Write Your Novel 101 VIP

You can learn about writing for years and still not know how to write your book.

I'm not saying you haven’t learned enough.

But knowing what GMC is or watching a video about three-act structure or reading a book about dialogue is very different from looking at the novel in front of you and knowing:

What does MY story need?

You can know what an inciting incident is and still have no clue what yours should be.

You can also understand character motivation and still be staring at your protagonist thinking:

Okay . . . but what does my main character actually want?

You can know that the middle needs escalation and that you have seventeen scenes, four subplots, a

side character who teaches sword fighting, a magical artifact, and two romantic subplots yet have absolutely no idea which one should happen next.

And when all those pieces are floating around separately, writing a novel starts to feel like one impossibly enormous task.

Hi. I'm Gala Russ. I can't wait for you to get out of this confusion and frustration to write your novel. With lots of feedback from me, of course.

Write Your Novel 101 is a 12-session live small-group book coaching program for writers who have an idea or an unfinished first draft and want to understand their story, strengthen their craft, and keep writing it.

September 8th - December 15th
Tuesdays 6-8 pm PT | 9-11 pm ET
12 sessions | 2 hrs live skill building
4 months | 3 sessions per month
3 co-working sessions
2 hours of 1-on-1 coaching

DISCOVER YOUR STORY →
BUILD THE FOUNDATIONS →
PUT WORDS ON THE PAGE →
LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE THEM →
KNOW WHAT COMES NEXT

Maximum of six (6) writers per group.

"I've been writing my novel for a long time, and I was lost as to how to move forward.

When I came to this class, I didn't know what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect to learn everything I needed to know that I didn't know I needed to know!

From structure, pacing, line editing and more, Gala is amazing at teaching and providing practical tools that are easily applied and instantly transformative. I loved that the classes involved hands-on learning, so I was able to apply what I was learning at that moment to my novel.

Her feedback was caring, intentional, and deeply thoughtful. I was surprised that after sending her my plot structure, she was able to decipher all the places where I was stuck and help me rethink how to move forward.

By the end of the last class, I was able to completely rework my novel's structure, and now I feel like I have a clear direction forward."

Thank you, Gala!

—Uvinie

Write Your Novel Graduate

- You watch craft videos on YouTube or during the summits.

- You save writing posts from blogs and social media.

- You buy books.

- You make character sheets.

- You download beat sheets and they go to die somewhere on your hard drive.

- You write the outline.

- You change the outline.

- Then you decide outlining is ruining everything and throw away the outline.

- Then you write three chapters.

- Then you realize you don’t know why your character is doing any of it.

So you go looking for another answer.

Was the information you found bad?
Probably not.

I want to teach you how to understand the recipe you're making.

If I teach you one exact recipe, you can reproduce one meal.

If you understand how cooking works—how ingredients function, what order things happen in, what can change and how to troubleshoot when something goes wrong—you can make hundreds of meals.

Novel writing works the same way.

There isn't one outline, worksheet or drafting method every writer needs to follow.

But there are components of story you need to understand and craft tools you can learn to use intentionally.

That's what the Story Layers Framework

that I created and use in my Write Your Novel Courses teaches you.

Rachel B.

Romantasy Writer

Before working with Gala, I struggled with the first draft of my Romantasy for months.

I couldn’t get my characters, plot, and theme to align, and I didn’t fully understand how to create a vibrant character arc that would hook readers.

I almost gave up writing my story because I was so frustrated and weighed down with imposter syndrome.

Then I hired Gala as a book coach, and she helped me learn everything I needed to know to write a more compelling and cohesive story!

She supported my vision for the book and helped me get clear on the story I wanted to tell.

I now feel better equipped to finish my draft!

Amy K.

Rockstar Romance Author

I came to Gala because I could feel something missing in my manuscript.

I thought the emotion wasn’t fully connecting in my story, and I knew she had given workshops on emotion. Our work expanded beyond emotion into structure, character and story arcs.

Gala helped me strengthen the entire story's foundation.

Because of her guidance, my manuscript already feels cleaner and clearer and she's left me with the tools to replicate this on my own. I’m walking away not just with a better story for my readers, but with greater confidence and a deeper understanding of how to write a story that resonates.

2-hours of private book coaching with Gala plus a review of up to 6,000 words or relevant story/outline materials.

