Explore every episode of the podcast The 90-Day Novel Challenge

It’s the final day of the 90-Day Novel Challenge. This is such an incredible accomplishment, and you deserve to celebrate! The way we see it, you have two major achievements: Whether you finish today, are already finished, or will finish soon, take the time to celebrate! This is a real lifetime achievement, and you earned […]

If you’ve been procrastinating and waiting for the last minute, it’s here! Now is the time to kick into it gear, use all of your remaining energy, and knock the end of this manuscript out. Just like a long-distance runner who picks up the pace and exhausts all of their energy in the final leg […]

You’ve told it. We all have. Today we’re addressing the elephant in the room: what if you’re not going to finish your manuscript? What if you’re not even close? That doesn’t make you a bad person, but it does provide an opportunity for learning and growth. First we have to weed out that big, pesky […]

If all goes according to plan, you should be revising your manuscript soon! What are revisions? What exactly should you do? How big of changes do you make at this stage? Those are all great questions, and we have a resource that will help. Just like The Novel Matrix makes writing a book orderly and […]

Whether you’re already done or you still need the rest of the week, you’ll soon be finished writing the first draft of your novel! As you come to “The End” of your manuscript, it’s important to get some distance from your work before you commence any major revisions. However, that distance can’t come at the […]

Six writing days left to the end of the 90-Day Novel Challenge! You can do this. Even if you feel like you still have a lot left to write, you can still complete this challenge. Don’t give up! The most important thing is to get something written on every scene of your manuscript. Even if […]

Even if you’re looking at a sizable chunk of work to get this manuscript finished off by the end of the 90-Day Novel Challenge next week, I still believe you can do this. And I’m not just being a cheerleader, I have a good reason. ASSIGNMENT: Write for at least one hour and add 1,000 […]

If you’re feeling like you’ve stepped into a daunting, impossible thing, you’re not alone. You may be experiencing “Conscious Incompetence,” and it’s an important part of your journey to step into the magnitude of the vision that God has for you. On this episode, Kyle Peters shares from his wisdom and experience as both an […]

Breakout stories often present the genre in a new way. That’s one of the major storytelling lessons we can learn from The Godfather. In a genre typically rife with action and driven by a strong External Conflict, The Godfather presents a character story driven by the Internal Conflict. ASSIGNMENT: Write for at least one hour […]

You have exactly ten writing days left to finish your manuscript. Now is the time to find a higher gear, capitalize on the deadline you set for yourself with the 90-Day Novel Challenge, and get this manuscript finished. ASSIGNMENT: Write for at least one hour and add 1,000 words to your manuscript. Complete 10% of […]

Here’s a productivity strategy that might give you a boost in the final days of the 90-Day Novel Challenge. Pomodoro is named after the old tomato timers you might remember from your grandma’s kitchen. The process is simple: Step 1: Identify the task you’re going to work on. Step 2: Start a timer for 25 […]

There is one question that will fundamentally change your manuscript revision process. Did I write the story I intended to write? Of course if you just made up the story as you went along, this question is always unanswerable. However, since you’ve taken the time to develop the story before you began writing, you’re able […]

No more afters. After I finish this project. After I get the promotion. After I retire. After the kids are in school. After things slow down… What’s your after? If you’re anything like most writers, you’ve been “aftering” this project for a long time. Now is the time to push through. Use the 90-Day Novel […]

The “denouement” is the last piece of your story. This is where you wrap up any loose ends to finish up the book and help the reader exit the story. Don’t ramble. Remember that your Driving Conflict is what compelled your reader through the story, and you resolved that in the Climax. Only curiosity is […]

Are you a spender or a saver? As you collect content in your life, do you try to fit it all in somewhere in your writing? Or are you hesitant to use it because you don’t want to “waste” it? Remember that your creativity isn’t like a savings account where the interest trickles in slowly […]

I’m not a huge fan of Marvel movies. They’re just too simplistic and predictable, I need the solution to be more than just more punching. But there are a few movies in the catalogue that stand out. Iron Man 2 levels up the storytelling and presents two important lessons that we can learn together. ASSIGNMENT: […]

Today best-selling author Kim Catron shares some of her writing wisdom and experience. Her recommendation: keep notes on your manuscript as you write. Kim is the best-selling author of Threshing of Straw, which won The Great Novel Contest and has sold more than 25,000 copies and accumulated more than 5,000 reviews. Find her book on […]

