Plan Your Novel:
A Guided Course for Teacher Moms

5 Sundays on Zoom. Step-by-step support. Leave ready to draft over spring break.

You Know How to Teach Writing. So Why Is Your Own Novel So Hard to Start?

You’ve taught hundreds of students how to write. You’ve planned lessons, units, and entire school years. And yet, when it comes to your own novel, you sit down and freeze. You have ideas. You have notes. You might even have pages written.

But you don’t have a plan. Without a plan, everything feels harder than it should. Writing sessions stall. Doubt creeps in. Momentum disappears. You’re stuck because no one ever taught you how a novel actually comes together, and you don’t have time to teach yourself. You’re busy. You’re a teacher. You’re a mom. You don’t have endless free time. Your time is precious.

Your dream deserves a plan that helps you use the time you do have productively.

This Course is Designed for You and Your Lifestyle

This course is designed for teachers at every stage, whether you are currently in the classroom, on leave, stepping away by choice, or retired and ready to return to a long-held writing dream. As a teacher, you understand how to follow a process, apply guidance, and build something step by step. Being a mom who also teaches adds another layer of responsibility, mental load, and limited time. This course is built with that reality in mind.

You do not need hours every day. You need a clear plan and steady guidance that fits your actual life.

Plan Your Novel is a five-week guided course that teaches you how to plan your novel step by step using Jennie Nash’s Blueprint for a Novel, a proven framework for understanding how a story is built from the ground up.

This course is not about hype, pressure, or perfection. It’s about understanding the process so you can move forward with confidence, even in short, focused writing sessions.

Each week, I teach one part of the Blueprint, show you exactly how to apply it to your own book, and give you focused homework to complete on your own time. Throughout the week, you have space to ask questions, share ideas, and get clarity inside our private online community.

No spiraling. No second-guessing. No wondering what to do next.

What’s Included

You will receive:

  • An electronic copy of Jennie Nash’s Blueprint for a Novel

  • Five hours of live instruction and group coaching

  • Weekly homework designed to move your novel forward without overwhelm

  • Recordings of every session, so missing a class never means falling behind

  • Access to a private online community for questions, feedback, and support

  • Ongoing guidance in the community so you are never stuck

This is a true no-judgment learning environment. Pajamas are welcome. No makeup required. Cars, messy kitchens, and real life are expected.

This course is built for real women with real lives who are ready to make steady progress on their novel.

What You’ll Walk Away With

By the end of five weeks, you will:

  • Understand how a novel is structured and how each part works together

  • Have a clear, organized plan for your book that you can trust

  • Know exactly what you will be drafting over spring break and beyond

  • Stop wondering whether your idea works and start moving forward with confidence

  • Sit down to write, knowing what to do next

  • Feel steady and prepared instead of anxious or scattered

Instead of feeling behind, you will feel prepared. Instead of carrying this dream quietly, you will have taken a real step toward it with a plan you can trust.

Course Details

Plan Your Novel: A Guided Course for Teacher Moms

February 22 – March 22
Sundays, 10–11am EST
Live on Zoom
All sessions recorded

Investment: $250

Enrollment is limited to 15 participants so everyone receives real support and feedback.

Save Yourself Years of Starting and Stopping

From one teacher to another, let me guide you. Plan your novel now so you can start drafting with confidence.

Spots are limited. Reserve yours today.

Reserve Your Spot!

Testimonials

  • ~Christina Botbyl, Educator and Leadership Coach (Novel Blueprint Intensive)

    “Miranda Keskes' Novel Blueprint Intensive offers a week of thoughtful instruction and opportunities to explore, develop, and reflect on a novel idea, whether you are just starting or deep into the writing process. As someone with a first iteration of a Novel Blueprint, the timing of this course was perfect as it allowed me to revisit my ideas and dive deeper. Through methodically introducing each stage of the Novel Blueprint, facilitating discussions about participants' novel ideas, asking key questions, and leading practical activities during the course, Miranda helped me to recognize the additional work that I needed to do to dive deeper into my own Novel Blueprint. The Novel Blueprint Intensive has allowed me to bring my story and my intentions more into alignment. I knew I needed this and every day during this short course was affirming and helped me to move forward!”