Your private hours are yours to use where your novel needs the most attention.

We might untangle your plot, look at your opening pages, work through a character arc, review an outline, troubleshoot the section where you’re stuck, or decide what needs to happen next.

Before your 1-1 meeting we meet, Gala will review up to 6,000 words or equivalent story-planning materials so you can spend the session working at depth instead of you bringing her up to speed.

I don’t want you having to leave the program and buy another mini-course because we mention a craft topic you want to explore more deeply.

That’s why, when you join Write Your Novel 101 VIP, you’ll receive access to my existing relevant recorded trainings, including resources such as:

Comp Titles & Reader Positioning
I Have a Story Idea . . . Now What?
Romancing the Subplot
Trope to Truth

Already over $100 value

+ any additional recorded craft resources I add to the Write Your Novel 101 student library during your one-year access period.

I've taught and coached writers in groups of different sizes, and six is where something important happens:

I can actually know your books.

I see your assignments. You can ask me questions between sessions. I review your work before our private coaching session. Every writer gets dedicated feedback on their pages.

And during our live sessions, we have enough room to actually talk about the stories in the room.

But you're not only learning from your own novel. You get to watch five other novels take shape. You hear another writer struggling with a subplot and realize, “Oh. THAT'S what mine is doing.”

You watch me troubleshoot a character problem in somebody else's fantasy novel and recognize the same underlying problem in your mystery novel.

And over twelve sessions, you're not sitting among forty muted squares on Zoom: you're getting to know five other writers who understand exactly how strange, frustrating, exciting, and consuming writing a first novel can be.

My hope is that some of those writers become critique partners, writing friends, and the people cheering when you finish your novel.

You already have a completed first draft and you're revising it. You need revision support, which is not the primary focus of Write Your Novel 101.

You've already completed a novel and you're looking for advanced craft support on your next one. This program is intentionally designed around the foundations of writing your first novel.

You're writing nonfiction, short form (short story, flash fiction, etc.), or poetry.

You're writing middle grade or children's literature.

You want me to give you an outline and tell you exactly what your characters should do. This is not a ghostwriting experience. You will still need to write your novel.

You aren't willing to work on your novel between sessions.

You don't have time to do the assignments between live session. The program gives you support, structure and feedback. You will not take full advantage of all the benefits if you only attend class.

You do not want anyone to read what you write. This is a feedback-based course. You will receive careful, gentle, and appropriate feedback, but I cannot help you with implementing what I teach if I don't see it.

Enter your bullet points here..

You have an idea for a novel but don't know how to turn it into a book.

You've started writing but you can’t see your way through the rest.

You've planned OR discovery-written your way into a corner and need to understand what you've actually created.

You've taken writing classes or read craft books before, but still struggle to apply what you've learned to your own novel.

You want structure without having somebody dictate every chapter of your novel.

You want to learn craft and apply it immediately to your own story.

You're willing to write, experiment, revise, expand your thinking, and participate in class.

You have time to complete the assignments and work on your novel at least 2 hours a week between classes.

You're writing adult fiction, New Adult, Young Adult (YA) fiction, or memoir.

You want support, but you also want to learn how to make more of your own story decisions.

You are open to Gala and your peers in the group to read your work and, when instructed, provide guided feedback.

You're willing to read and review other writers' words (the writers are from your group).

Enter your bullet points here..

“Best part: Your chart of story beats overlaid with romantic beats. A masterclass in one slide. I re-watched that part several times. I also remember you talking about sub-plot begin and end. It gave me chills. I think everything you need to know about story structure (as well as romance structure) was perfectly encapsulated. If I were on a desert island and only had pen, paper and one slide to write a book, that would be it. Please let me know about any of your classes. I'll be in the front row!”

—Lorelei H.

I’ve published 9, completed 15, and have a baker’s dozen of unfinished novels (plus I'm currently writing a fantasy trilogy).

And one of the biggest things writing them taught me is that the book you think you're going to write and the book you discover while writing are not always the same book.

That doesn’t mean the plan failed. Writing is an iterative creative process.

For years, I worked as an educator and project manager: two careers that taught me a lot about breaking complicated things into manageable parts, teaching people with very different ways of thinking, and getting large projects from idea to finished.

Eventually those worlds intertwined with writing fiction, because writing a novel is both creative and incredibly complex.