You must resolve your Driving Conflict in the climax of your story. But you don’t have to resolve all five conflicts you’ve developed. In fact, it’s better to leave some of your story’s conflicts unresolved. You have three full weeks to finish writing your book manuscript. You can do it! Push to the end, and […]

Am I allowed to eat cream cheese while I write my book? What if I want to etch the words into stone tablets, is that OK? Can I use this page from my diary that I wrote when I was eight years old? As long as you’re taking care of your mind and body, following […]

Sometimes tiny goals have more power than big ones. On those days when the blank page is just overwhelming, don’t think about writing 1,000 words. Instead, what’s the smallest goal you could set for yourself? Separating large tasks into micro-goals is an excellent way to overcome feelings of overwhelm and generate momentum with your work. […]

We can learn a lot from the 1947 classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Today, we’re focusing on how the storytellers use subtle mechanisms to introduce story elements long before they’re needed. Sometimes the storytellers even intentionally de-emphasize what they’re tucking away for later. As you move into the third act of the book you’re writing, […]

“When I’m writing my book, sometimes I feel overcome with these emotions. Sometimes I even end my writing session feeling really dark or heavy. Is that normal? You might be surprised at how often we receive questions like this from writers. The short answer: yes, super normal. This episode of the 90-Day Novel Challenge briefly […]

As we move into your final push to write your book in the 90-Day Novel Challenge, sometimes it’s helpful to start dreaming (just a little bit) about how you might publish your book. Remember that you can’t publish anything you haven’t written, so don’t get carried away. Your top priority is still to finish your […]

Risk is like a bank account. Your reader will allow you so much before they break and walk away from the story. Use your risk wisely. When you’re writing a book, if you’re going to stretch your reader in one area, it’s even more important that your storytelling and story structure are rock solid everywhere […]

Writing is one of the few hobbies in which most people immediately combine their passion with the marketplace. It’s OK to write for fun. Use The Novel Matrix and the resources of the 90-Day Novel Challenge to the extent that they help you stay focused and to explore the craft, but don’t let anyone pressure […]

Are you ready to take your writing to the next level? What happens after you finish your manuscript, are you ready for that? The Company’s Arche Year program is a 9-month program to put you in a position to publish. Over the course of the program, you’ll write a complete manuscript and build an author’s […]

As you’re writing your novel manuscript, you may soon encounter the “Near Miss.” As your protagonist ascends the rising action of the third act, this is when you pull the rug out from under him right when he seems like he might accomplish his Impossible Thing. You’re going to solve this setback in an ironic […]

Perfection isn’t the goal. Right now, the most important thing is to get the story down on the page. Special guest Alli Prince joins Brad for today’s episode to deliver some encouragement and practical advice. Alli Prince is a graduate of The Company’s full-time writing and publishing apprenticeship. Learn more and subscribe to her newsletter […]

With a value of more than $65 billion today, Star Wars is one of the most successful stories of all time. It’s also a simplistic story. From a story perspective, it’s not breaking any barriers. We find this again and again. Most of the stories that have had the greatest influence on our culture are […]

Tell me if this sounds familiar: you’re moving along through your manuscript when suddenly you need to know something–some factual tidbit maybe–so you hop over to Google find out real quick. Before you know it, your momentum has evaporated and you’re distracted by all of the information the world has to offer. In this episode, […]

When you sit down to write, are you crippled by self-doubt? Do you feel like you’re not any good and your writing is just trash? This advice has helped so many people: if you can’t write a good book, write a bad one. It’s not a mind trick, I mean it. Sit down and try […]

What do you do if your book manuscript doesn’t hit the word count that you hoped? There are several solutions, but we’re going to focus on one: subplots. Subplots are your tool to bring depth, complexity, and length to your manuscript when you need it. ASSIGNMENT: Write for one hour, and put at least 1,000 […]

Do you know that feeling when you’re “in the zone” with your writing, and the words just flow and time disappears? Psychologists call that phenomena “flow state,” and it’s real. Your brain is actually working more effectively. What if you could achieve that more consistently? That would be cool and your writing would be better, […]

You are exactly halfway through the writing portion of the 90-Day Novel Challenge. Now is a great time to take a step back from the project and evaluate your progress. But that’s only helpful if you actually make changes! What changes do you need to make in order to complete your novel by the end […]

