Novel Boot Camp 2016 – Starts July 1st!
The third annual Novel Boot Camp will be held this July. It will include lectures, discussion questions, and writing workshops. This year, for the first time, lectures will be done in video format. To join Novel Boot Camp 2016, you can follow the blog or my YouTube channel.
Novel Boot Camp 2015
The second annual Novel Boot Camp was held in August 2015.
Novel Boot Camp 2014
Novel Boot Camp was a lecture series and online workshop held in July of 2014. The posts are listed below for your convenience.
The Lectures
Lesson #1: The First Page Promise
Lesson #2: Introducing the Main Character
Lesson #3: How to Avoid Info Dumping
Lesson #4: Writing Believable Dialogue
Lesson #5: Character Motivation
Lesson #6: Internal and External Conflicts
Lesson #7: Be Ruthless
Lesson #8: Writing Believable Antagonists
Lesson #9: The Saggy Middle
Lesson #10: The Character Arc
Lesson #11: Developing Your Voice
Lesson #12: Writing a Series
Lesson #13: Handling Romance
Lesson #14: Strengthening the Setting
Lesson #15: The Climax
Lesson #16: Nailing the Denouement
Lesson #17: Dialogue Tags
Lesson #18: Identifying Your Novel’s Genre
Lesson #19: How to Self-Edit
Workshops
The workshops are closed, however you are welcome to view and learn from the old posts.
Workshop 1: The Genre Guessing Game
Workshop 2: First Page Critique Session
Workshop 3: Help Me, Help Me!
Workshop 4: Ask the Editor
Workshop 5: Query Letter & Blurb Critique
Connect with Other Novel Boot Camp Participants
Even if you missed Novel Boot Camp, you are more than welcome to join us on Twitter or Facebook.
Donate to Novel Boot Camp
This free online course is one of the most ambitious things I’ve ever taken on. My goal is for the course to be a wild success so that it can be repeated (with new content!) year after year. If possible, your donation would help support the huge time investment of Novel Boot Camp. If you can’t afford a donation, I totally understand! Please consider sharing my posts and writing positive reviews on your blog.
Any showing of support (in the comments or through a donation) is so greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Ellen Brock 
Ellen-
Getting myself re-acquainted here. Just got on the bandwagon for your First Friday Project and noticed something… most of the folks who get critiqued don’t come back and dialogue with you or the reviewers who leave comments. Is this an etiquette I’m unaware of? I always found it useful to discuss opinions and reply to comments, but if that is not considered appropriate, I understand. Just curious.
I’m assuming you will be telling us when to submit our paragraphs, appropriate length, etc.
Very excited to get to July [and out of this stupid leg cast!]. 😉
No, there’s no etiquette you’re unaware of. I’m not sure why many of the authors don’t come back. Perhaps they take the critique a bit harsh and are scared away from commenting. I don’t know. But feel free to comment on anything you like.
I am excited for July as well! I am hoping to start posting some kick-off stuff soon so we can spread the word and get even more writers involved.
Good luck with the leg cast!
Hello traza – I was lucky enough to get a First Friday review a couple weeks ago. As for people not commenting afterwards, let me say that with all the good feedback I received, I expect I will be engrossed in revisions for months to come. Hopefully, the lack of engagement afterwards by writers isn’t merely feeling dejected, just busy. (Of course, I am moving apartments first, so once that is behind me, I expect I will become a writing hermit as I absorb all the insight I have received and make lots of revisions to my work in progress.)
Feedback (genuine feedback) is a gift! Look forward to seeing you online during the Novel Boot Camp.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Thanks for your perspective. Very interesting point.
I’m glad you’ll be around for Boot Camp!
-Ellen
Thanks, Pam [you can call me Traz for short – that’s what I usually use, but somebody got to it before I did]. I sympathize with your moving – I regard it as the single most heinous of human endeavors worthy of loathing on every level imaginable. Looking forward to seeing you also!