There are characters. Plot. Internal arcs. Subplots. Worldbuilding. Scenes. Language. Emotion. Pacing.

And the writer is somehow expected to hold all of that in their head while also sitting down and making sentences.

No wonder so many smart, creative people look at their novel and think: I don't even know what I'm supposed to work on first.

That lack of clarity became the foundation of how I coach.

I don’t want to tell you what book you should write.

I want you to understand the book you are writing and teach you enough about the pieces that eventually, you don't need me sitting beside you.

My goal for you is that come January 2027 you won't only know more about the craft of writing and how to convert it into words on the page of your novel, but that you'll know what is the writing routine that works for your life and how to adjust it when your life changes, how much writing you need to do a week to achieve the goal of finishing your story, what to do if you are unsure, or stuck, or are doubting yourself.

I’m envisioning that in 2027 you will be able to operate using the skills you develop over the next 4 months and will have a community of writers by your side.

That’s the goal.

“I understand structure. I did not really have a clue of how stories were structured. I had heard about Joseph Campbell and I had heard about the Hero's journey, but I had never looked at different plot structures and now I have a grasp of the breadth of plot arcs and story structures that exist.

My toolbox has increased dramatically.

I became less hesitant about writing and now I can plan out a little bit using the mirrored basketball structure and allow myself to use my flourishes and personal style without any fear that I am a ‘bad writer.

The critique helped a lot!”

Aaron G.

Write Your Novel 101 Graduate

Why wouldn’t I just work with you privately?
You absolutely can.

My private coaching is designed around your specific book, your specific goals, and the support you need at any point in your writing process: developing an idea, writing or finishing a first draft, editing, preparing for submission or publication, or making decisions about your author business and marketing.

We decide together what you need to work on and build our sessions around you.
Write Your Novel 101 is different.

It gives writers working on their first novel a complete 12-session learning path: from understanding your characters and structure to writing scenes, working with dialogue and emotion, learning to revise, receiving reader feedback, and figuring out what comes next.

And because this is a coaching program rather than a traditional course, you still receive individualized support along the way:
-24 hours of live small-group coaching.
-Individual feedback on your assignments.
-A private 2-hour coaching session.
-Up to 6,000 words or materials reviewed before that session.
-Between-session access to me.
-Dedicated feedback on your 1,500-word excerpt.

So the question isn't really “Which one is better?” It's “What kind of support do I need right now?”

If you want completely individualized coaching built around the needs of your manuscript and the stage you're currently in, private coaching may be the better fit.

If you want to learn the foundational process of building your first novel from beginning to end while applying everything directly to your own book, Write Your Novel 101 was built for that.
What if I miss a session?
Life happens.

Every live session is recorded.

If you miss class, you can watch the recording, complete the exercises and continue submitting that program's assignments through the end of the cohort.

You do not lose your place because you miss a class.

But this is designed as a live program, so I encourage you to attend whenever possible.
What is the refund policy?
Come in. Do the work. See what this feels like.

If after the first session you realize this genuinely isn't the right program for you, contact me within 24-hours and you can convert to 6 x 2-hr 1-on-1 sessions.
Is this for beginners?
Yes.

This course works for any beginner level: those who were at it for several years but are still writing their first novel or have never completed a novel and those who just have an idea and have not started writing yet, including complete beginners.

The course is specifically designed to teach story craft while helping you get to writing words on the page.
What if I already started my novel?
Also yes.

If you've started but haven't completed your first draft, bring what you have.

You can use the framework to understand what you've already discovered, identify where the story is going, untangle the place where you're stuck and continue writing.
What if I already finished my first draft?
Then this might not be the right program.

Write Your Novel 101 is about understanding and building the first draft.

If you're revising a complete manuscript, you might benefit from revision-focused coaching instead.

If you pantsed/discovery written it and feel you need a complete/considerable redo, reach out and we can talk if this program can work.
What genres can I write?
Any adult, New Adult, or YA fiction genre is welcome, as well as memoir.

Genres such as: romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller, historical, literary, women's fiction, etc.

The program is not designed for nonfiction, poetry, children's literature, or middle-grade books.
Do I have to be an outliner?
Absolutely not.

Plotters, discovery writers (often called “pantsers”) and everyone in between are welcome.