Have you heard about Einstein’s brain? Scientists found that the right and left hemispheres of his brain were connected. And that’s exactly what your novel project needs. The brain in the 90-Day Novel Challenge logo and on the cover of The Novel Matrix book inspires us to utilize the full function of our brains: the […]

It’s time for the protagonist to become a new person. As you move through your novel manuscript, you may be getting close to the “Epiphany Moment.” This is the time for your protagonist to change and become the person who can finally solve his problem. The best examples of this moment break the character in […]

Writing a novel is hard. Really hard. So hard that a huge majority of people who start a project like this one will never finish it. But you will finish it. You’re doing something that most people won’t do. Sometimes in order to say “yes” to something, it’s helpful to articulate what you’re saying “no” […]

If you’ve been enjoying these daily writing nuggets, we have good news: there’s more. A LOT MORE. Learn more about The Company’s full-time apprenticeship and other training opportunities here: https://writers.company/training/ If you’re ready to take your writing to the next level and move readily towards becoming a professional author, the 90-Day Novel Challenge is just […]

It’s time to ruthlessly eliminate distractions from your creative work. What little distractions tether you to the real world and prevent you from fully immersing yourself in your writing? We first learned about the “tortoise enclosure” from John Cleese, but at The Company, we’ve come to call it the Tortoise Shell. ASSIGNMENT: Write for one […]

You are halfway through the challenge! Congratulations! Don’t worry, you don’t need to be halfway done with writing your manuscript yet. There’s a little bit of cushion since we used the first two weeks to learn and plan your project. Today, Brad has two super important pieces of advice for you. If you can embrace […]

It’s time to crush your protagonist again. Who’s going to do the crushing? Usually your Mega-Antagonist. If you’re stuck in this downward arc of the second act, a great question to ask is, “How would my Mega-Antagonist crush a threat to his system?” ASSIGNMENT: Write for one hour. Record your time and results. If you’re not […]

You must trap your protagonist between two incompatible worldviews. Which one will he choose? The Novel Matrix’s “philosophical conflict” forces you to make this conflict specific. Every character on the page has a paradigm—things he or she believes about the world—it can’t all get a spotlight. We have to choose two perspectives that will carry […]

Whether you have a finished novel manuscript 50 days from now all hinges on one critical question: will you place your butt in the seat and put words on the page today? Writers with finished manuscripts aren’t better writers or better people—they simply engaged the discipline to show up day after day until they typed […]

If you’re on the faster or shorter side, you may be approaching the Icarus Moment. This critical point in your plot structure will keep your reader engaged, and propel your protagonist toward real change. It’s important that the Icarus Moment couples a rousing victory with a crushing defeat. What great thing will your protagonist do? […]

This simple tip will revolutionize your productivity. Don’t allow yourself to read what you’ve written at the beginning of each writing session. It’s a recipe for wasted time…or worse. Commit to sitting down and applying new words to the page, every single day. There is only one direction: forward. ASSIGNMENT: Write for one hour. Don’t re-read […]

This is where good stories die. Don’t be a casualty. It’s really natural. Your initial excitement for the project has worn off, but the end still seems like it’s a long way away. Don’t give up! Push through the middle, and you’ll see the light at the end. ASSIGNMENT: Write for one hour. Record your time […]

A thousand might seem like a big number, but 1,000 words per hour is not as much as it sounds. Try talking at 1,000 words per hour. That’s one word every 3.6 seconds! You’ll be miserable. If you’re struggling to reach 1,000 words per hour, it’s rarely a writing speed issue. Instead, there is a […]

How do you write a story in which the events happen over a long period of time? The advice is the same whether the events happen over a day or a hundred years: skip to the next important part of the story. Don’t use the reader’s time to summarize the gaps between important events. Instead, […]

Is rest a punishment or a reward? It’s neither. When we live our lives with God, rest is our base of operations. We don’t earn our rest with good work. Instead, we earn good work with rest. ASSIGNMENT: Write for one hour. Keep a good record of your writing time and the wordcount you achieved. […]

As you move through the manuscript, you’ll hit the Montage after the Rock Bottom moment. We call it a montage, because oftentimes in movies there is a montage in this part of the story in which the protagonist trains, builds something, or tries something new. It’s important that all of the major elements of your […]