inc., the AMEX OpenForum, GigaOm, Mashable, Social Media Today, and the Christian Science Monitor.
Monica lives in a very, very old, 3-story home in St. Louis, MO with her husband and adorable westie, Mia. It possibly has ghosts. And definitely has a secret passage.
“I’ve read many books on outlining, plotting, and pre-planning stories…”
“I’ve read many books on outlining, plotting, and pre-planning stories… [Nail Your Story] incorporates the best qualities of them all. Save yourself the time and just read this one.”
~ Carl Waters, author of Burning Uncle Tom's Cabin
Who exactly is this course for?
It’s for storytellers who want to get their novel or big message out into the world. It’s for entrepreneurs, coaches and business owners who want to create a book that helps them support and grow their business. And it’s for authors (fiction and non-fiction) who are already writing and publishing, but want to improve their writing practice and nail the process of writing a first draft, for their current book and all their future books as well.
This course is for you if you’re committed to completing the videos and assignments (there are only ten total!), and are good at working at your own pace (you’ll have the flexibility to complete each lesson in your own time). It’s for you if you want to start creating your finished draft, step-by-step. It’s for you if you want feedback and support on your assignments from likeminded authors and peers (you’ll get that in the private Facebook group).
It’s NOT for you if you’re not prepared to commit to the process and do the work. We aim to make the challenge of producing your first draft much easier than if you were going it alone, but there will be work involved and you are responsible for your results. There are no results without effort, but we're fully committed to helping you succeed. We want you all to have that finished draft sitting on your desk, or device, by the end of the course!
This course is for you if:
- You’re an entrepreneur or coach, and you want to write your first book to promote your business or services.
- You’re an aspiring fiction or memoir author, and you want to write your first book, either as a passion project or potential commercial success (or both!).
- You’re a fiction author who has written a few books already but want to improve your first draft practices.
- You’re high-vibe, high-energy, and motivated.
- You’re interested in learning story structure and incorporating it into your work, to make your writing shine.
- You write nonfiction (self-help, business, or spiritual), genre fiction, or memoir.
- You want to write a book to tell your story, support your business, or attract new clients.
- You've written books before, but need an easier, more time-efficient way to write the next one.
- You need to learn a tried and trusted process to produce a solid first draft.
“Something finally clicked…”
“I've been spinning my wheels trying to take the next step in my craft… Monica Leonelle finally made something click in my brain.”
~ M.A. Brotherton, author of The Seven Keys Saga
"I'm freaking excited to get started!"
"I have that inspired passion again for my book idea now that I have more of a direction. Before, I knew it was there but didn't know where to go, what to do, where to start. Thank you!"
~ Jen Mavros, host of The Jen Mavros Show podcast and creator of the Mavros Method of Manifestation
Frequently Asked Questions
“Best-in-class superstar!”
“Monica’s writing skills are really incredible and I knew from the start that she would be extremely successful. Among her good qualities are her persistence and her passion for all things marketing, technology, and branding. I recommend her to anyone looking to get a best-in-class superstar!”
~ Dan Schawbel, New York Times & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of Promote Yourself, Forbes & Inc. 30 Under 30
Writing your first draft is HARD, even if you’ve written books before. And getting it wrong leads to a lot of wasted time and energy, as you try to fix it in rewrites and edits. Why not learn to get it right from the start? You’ll save time, energy and money further down the road!
Writing a first draft is time-consuming. Why put so much work into something unless you’re giving it the best chance of success, using tried and true story structure principles? And receiving feedback to help you correct things as you go along?
Community is key. On the course, you’ll make friends with people who are serious about landing a book deal, and who knows, maybe that friendship will turn into cross-promotion when you both have your first book launch! Having friends in the industry is important. And it’s invaluable to get feedback from others who are working on the same things as you.
If you don’t take this course, will you ever get it done? How long have you been wanting to do this? Maybe it’s a year, or more. How will you feel a year from now, if you’ve still made no progress?