  • ~Emily Climaco, School librarian (Manuscript Evaluation)


    “Mandy is a delightful and thorough book coach! She read my work closely, giving valuable insights for revision in clear steps. I appreciate that she also offered examples of other novelists to study. She is generous with her time and expertise, and I highly recommend her services.”

  • ~ Anne Kilsch, Educator (Pitch Support)

    “Working with Mandy has provided invaluable accountability and support in finishing my novel and pitching to agents. She’s a knowledgeable guide, teammate, and cheerleader rolled in one! Mandy also has the magical ability to keep a sense of humor while taking her role very seriously—she’s a blast to work with, and I get that sense that she simply won’t let me fail. I highly recommend sharing your writing journey with her!”

  • ~ Stephanie Thomas, Educator (Novel Blueprint Intensive)

    “I loved the ability to collaborate and think through story decisions purposefully!”

Frequently Asked Questions

  • This is a fair question! Rest assured, I’m in the teaching trenches alongside you. I am an online writing instructor for both teens and adults, and I taught high school English and theater teacher for fifteen years. I’ve published award-nominated short fiction and narrative nonfiction, and I’ve written a novel that I’m preparing to query after spending years of floundering with it on my own. I know what it’s like to carry a writing dream alongside teaching and parenting, and I also know how confusing it can feel to try to piece together writing advice on your own.

    I teach this course using a clear, proven framework, and I guide you through it step by step. I am not asking you to trust hype or motivation. I am offering you a process, steady support, and the perspective of someone who has learned how to plan and write a novel inside a full life.

  • Absolutely. The Blueprint for a Novel is a powerful revision tool as well. In fact, I used the Blueprint to revise my own novel and bring clarity to what was already on the page.

    Once you create your Blueprint for a Novel, it becomes a tool you can keep coming back to. Whether you are revising an existing draft or preparing to write a new one, this process helps you understand what is working, what needs attention, and how the story fits together as a whole.

  • This course is designed with that reality in mind. You do not need long, uninterrupted hours. Planning your novel allows you to use the time you do have productively because you know exactly what to work on when you sit down to write.

  • Nope! The planning framework you’ll learn in this course works across genres. Whether you are writing literary fiction, contemporary, romance, fantasy, speculative, or something else, the Blueprint for a Novel focuses on the underlying structure that strong stories share.

    The goal is not to force your book into a formula, but to help you understand how your story works so you can make intentional choices within your genre. You will apply the framework to your book, in a way that supports the kind of story you want to tell.

  • Many writing classes focus on inspiration, prompts, or isolated techniques. This course focuses on understanding how a novel actually works from beginning to end. You are learning a complete planning framework so you can make informed decisions about your story instead of guessing your way forward.

    Plus, you can keep working with me after this class. I provide individualized, ongoing support through every stage of the novel-writing process. I can be with you, every step of the way.

  • Live sessions are encouraged, but not required. All sessions are recorded, so if you need to miss a class due to family, work, or life, you can catch up without falling behind. Know that I get it. My weekends are full of soccer, basketball, football, and lacrosse. You’ll likely catch me in the car during one of our classes! The course is designed to be flexible.

  • Teacher moms are emphasized because parenting adds another layer of responsibility and mental load. Because of this, they tend to be the first to let the dream of writing go. I want to change that.

    However, this course is open to teachers at any stage, including those on leave, chosen leave, or retired. If you are a teacher who wants a clear, structured approach to planning a novel, this course will serve you well.

You’ve carried this writing dream for a long time. You don’t need more inspiration or another pile of advice.
You need a clear plan and steady support so you can move forward with confidence.

Reserve Your Spot!