This comprehensive course reveals the secrets of amazing writing. Build a book from scratch or improve an existing work. The focus is on novels, but you can use these powerful videos to craft short fiction and even screenplays. Sign up today and unleash the powerful writer within you!

"Our company edits books and screenplays. Authors who take this excellent writing class don't need as much help when they come to us with their first draft. They already stand out from the crowd."
- Story Authority -
Be Careful When Choosing an Online Writing Class
1) Beware of anyone who promises to teach you how to write a bestseller. No one can guarantee you a bestseller. This course focuses on sharpening your writing skills, not promising you untold riches.
2) When first starting out, avoid courses that focus on the marketing or publishing of your book. You need a good book first! So a writing course is where to begin.
3) Reconsider classes with videos cut into long blocks of time. You are more likely to finish a set of shorter, focused videos like the ones offered here.
Meet Your Instructor, Shay Roberts
USA Today bestselling author Shay Roberts writes thrillers and urban fantasy. His books are page-turners that keep you on the edge of your seat. Shay, a medieval combat expert, is the founder of the Academy of Arms, a nonprofit medieval martial arts school in Los Angeles. He is an instrument-rated pilot with a Masters in Screenwriting, a BS in Biology, and a BA in English. Shay has been writing stories since he was old enough to hold a crayon. Unfortunately, he wrote those stories on the walls. Grab your crayons and he will show you how he did it. With more than twenty years of teaching experience, you'll be in good hands.

List of Classes
Each class contains a short video and downloadable class notes with a lesson outline, links to reference materials, and specific actions you can take to develop superb writing skills.
- Start Here: Important stuff to know about these classes. (1:55)
- Defining Your Niche: Beware of choosing the wrong tribe! (11:47)
- Write What You Know: Is this the worst advice ever? (5:15)
- How to Get Ideas: Five ways to jumpstart your muse. (7:28)
- The One-liner: Exposing the naked soul of your story. (1:39)
- Defining Your Theme: A guide for those who would rather chew glass. (4:34)
- Choosing Your Title: Scarier than naming your baby! (8:50)
- Past or Present Tense? First or Third Person? The wrong choice will kill your book. (13:51)
- Basic Worldbuilding: And how it can ruin your storytelling. (5:53)
- Advanced Worldbuilding: For writers who like to play God. (24:16)
- Outlining: Do this wrong and it will suck the life from you. (4:40)
- The Right Way to Research: Hint, not the Wikipedia! (26:31)
- Building Kickass Characters: Use this five-point character checklist. (8:08)
- Creating Disabled, BIPOC, and LGBTQ Characters: Know when this is a bad idea. (3:57)
- How to Name Your Characters: And why “Bill” is not a cat’s name. (21:57)
- The Hero Workshop: Building a character that readers want to sleep with. (12:05)
- The Villain Workshop: The making of a monster. (9:33)
- Creating Characters of the Opposite Sex: The five biggest mistakes writers make. (9:08)
- Creating Child Characters: A trip down the rabbit hole. (12:43)
- The Dramatic Triangle: No, it’s not the place where planes and ships disappear. (2:20)
- Making a D.R.A.M. Pie: Because who doesn’t like pie? (10:15)
- Conflict, Jeopardy, and Stakes: The beating heart of your story. Don’t let it flatline! (3:12)
- Twists and Surprises: How to make your readers fear you. (10:41)
- Three Ways to Piss Off Readers: Mistakes that bring out the torches and pitchforks. (5:07)
- Plot-Driven vs. Character-Driven Books: And why they both suck. (3:24)
- Plotting Like a Pro: Ten mistakes to avoid. (8:31)
- Subplots: The writer’s best friend. (4:10)
- Building Awesome Decision Points: “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” (6:09)
- Escalation: The cardinal rule of all genres. (1:28)
- Gingerbread Story Structure: Lessons from Hansel and Gretel. (15:17)
- Designing a Series: When you want readers for life. (9:17)
- Writing Apps: Forcing robot slaves to write your book for you. (2:04)
- Google Docs: Live rent-free in the cloud. (13:16)
- Scrivener: Check out the groovy colored folders! (19:27)
- ProWritingAid: Your own snooty English teacher. (18:07)
- Microsoft Word: An old workhorse that escaped the glue factory. (14:35)
- Voice Dictation: For those of us with fumbly fingers. (14:29)
- Plottr: Your entire series on a badass chart. (8:29)
- Achieving Blastoff: Why most books blow up on the launch pad. (2:40)
- How to Have Fun Writing: Ten ways to get high on your own supply. (6:22)
- Ten Tips for Cranking Out the Pages: Say goodbye to writer’s block. (7:41)
- How to Write Right: Because no one can decipher your drunken ravings. (7:48)
- Evergreen Storytelling: How to make your book immortal. (3:52)
- Writing in Global English: It's the idioms that kill you. (5:49)
- Developing Your Author’s Voice: Why this is a bad idea. (2:48)
- Writing Exposition and Backstory: Five tricks for keeping your reader engaged. (4:41)
- How to Build a Sequence: Be the hit of the party by arriving late and leaving early. (7:08)
- How to Give Your Readers the Feelz: “I’m not crying, you’re crying.” (8:06)
- How to Write Action Scenes: Lock and load! (8:43)
- BONUS VIDEO > Sexing Up Your Book: Getting past first base with your readers. (13:31)
- How to Kill Main Characters: But never hurt Snuffles, the family pug. (5:07)
- Four-Letter Words: You may be using them wrong. (6:49)
- Chapter Construction: Head hopping and other perils. (8:12)
- The Whammo Rule: Caffeine for tired readers. (1:41)
- Devious Dialogue: How authentic voices can ruin your book. (12:43)
- Creating Contrast: A technique to fascinate your readers. (2:04)
- The Devil is in the Details: How to feed that devil. (2:50)
- The B.E.R.E.T. Chain: Stop creating soulless plot monkeys. (8:16)
- Pacing: Interval training for your book. (6:03)
- Tone: Beware of feathered fish. (4:42)
- The Four Types of Cliffhangers: How to keep asses in the reading chair. (10:22)
- Alpha and Beta Readers: Recruiting your wolf pack. (22:19)
- Two Critical Checklists: Because “winging it” is for the pigeons. (3:47)