Monthly Q&A Calls

As you work through the lessons you'll naturally have questions. We want you to get the most out of this training, so each month we'll hop on a call and help you any way we can.

Online Community

Join Valerie, Melanie, and authors from around the world, as we nerd out about all things storytelling, because when you're around better, you do better!

Learn at Your Own Pace

Fitting your writing in around an already hectic schedule? We understand. That's why we've made the entire program available to you right away. Whether you want to binge study or take it at a more leisurely pace, we've got you covered.

Why You Need This Course

Being literate doesn't mean you can write a great novel. The hard truth is that most of us think we're better writers than we actually are. Because we're highly competent in other areas of our lives, we naively believe that we have the skills we need to write an amazing book — one that is so good, an agent will put her career on the line for it and a reader will fork over her hard-earned cash. However, most of us, at least when we start out, have poor prose writing skills but that's not our fault. Nobody ever taught us how to do it. They taught us grammar rules. They gave us literacy skills. But that's not enough. Journalists learn to write news articles. Scientists learn to write scientific papers. Lawyers learn to write legal briefs. Entrepreneurs learn to write grant applications. Novelists, and memoirists, must learn to write prose. And write it at a professional level. Our readers expect it. They assume it. The good news is that it's a skill that can be learned. The bad news is that, while we're learning, it's really easy to fall into traps. That's why we created this course. We collected TEN of the most common line writing problems authors face, we explain why they're problems and we offer solutions that work. Agents, publishers, and book-buyers make a decision about the quality of your book based on the opening few sentences. Make them good.

Meet Your Instructors

Valerie Francis is a bestselling author, story editor and co-host of the Story Nerd podcast. Valerie helps women, who write in all genres, learn how stories work so they can finish their books faster and without frustration. Her mission is to show writers that story theory is a valuable tool that can — and will — help them write more, not less. Melanie Hill is an Australian author, poet, and editor. She reads voraciously across genres and loves book recommendations across cultures. Melanie is passionate about middle-grade and young-adult stories, spy stories, mysteries and fairy tales. She combines her planning skills from a career as a logistics planner with story theory to help authors discover solutions to their story problems so they can finish their novels.

Curriculum

3 Chapters · 12 Lessons

  1. 1

    Truth Bombs

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Literacy Skills Aren't Storytelling Skills

  2. 2

    The Secrets

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Beautiful Prose is Invisible

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      Beyond Hair and Eye Colour

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      The Author Isn't The Narrator

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      Engage the Senses

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      Exposition is a Good Thing

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      Sentences Make Music

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      Dialogue

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      The Most Powerful Unit of Story

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      It's a Story Not a Poem

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Your Story in a Sentence

  3. 3

    Best Advice

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Remember This!

This is why we do what we do.

We explain story theory in a way that's easy to understand and use because for us, there's no greater buzz than seeing authors finally writing the books of their dreams. 

”
Working with Valerie has been the BEST decision and investment with respect to writing my first book. From the very beginning, she not only ignited a spark in my manuscript, but she reignited the spark within myself.
Kel D.

Author

”
I have learned about the craft of writing and the industry from attending Melanie’s classes. Her broad skills have been an asset to me.
Rebecca S.

Author

”
I just wish I had discovered Valerie years ago. I think a lot of the mistakes I made along the way and just getting that first draft down I mean, I think I had to do that just to get it out. But I think if I understood story well a little bit more as I was doing it, it would have saved me a lot of time. Valerie is the best.
Kathy M.

Author

”
There is no one better at talking story theory in applicable and relevant terms than Valerie Francis.
J.W. Judge

Author

”
Valerie saw the problems with my manuscript but unlike me, she managed to work around them. What a relief! Some of these things I've been thinking about for years now.
Vanessa A.

Author

”
I'm so impressed with Valerie's work ethic and her dedication to the craft. It started with what she's invested in going to study in New York and L.A. to become a better writer, and then her years of honing her skill to help other writers. Having read her novel Masquerade, I can say her writing is not only solid, but her execution of a compelling and unputdownable read is impeccable. It's obvious she really knows story.
Mark Leslie Lefebvre

Stark Reflections Podcast

”
Valerie is a phenomenal person to learn from. She thinks very deeply about story.
Julie Strauss

Best Book Ever Podcast

”
I have listened to many of the Story Nerd podcasts and I think Valerie and Melanie are superb. They are my go-to Story Guru Duo. Their stuff is exciting and entertaining but hits the sweet spot of useful information.
Caroline L.

Author

”
Melanie gave me confidence that my book would be free of errors and look professional when published. I would highly recommend Melanie to anyone.
T.M. Rosevere

Author

”
Rewatching the recording of "Hook Your Reader in 10 Pages or less" by Valerie Francis today, I had a breakthrough on making the antagonists of my WIP more interesting.
Roger A-G.

Author

”
I’ve known and have worked with Val for years, and I can honestly say, she knows more about how stories work than just about anyone I know. She's serious about the writing craft, and about explaining story theory in a way that writers can understand and use. Writers have a lot to learn from her.
J. Thorn

founder of TheAuthorLife.com

”
Melanie is one of my most trusted critique partners and I value her insights over anyone else’s.
Yvonne M.

Author

Are you ready to write prose like a pro?

Avoid the mistakes that amateur writers make because there's more to great line writing than grammar.  

$97.00

Yes! I'm Ready! >>>