Structure is a tool, not a personality test.

If you love planning, we'll help you plan more intentionally.

If you discover your story by writing it, we'll use what you've written before or during the class to understand the story that's emerging.
How much writing do I have to do?
You will begin producing actual story pages during the program, with drafting becoming a clear expectation by approximately Session 5.

Sessions 1-4 are focused on the big picture of your novel and establishing your writing habits. I will be encouraging you to write during those weeks but I will not be collecting any written pages for review yet, only your weekly assignments that will focus on character and story development.

At minimum, the program will ask you to assemble at least 1,500 words of readable story pages.

You are welcome—and will be encouraged—to write considerably more.
Do I need to have my story figured out before we start?
No.

That's what we're here to do.

You can come in with a story idea, a character, a premise, a handful of scenes, a "what if" you've been thinking about for years, or 40,000 discovery-written words you no longer know what to do with.

You don't need to arrive with a plot, although if you have it - great!

You need to arrive willing to explore your story, make decisions, write, and change those decisions when you discover something better.
Will you read and edit my manuscript?
No.

This isn't a manuscript review.

This isn't unlimited manuscript editing either.

You receive targeted feedback on each course assignment plus up to 6,000 words/materials reviewed before your included private session.

Early enrollees receive a second review of up to 6,000 words/materials with their bonus session (for a total of up to 12,000 words reviewed, not edited, but reviewed to deliver advice and guidance needed during to the private coaching hours).
How does between-session access work?
You may email me or send a voice note with questions about your novel and material we have already covered.

I respond within 2 business days, Monday through Friday.

I usually reply to 1-2 messages per person per week, depending on the depth of the answer needed. I will let you know if I need additional time to reply.
What if I fall behind?
Writing a novel is not a twelve-week race.

Some writers will draft quickly. Some will spend more time figuring out their characters or structure. Some will discover halfway through the program that something they planned needs to change.

You do not need to keep pace with anybody else's word count.

The goal is to keep moving your book forward.

If life gets busy or your story takes longer to complete than expected, you can use the recordings, continue the work, and submit program assignments through the end of the cohort.

You're not behind because another writer has 20,000 words and you have 4,000.

You're building different books and have different lives.

I do not expect you to complete a full novel over these 4 months, but you absolutely can do it if you have enough time dedicated to writing the draft throughout the course.

I will support you at whatever pace you are able to go at.
Am I expected to write a whole novel in 4 months?
No.

This is not a finish your novel course.

But.

Can you? Yes, it is absolutely possible to finish a novel in 4 months, but it requires a big time commitment for drafting.

In the first session we will talk about how long it takes to write a novel and how you can estimate that for your novel based on the genre, projected length, and amount of time you have to dedicate to it.
How long do I have access?
You will have access to the course recordings and program materials for one year. Your access will expire on September 7th 2027

Individual assignment feedback and between-session coaching end when the live cohort ends.

The final emails with questions and assignments can be sent no later than December 22nd 2026.
What if I change my mind about my plot halfway through?
Good.

That probably means you're discovering your story.

The goal of Write Your Novel 101 isn't to create a perfect plan in Session 4 and then force yourself to follow it for the next eight sessions.

Your understanding of your characters, structure, and story may change as you start putting scenes on the page.

We'll use what you discover to make the next decision.

The roadmap is there to help you navigate, not to prevent you from taking a different road.
Is there a payment plan?
Yes.

Payment-plan options will be available at checkout.
How big is the group?
A maximum of six writers per cohort.

That limit is intentional so everyone has meaningful opportunities to discuss and work with their novel during the live sessions.
This is a lot of money. How do I know I'm ready to invest this much in my writing?
Write Your Novel 101 isn't an inexpensive writing class, and I'm not positioning it as one.

It's a twelve-session small-group coaching program capped at six writers, with individualized assignment feedback, between-session access, private coaching, manuscript/material review, and direct feedback on some of your pages.

If what you want right now is a craft class you can watch on your own, there are much less expensive ways to get that, including some of my own workshops.

This program is for the writer who wants support applying the craft to their book while they're actually building it.

You don't need to prove that you're “serious enough” to deserve that support, but you should be ready to use it.

If you're willing to show up, work on your story, ask questions, experiment and write, then you'll have twelve sessions to take advantage of everything I've built into this program.

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