Make 2026 Your Year to Write Your Novel.
We recently surveyed over 450 novelists at various stages of their work—from people hesitating to begin to people with completed manuscript drafts.
Here are the questions they're asking:
- Where do I start?
- How do I outline a plot?
- How do I flesh out my characters?
- How do I stay motivated to actually finish?
- How do I work with self-doubt and self-criticism?
- How do I manage my time so I don’t get distracted?
- How do I pitch/query, and what do I do if I get a stack of rejections?
As we looked at hundreds of these responses, we found what binds these questions together: novelists’ main struggle is overwhelm.
In other words, you're not alone if you're struggling with:
The weight of self-doubt. Writing a novel is always a test of motivation and confidence—of our belief in ourselves. Without support, it’s almost impossible to sustain focus and commitment throughout the process, and the conviction that you can write a novel that others will read and love.
The host of craft challenges. As you progress deeper into your manuscript, increasingly urgent questions emerge about pacing, dialogue, character development—craft fundamentals you may be unsure how to implement. When we don’t know how to proceed, or even how it’s going, the stories that once energized us feel painfully uncertain.
Anxiety about publishing. Throughout the process, you may imagine years of work ending in form rejections—and feeling dismissed by an impersonal and impenetrable publishing industry.
More than anything else, overwhelm is what keeps great novels from seeing the light of day—and causes over 90% of novelists to give up before completing a first draft.
This doesn’t have to happen to you and your story!
What You'll Get in the Novel Writing Intensive
To be a published novelist, you don't need generational talent, an iron will, or a clear calendar. All you need is crucial knowledge, tools, and support—at every point along the novel writing process.
The Novel Writing Intensive provides just that.
The Intensive is a comprehensive nine-month program designed to support you in every part of the novel writing process—and get you to a completed draft manuscript before this time next year.
Here's what you'll get in the Intensive:
You'll get personal instructor feedback on each and every word you submit. (Target word count: 2,000 words per week.) You'll also be matched with a coach who's deeply experienced in your novel genre for monthly one-to-one live sessions.
Throughout the Intensive, you'll receive weekly craft lectures, covering everything from story structure and character development to scene writing and dialogue. You'll also get regular live workshops on key topics in novel writing, such as how to develop your story's premise, and how to write a strong middle to your story.
Set yourself up for success! Learn the business of novel writing in regular live workshops with publishing industry professionals, including literary agents, book marketers, successful published and self-published novelists, and more.
You don't need to suffer from writer's block, perfectionism, or a loud inner critic. You'll have the accountability of a specific word count every week, with structure to carve out the time to make real progress. Our instructors will support you through the process—answering the practical questions that could turn into roadblocks.
Throughout the Novel Writing Intensive, you'll benefit from being in community with other committed novelists who are on the same journey. Join a community of writers invested in your novel—and enjoy support and community ever step of the way.
Apply Below Now
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. Early submission recommended.
Meet Your Instructors
Colin Corrigan
Colin Corrigan is a writer and a writing instructor from County Kildare in Ireland. He received his MA in Creative Writing at University College Dublin and an MFA in Fiction Writing at the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan, where he won a Delbanco Thesis Prize, and where he was a Zell Fellow. His fiction has been published by Amazon and The Fiction Desk, and anthologised in Surge: New Writing from Ireland and Stinging Fly Stories. Colin has taught creative writing, literature and academic writing classes at the University of Michigan, the University of Massachusetts Boston, Northeastern University, and Dean College. For GrubStreet and Writers.com, he has taught a host of generative and advanced creative writing classes in fiction and novel writing. He also works as a writing coach and manuscript consultant. Colin is particularly drawn to novels that innovate in one way or another, whether that’s absurdist fiction, magical realism, or world-building epic sci-fi and fantasy. He counts Elena Ferrante, Marlon James, Isabel Allende, Katie Kitamura, Marilynne Robinson, Roberto Bolaño, Colm Tóibín, Elizabeth Strout and Kevin Barry amongst his favourite authors.
Nora Corrigan
Nora Corrigan is a writer and writing instructor from Massachusetts. She has an MSc with distinction from the London School of Economics and an MFA from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award for novel writing. She was a Postgraduate Fellow in the Helen Zell Writers’ Program, a 2019-2020 Fiction Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA, and received a novel writing grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation. She is represented by the literary agency Curtis Brown. She has taught hundreds of novelists and other writers over the past ten years, including at Writers.com, the University of Michigan, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Grubstreet, many of whom have gone on to publish. She loves working with students across fiction genres, particularly in the subgenres of literary fiction, speculative fiction, and work that blurs the line between fiction and memoir. She has lived in Ireland, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, and the U.K., and she now lives in Spain with her husband and two children.
