Is the Reedsy 'How to Write a Novel' Masterclass worth the price?
I Took the Reedsy Novel Course and these are my thoughts
Full disclosure: the link to enrol/find out more about the Reedsy course that I have included towards the bottom of the page is an affiliate link, for which I will receive a payment when people subscribe to the course.
I was offered a place on the course in exchange for an honest review.
This is my review.
My current work in progress is a novel. It will be my first novel. My last published book was a poetry collection, previous to that I’d written a memoir, and previous to that, more poetry. I’ve written short fiction for years, landing pieces here and there in magazines and journals. But there is a world of difference between an extended piece of fiction; a 75,000 word novel, and a 3000 word short story, or even a 70,000 word memoir. They are different beasts.
At the time of taking the course in April last year, I had an idea for a novel, some notes and a lack of confidence.
About the Course
Our premium novel writing course provides writers with everything they need to finish their first draft in just three months. Taught by author and bestselling ghostwriter Tom Bromley, the course pinpoints what makes successful fiction so good and uniquely tailors lessons to the creative journey of writing a novel.
A 101-day online course that develops your writing craft as you draft your novel
The premise of the course is that Reedsy provides absolutely every resource you need to finish your first draft in three months. It’s a structured course with daily actionable lessons alongside wider resources such as webinars and community hubs. At its heart is the encouragement to write 1000 words a day (with Sunday as a rest day) to reach your first draft in the three months.
A bestselling and award-winning instructor (formerly of Faber Academy)
I’d not heard of Tom Bromley previous to taking the course, but his credentials and industry knowledge are impressive. He’s worked in publishing for over twenty five years as an author, editor, creative writing instructor and ghost writer.
As part of the course you also get
Weekly check-ins with your cohort and writing instructor
Live master classes with guest authors and writing coaches
The chance to get feedback from your instructor and fellow writers
A supportive community hub to chat about anything writing-related
This is a vast amount of support and encouragement, and a huge amount of community too. It really is an incredibly well structured course. It is genuinely comparative to the creative writing MA I did online many moons ago. Except with this course your work isn’t marked, and you can go at your own pace, and it is specifically for people who want to write a novel, or get a first draft out of it.
As an example of how the course works in real time, here is the schedule:
Monday through Friday daily lessons: The lessons are 10- to 15 minutes long and delivered via video. There is a topic for the day related to crafting your work, a recommended reading (my TBR pile is heaving after this course, so many excellent books) writing extracts, related articles and essay and a writing exercise to go along with your target word count of 1000 words per day.
Saturday author panel : On Saturdays, instead of the craft lesson, you get to watch Tom interview a selection of authors in one video. They talk about the theme covered in the week. This is my personal favourite part of the course. The authors are authentic, the discussions about craft and the author life are often actually quite open and vulnerable and the range of different ways of approaching the writing is interesting. The course is keen to impress on the writer that there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to writing your book.
Sundays are rest days.
Monday Live Masterclass: Mondays are for the live masterclass. A deep dive into craft.
Feedback Friday: There is the option of signing up to give and receive feedback to your fellow students.
Topics covered:
Week 1: Beginnings
Week 2: Secret Sauce
Week 3: Character
Week 4: Plot Skills 1
Week 5: Description
Week 6: Dialogue
Week 7: Texture
Week 8: Middles
Week 9: Writing Skills
Week 10: Writing Techniques
Week 11: Chapters
Week 12: Plot Skills 2
Week 13: Doubling Up
Week 14: Endings
Week 15: Next Steps
Now for the honest review bit
Did I write a first draft of the novel in 101 days?
No I didn’t.
It’s important to bear in mind that this course won’t write a novel for you. This course will give you the tools to motivate and guide you. You have to do the work, and you have to make the course work for you. I’m writing historical fiction, and my book involves masses of research. I was never going to get a first draft done of this book, but what the course gave me was an element of accountability to myself. I’d gotten stuck with my own lack of confidence. I found the content of the course reassuring, because it reminded me that I do actually know what I’m doing. It gave me back the joy of writing the book and made me refocus, away from my self doubt, which if you know anything about me you’ll know is the monkey on my back.
Did I take the time to do the daily lessons and activities?
Nope. I started out with good intentions. But life as a freelance is chaotic and unpredictable. I often didn’t do anything for a week, and then sat down on a Saturday morning with my super strength coffee and worked through a week’s worth of lessons, picking and choosing the parts that fitted with what I wanted to get out of it. That is the thing I liked about this course, the flexibility of the lessons on video allowed me to work it into my chaotic life.
Did I interact with the community?
Also no. My social battery is so often depleted by the end of the day and again, I was often pressed for time. I loved that videos of webinars were provided so I could catch up, but there was no way that I would have been able to shoehorn giving feedback to other students into my week too. I did set out with the intention of joining in some of the community stuff, I thought it would be nice to meet and make friends, but the reality for me is that I ran out of time to do that sort of thing. However, there was never any pressure to do that, it’s there as an option, which worked brilliantly for me.
Did I think the course was worth the price?
The course is pricey. It is $1250 (which you can pay in four instalments) and quite honestly, I would struggle to afford that. However, I have seen much shorter courses with much less on offer for similar money. This course is worth it if you have the money to do it. It is worth it if you are considering your options and trying to decide whether to do an MA or whether to do something designed specifically for people who are writing novels. It is worth it if you have a good idea for a novel and want to push yourself forward. It’s definitely worth it if you take advantage of the excellent add ons and community engagement.
My Top Tips for Getting the Most Out of the Course
Be prepared to put the work in. You wouldn't take on an MA without being prepared to work, this is no different. This course won’t write your novel for you.
Be realistic with your time. To get the most of the lessons themselves you will need to set aside about an hour a day, and then writing time on top too. Look at your schedule, look at your commitments and plan your time. If you are going to set aside the weekend to catch up and write, make sure you can close the door and shut everything else out.
Use the course for your own needs. Set out with an idea of what you want to get out of the course. It doesn't have to be an entire first draft, it could just be skills polishing.
I hope this has been helpful to you. Courses and workshops can be an excellent investment in your work as a writer, but not everyone can afford them. I wanted to remind you that you don’t necessarily need a course or a workshop to improve or progress.
But if you do want to know more about the Reedsy How to Write a Novel Masterclass, follow this link: Masterclass
Until next time
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