Novel Boot Camp sounds like a great idea! I plan to participate and am looking forward to learning more and improving my WIP. I appreciate your willingness to help us all become better writers. Hope I’ll be able to donate at least a little. I have a son movong out of state for college in July and right now he’s a huge drain on my bank account! But I’ll miss the heck out of him and the boot camp will be a welcome distraction from the heartache I’ll be experiencing every time I look into his empty room.
Hi Julie,
No problem if you can’t afford any donations. Just enjoy the Boot Camp! I don’t want you to have any financial strain.
I’m glad it’s falling at a nice time where it can distract you. Thanks for participating!
Hi Ellen,
Looking forward to the boot camp and can’t wait for it to start.
Over the last three years I have been throwing around an idea for a novel, but had troubles getting past a prologue – generally developing a voice and comfort with writing.
I was wondering if you accept e-transfers? I noticed it wasn’t listed in the payment options for your services.
Regards,
Paul E. Messier
Hi Paul,
I still haven’t figured out the whole e-transfer thing. It’s on my to-do list.
I’m glad you’re looking forward to the boot camp! I’m excited to have you!
-Ellen
Hi Paul, I was in a similar boat recently. I came across this quote by Hemingway: “The first draft of everything is sh*t.” That quote seriously helped me get started. Step two: Ellen’s video on plotting. Plot the story in detail; it’s basically writing the story quickly without worrying about voice. Step three: Just start writing. If you finally figure out the voice in the very last chapter, go back and rewrite it (you’re going to have to do that anyway, so let go of making it perfect the first time around). Friends, family, and writing groups will help you hone your writing. Editors will help you correct inconsistencies and major flaws. I recently read a quote that said “be brave enough to write badly” referring to the first draft. Write it badly in the first draft. Hemingway did! It just takes courage, which is why not everyone is a writer.
If you go to the “Novel Writing Boot Camp” section, you might find someone to pair up with to share your stories, provide feedback and encouragement. It’s scary, showing someone your writing, but no one is going to be a jerk (at least not here on this site). Making a commitment to someone is a great way to force you out of your comfort zone.
Good luck!!
Liz
Workshop idea #1 – Timelines/synopsis. I want to pick my first draft up in the middle and make sure stuff is in the right place at the right time. I’ve finished my first draft and the end is all over the place. I’ve got people reacting to stuff before they know about it and telling other people they don’t know things that they should. I’ve written a couple of bits out of order and it shows. I cringed when I re-read it and just had that awful thought – my first draft sucks, I should forget about being a writer!
Workshop idea #2 – a good ending – make sure that the ending isn’t a let down.Is it building on earlier stuff and not an anti-climax when compared to everything else? In other words, giving the reader what they want.
Do these make sense?!
I have a kind of novella I’m trying to edit. Will the boot camp work for that?
Yeah, it should be fine. All the same things apply, just in a tinier package!
I’m sending links to your site to all the 12 members of my writing group, some of whom are published already. We meet every other week during the summer and I’ll suggest we include your topics in our discussions. Based on the caliber of your blog and website, I look forward to an enlightening experience. Thanks for he opportunity. – PEACE –
Hi Lori, sounds great! I hope it helps everyone in your writing group!
Um, that is: Thanks for the opportunity (left off the “t” in “the”–yep, that’s me, professional editor extraordinaire). -PAX-
I am SO excited to “sit in” on these lectures! I just finished most of my outline and started writing (still on the first page, *Sigh). I hope it wont be a problem for me to just “listen in” if Im unable to participate.
I love, watching your videos via Youtube, they are extremely helpful.
That’s no problem Kaela! I’m glad to have you!
where do you sign up? It is likely here, but I do not see it.
Ellen, I’m following your blog so does that mean I’m good to participate in the boot camp? Sorry, I read the instructions but I’m confused.
Yep, you’re good to go!
Awesome! Thank you
Awesome, thank you! How does the critique partner thing work? Do we exchange word docs through e-mail and is this a one day thing?
It has no specific end date, and you can exchange contact information and novel critiques in whatever way you’re comfortable.
Thank you very much! Looking forward to Boot Camp!