Expert-Led Workshops
Join these and other exclusive live workshops throughout the Intensive:
Finding Confidence and Motivation in Your Writing
with Sarah Aronson (Award-Winning Published Novelist)
Get inspired! Unlock motivation and confidence in your writing with award-winning author and mentor Sarah Aronson.
Research Tips, Tricks, & Methods for Novelists
with Briana McGuckin (Academic Librarian & Novelist)
Nearly every novel requires some research. Discover best practices and the how-tos of reach methods for novelists straight from an expert in the field, who is also a published novelist.
The First Five Pages: Hook Readers from Page One
with Carla Damron (Novelist & Writing Instructor)
What does it take to pique the interest of an agent or editor? A well-crafted set of opening pages! Carla is an expert at teaching writers exactly what your opening pages need to get your manuscript read.
Writing Loglines That Get Your Book Noticed
with Jeff Lyons (Writer, Screenwriter, & Story Development Consultant)
Take a deep dive into creating a professional logline for your book. Loglines are an essential tool for query letters, pitches, and the marketing of a book. Learn from one of the best in the business!
Pathways to Publication: Traditional, Indie, and Hybrid Options for Novelists
with Michelle Kicherer (Writer, Book Critic, & Indie Press Founder)
Take a deep dive into creating a professional logline for your book. Loglines are an essential tool for query letters, pitches, and the marketing of a book. Learn from one of the best in the business!
The Perfect Pitch: Writing an Irresistible Query Letter
with Elle LaMarca (Writer, Book Coach, & Curriculum Specialist)
Think of your query letter as your novel’s handshake with the publishing world. Learn how to capture an agent’s attention, summarize your story with clarity and voice, and gain the tools to query with confidence.
Literary Agent Q&A
with Heather Carr (Agent & Contracts Director at The Friedrich Agency)
Curious what catches an agent’s eye—or what makes them pass? Here’s your chance to practice your pitch, get candid answers, and learn directly from an industry professional in real time.
From Page to Screen: A Conversation with Carola Lovering
with Carola Lovering (Novelist & Author of Tell Me Lies, now a Hulu series)
Join bestselling author Carola Lovering for an inside look at her journey from debut novelist to having her work adapted for television. Learn how she builds complex characters, sustains tension, and what it’s really like to see your story come to life on screen.
If you want to stop… |
Then take this chance to… |
|---|---|
| Feeling like no one is invested in your novel | Join a community of committed novelists with an expert coach dedicated to your manuscript |
| Struggling to make writing a daily routine | Get weekly accountability and structure designed to help you maintain momentum throughout |
| Revising endlessly without knowing if you're improving your story | Get regular expert feesback: what's working, what needs development |
| Dealing with impostor syndrome about being "the kind of person" who writes novels | Build genuine confidence through expert validation and concrete progress |
| Feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of "write, revise, and publish a novel" | Break the process into manageable chunks, with expert guidance at each stage |
Apply Below Now
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. Early submission recommended.
What Past Novel Writing Intensive Participants Have to Say:
“I feel a profound change in my attitude to the work of writing. Just being part of this group created a shift in my thinking, allowing myself permission to be committed to the stories I want to tell, that I know are there. Each person in the group had so much to contribute and I learned from those who were in the course as well as those who led it. But the true magic in what this Intensive does is that it never stops focusing on the real work of writing, which is sitting down and putting words on a page with as much attention and love as you can muster.” —Kerry Anderson
“I loved this community. I'm going to publish a novel thanks to it; what more could one ask for? Overall, this experience has been one of the best for me as a writer and upcoming novelist. Thank you!” —Resham Karfa
“I enjoyed the ability to hone in and just write, dive deeper into my world. Finding a community of folks struggling along helped me keep going and not give up to eventually find my story. I wrote a lot more during the Intensive than I had written in 2 years prior. I feel like I finally found the core, the essence of my story.” —Viviana Acosta
Apply Below Now
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. Early submission recommended.
FAQ:
Apply Below Now
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. Early submission recommended.
Apply Now to the Novel Writing Intensive
Submit your application for a spot in the 2026 Intensive!
Novel Writing Intensive dates:
January 1-September 30, 2026.
Total cost for nine-month intensive: $5,495.
Financing options available. Minimum $500 payment to secure spot.
To get started, please complete the following application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The initial application window ends at 11:59 PM Eastern time on October 22, 2025.
Note: The form requires a Google account. If you would rather we email you the form questions directly, or if you have any other questions for us, please contact us at writers@writers.com.