Reduce Bloating | Solutions for Writers

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Novel Resolution 2025

Introduction

Welcome to Novel Resolution! (0:48)
Making the Most of Your Participation
Rules of Engagement
Confirm Your Agreement
Join the Cohort Community
Important Links
How to Check In

The Year At A Glance

What You Need to Know
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Create Your Writing Plan

Declaring Your Resolution (0:46)
Assessing Your Current Status (1:53)
Creating Your Writing Plan with Realistic Expectations (3:07)
Suggested Writing Timelines
Bonus Lesson: Writing While Juggling All the Things

Building a Strong Story Foundation

Four Cs to Write a Cohesive and Compelling Novel (1:47)
Bonus Lesson: Creating a Strong Story Premise
Core (1:31)
Concept (2:05)
Character (2:05)
Craft (1:49)
Story Foundation Summary

Plotting Your Novel

Using Core, Concept, and Character to Establish Tentpole Scenes (1:48)
Outlining for Plotters to Pantsers (3:52)
Inside Outline Basics (10:29)

Mini Masterclasses on Specific Writing Topics

A Minimalist's Guide to Character Development (17:45)
An Introduction to Worldbuilding (27:08)
Creating a Three-Page Inside Outline
Creating a Comprehensive Inside Outline
Creating a Dual POV Inside Outline
How to Write a Scene (20:38)
How to Keep the Reader Reading (23:00)
Stakes, Conflict, Suspense, and Tension (31:51)
Backstory - How did we get here? (21:30)

Strategies to Write the First Draft

How Rough is Rough? (1:46)
Strategies for Getting Words on the Page (0:54)
Plow Straight Through (1:09)
Start in the Middle (1:52)
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (2:22)
Spiral (3:51)
Hop Around (2:05)
Do It Your Way

What to Do When You Get Stuck

Getting Unstuck (1:42)
Getting the Writer Unstuck (0:53)
Self-Reflection (3:28)
Take a Break (2:11)
Challenging Content (1:46)
Mini Breaks (2:08)
Gathering Creative Input (1:17)
Getting the Book Unstuck (0:47)
Review Your Foundation and Outline (1:42)
Re-connecting with Your Character (2:24)
Tapping into Dialogue (1:18)
Set the Scene (2:46)
Doing a Little Research (3:05)
Taking Care of Yourself (3:23)

Troubles Near the Finish Line

Leaping Over Hurdles to Reach the Finish (1:21)
Perfectionism (1:45)
The Fear of Judgment (1:36)
The Fear of Failure (2:06)
The Fear of Finishing (2:30)
Racing Ahead with Reckless Abandon (1:39)
Squirrel! (1:30)
Finding a Fundamental Flaw (2:57)

Learning from Published Books

Drawing Inspiration from Others
Market Comparison (4:08)
Foundational Comparison (2:59)
Structural Comparison (2:28)
A Closer Look at Worthy Writing
Scene Breakdown (15:01)
Style Inspiration (5:32)
Mentor Text Wrap-Up (1:13)

What to Do When the First Draft is Done

Develop a Revision Strategy
Checking the Story Foundation (4:09)
Inventory of Scenes (0:51)
Pacing (1:58)
Moving Scenes Around (1:18)
Narrative Drive (2:51)
The Value of Story Revision (2:49)

Addressing Issues that Permeate the Book

Defining Widespread Issues (1:17)
Revising Point of View (12:16)
Managing Secondary Characters (2:54)
Revising Your Worldbuilding (2:09)
Leaning Into a Genre (1:35)
Changing the Age Market (1:33)
Summary of Story-Level Revisions (3:18)

Revising Scenes

Improving Individual Scenes (0:43)
A Scene is a Unit of Change in Your Novel (2:28)
Grounding the Reader (1:45)
Goals, Motivations, Conflict, and Stakes (2:16)
Types of Writing in a Scene (2:51)
Cutting What You Don't Need (1:47)
Summary of Scene Revision (2:22)

Making it Sparkle

Line-Level Revision (1:23)
Read Your Work Aloud (2:30)
Lean Into Emotion (1:32)
Use Your Five Senses (1:41)
Amplify Voice (1:55)
Poetic Language (1:57)
Beware of Purple Prose (1:12)
Be Active (2:15)
Reduce Bloating (1:32)
Clean It Up (1:22)
Done Revising - Now What? (0:29)

Sharing Your Work With Others

Types of Feedback
Critique Partners (7:36)
Beta Readers (3:13)
Book Coaches (3:12)
Freelance Editors (4:02)
Traditional Publishing (3:36)
Hybrid Publishing and Self-Publishing (6:25)

Handout Repository

Handouts from the year
Handouts for creating a writing plan
Handouts for building your Story Foundation and Story Scaffolding (February)
Handout for Revision
Bonus Handouts (Miscellaneous Topics)

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