Book Writing for Beginners: Develop Your Ideas on Paper
A course by Shaun LevinWriter and Creative Writing Teacher
A course by Shaun Levin, Writer and Creative Writing Teacher
Expand your written ideas into a doable book project using your curiosity, imagination, and worldview
A book is a testament to the uniqueness of our individual imagination. Author and creative writing teacher Shaun Levin has published several novels and short story collections, including A Year of Two Summers, Seven Sweet Things, and Snapshots of the Boy. For him, writing is a journey of discovery that allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the world around us, and he specializes in teaching others to do just that.
In this course, Shaun shows you how to expand your stories into a book and incorporate this writing adventure into your daily life. Discover how to craft a compelling narrative, and share a chapter and brief synopsis as your final project. Are you ready to follow your curiosity and write your own captivating book?
This is Shaun’s third Domestika course. In his first, Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life, he teaches you how to use the details of your imagination to write a memorable story. For anyone with an interest in writing short stories more specifically, Shaun guides you through writing stories that combine both fiction and non-fiction in his second course, Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience.
What will you learn in this online course?
19 lessons & 17 downloads
Gather Your Resources: The Map of Your Book
10 minutes, 48 seconds
Gather Your Resources: What's Your Plan A?
18 minutes, 12 seconds
Who Are You When Writing a Book?
12 minutes, 58 seconds
A Book Is Not a Short Story
3 minutes, 17 seconds
Secrets Are at the Heart of a Story
12 minutes, 22 seconds
What's included in this course?
Begin the course by getting to know writer and creative writing coach Shaun Levin. He talks through his 20-year career along with the books he’s written based on his own personal and political experiences. Discover the influences that inspire his work and dive into the relationship between books and real life.
Discover the where, what, and how of preparing to write a book. Shaun shares his truths about writing, before showing you how to gather resources that act as a roadmap for your work. Learn how to come up with a rough plan for your project, then discover the importance of writing regularly. Explore how to find support from the people around you during the writing process and how to choose parts of yourself to bring to your work. Recognize the difference between a short story and a book-length project.
Learn how to start writing and make the theme of your book present in every scene. Then take a look at the characters. Learn about names, and what they can tell us about a book, before looking for possible side projects to work on during the book writing process. See how to create a sense of movement in your narrative, as well as establish its dimensions and timeframe.
Shaun shares how writing in different places can encourage new perspectives and why secrets are at the heart of a story. Using his personal writing experience as your guide, explore the value of social and political issues in your work and how to see your book through to completion.
Write a synopsis of your book that’s ready to share with the press, agents, or potential publishers. Shaun then gives his advice for writing a letter to an agent and what to expect from the publishing process. To finish the course, find out why and how to start writing a new book to follow this one.
What is this course's project?
Write a chapter of your book along with a brief synopsis that’s ready to share with agents.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in learning how to write their own book.
Requirements and materials
Some writing experience is useful, but not essential.
In terms of materials, you will need a notebook, a pen, and a computer.
Reviews
- 2 months ago
Uno dei migliori corsi di scrittura creativa che abbia mai seguito! Shaun è un grande insegnante, stimolante, coinvolgente e generoso! Ho imparato tantissimo, nuove prospettive, nuove tecniche, grazie di cuore!
- 5 months ago
Love all the courses I took with Shaun Levin! I learned so much about what I needed to think about and do to start my next book. Great teacher! Great information!
- 8 months ago
interesante
- 9 months ago
J’ai trouvé très interessant ce cours, je trouve toujours génial ce type de leçons.
- 10 months ago
J’ai suivi les 3 tutos de Shaun Levin et je les ai tous adorés ! Je les ai suivis dans l’ordre, du plus simple au plus complexe et ils m’ont énormément aidée dans mon projet d’écriture. Celui-ci, comme les 2 autres, est techniquement bien expliqué et livré de façon sensible. Shaun est un professeur généreux. Merci ! Et oui, je recommande !
Shaun has over twenty years of experience teaching creative writing in colleges, schools, art galleries, and other settings. He has published several novels and short story collections, including Alone with a Man in a Room, Seven Sweet Things, and Snapshots of The Boy, as well as three guides for writers taking on book-length projects, The Writing Notebooks. Today, Shaun continues to teach creative writing and work on his next novel and collection of short stories.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
The Where, What, and How of Preparing to Write a Book
- Some Truths about Writing a Book
- Gather Your Resources: The Map of Your Book
- Gather Your Resources: What's Your Plan A?
- The Shared Experience of Writing a Book
- Who Are You When Writing a Book?
- A Book Is Not a Short Story
- U3
Start Writing and Keep Going till the End
- Starting from Where You Are
- The Characters in Your Book
- Movement in Your Book
- How Wide, How Deep: The Dimensions of Your Book
- U4
How to Keep Going till the End
- How Different Places Encourage New Perspectives
- Secrets Are at the Heart of a Story
- The Big Issues of Your Book
- Doing Whatever It Takes
- U5
How to Get Your Book Out into the World
- How to Write the Synopsis of Your Book
- How to Write a Letter to an Agent
- How and Why to Start Writing Your Next Book
- FP
Final project
- Book Writing for Beginners: Develop Your Ideas on Paper
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate writers who want to transition from short stories to book-length projects, focusing on narrative structure, character development, and sustaining creative momentum.
You need a basic understanding of storytelling and some writing experience. Bring any existing writing fragments, story ideas, or a draft manuscript to get the most out of the course activities.
You’ll learn techniques for outlining book-length projects, visual mapping of story structure, and planning scenes to organize your manuscript for consistent progress.
The course covers building complex characters, selecting meaningful names, and using narrative techniques to reveal character traits and deepen story themes.
Yes, you’ll discover practical strategies to overcome procrastination, develop sustainable writing routines, and maintain motivation through long-form writing projects.
Absolutely. You’ll practice mapping story settings, organizing locations, and expanding your story world with multiple immersive environments for readers.
Yes, the course provides step-by-step methods for transforming short stories and writing fragments into cohesive, book-length narratives.