Introduction

Some years ago I came across Radiorunner’s Curriculum for the Solo Artist. Ever since then I have wanted to produce the same thing for creative writing. And here it is, or, at least, the beginning of it. This is a project that is going to take some time to complete.

What will make up the curriculum?

I am going to draw on the following sources:

• Youtube videos

• Podcasts

• Books

• Courses

• Writing prompts and projects

The idea is to bring together available resources into a curriculum that can be followed. For the most part, the content will be free or low cost. There are some expensive options available and some of them are excellent in terms of what they might offer. However, there are lots of people for whom those are out of reach, and so this list will be aimed at them.

What will the content look like?

Each month will contain a topic and prompts. You can use these together, or simply use the prompts for practicing your craft in some way. In addition, once every quarter a month will be dedicated to creating alone. Because practice is the best teacher. You don’t have to follow this, but its there if you want the structure (and for me).

The Solo Writer’s Year

Quarter 1

January - Prompts + Learning
February - Flash February
March - Music Prompts + Learning

Quarter 3

July - Camp NaNo
August - Prompts + Learning
September - Prompts + Learning

Quarter 2

April - Camp NaNo
May - Mermay Prompts + Learning
June - Prompts + Learning

Quarter 4

October - Inktober Prompts + Learning
November - NaNoWriMo
December - Prompts + Learning

What content will be provided?

I will host a list of possible materials to study and prompts to practice from. I will attempt to provide content for all fiction writers, though some modules might tend towards certain genres. A rough outline will be:

• Ideas and Preparation

• Being a Writer

• Character

• Plot

• Worldbuilding

• Technical

• Revision and Editing

• Marketing and Publication

While this will be the general order of things, some elements will be interspersed with one another.

How can I get involved?

I’d like to encourage people to respond to posts on this site, Instagram, Tumblr or Discord with their own responses to the content. I will link these options in the course. Post how you are using it. Post things that might help other writers to get the most from it. Post alternative resources. I am a single writer with a single methodology and and preference for certain genres. The more experiences we can bring together, the more useful this resource will be.

Please feel free to promote this resource if you think it is helpful.

How much will this cost me?

That is up to you. My thinking is that you will get some value from the books included, and at least some of these might be worth buying. I will keep a list of these and the cost of them (at the time of writing). If you want to spend money on the courses, you can. I may or may not purchase them and will make clear which ones I have completed myself. I know some people prefer to learn in this way, so if I come across a course I am confident will have value, I will list it. The videos and books are sufficient for me.

I am not going to make money from this. If I ever charge for content, it will be content I have created. If anyone makes money from this, it should be the people whose content I am suggesting.

How often will you update this content?

For quite some time I will be generating new content, rather than updating old content. If I come across something that stands out, I will update the module at the time. Otherwise, when the curriculum is complete, I will go through and do an update on the whole set. Beyond that, we’ll see.

If you have content you think would fit in well, or know of content that may be useful, please post it under a linked post. That is the first place I will look for updates.

You’ve listed my content and I would like it removed.

Just let me know. I’ll remove it.