A year-long writing programme
I See You!
I See You!
Love writing again.
You have an amazing story idea with loveable characters that you know would be a success. No matter how hard you try, you don’t know where to start, your plot is missing a chunk out the middle, and your motivation is nowhere to be seen.
Three courses • Live support • One year of access
The curriculum
Are you ready to finally patch up your relationship
with writing and gain clarity on your story?
Write your full draft and transform your relationship with writing.
You’re done with excuses. You’re going to finish your novel.
01
You've got a pretty awesome idea for your story...
02
...and characters you know readers are gonna love...
03
...and you seriously want to write this novelzzzcharacters
The truth about getting stuck
You come up against writer’s block more often than not, you don’t know how to solve your obvious plot issues or create a convincing outline, and you can’t keep a writing routine to save your life.
If only you could craft the perfect outline....
if only you could stick to a daily writing routine....
If only you could craft the perfect outline....
if only you could stick to a daily writing routine....
All of your problems would be solved. That’s what the experts online tell you anyway.... And then everyone also tells you that’s normal! Writers should hate writing, right? Otherwise, they’re not real writers. ....can you taste the sarcasm dripping off my words?
But the more you force yourself, the harder writing feels.
The curriculum
...so what is ‘Novel Nook?’
And why is it perfect for you?
By day, I’m in marketing and communications, by night I’m a writer, but before I was anything, I was just as lost as you might be right now. Writer’s block, impostor syndrome, perfectionism, fear of failure, you name it. Like you, I thought the problem was either that my story outline was horrible, or that I couldn’t stick to a routine. I fixed the outline part with lots of research, reading books and Creative Writing Courses from Udemy.com, and now call this, what I learned STRUCTURE part of my Novel Nook method.
I thought structure was all I needed. So I worked with founders and executives writers 1-1 to help them overcome this issue too.
But no amount of story structure or routine would fix my clients’ deeper mindset issues and their vastly different approaches to writing.
For three years, I worked remotely at a ghostwriting company supporting thought leaders who were also writers. Our primary service was Ghostwriting for Books, based on the belief that you should write at least one book in your lifetime.. Through this experience, I learned about the individual mindset blocks that often hold creatives back. The most important lesson I took away? The power of NURTURE which became the second pillar of my Novel Nook Program approach.
I even tested it on myself. While balancing a 9-4 marketing job, this remote ghostwriting role, professional courses, motherhood—and everything in between—I completed What is Home, my second-longest manuscript at 331 pages (84,121 words) — in just a year (2022). From 2023 to 2024, I went on to write two more each year: Stripped and Naked (109 pages, 15,240 words) and His and Hers: Love, Sex and Passion (240 pages, 55,260 words). All three are finally being published in 2025.
No rigid routines. No burnout. Just a deeper connection with my writing – a process that finally worked.
I initially wrote & self-publish two books in 2017 and 2018, but I did not have this plan or process then. It wasn’t until years of struggling, professional ghostwriting experience, and intensive study through creative writing courses and reading that I finally discovered the powerful STRUCTURE and NURTURE approach that defines this program.
It didn’t have a thing to do with what most writing advices tell you.
It was very simple.
I taught myself to adore writing as wildly as innocently as when I was a child.
Lilian Okado - Founder of Say Cheese Writers
Doreen has been an invaluable addition to our ghostwriting team. Over the years, she has grown tremendously as both a writer and a content strategist, delivering high-quality work on our in-house projects. She works independently, embraces learning, and adapts seamlessly to new challenges. In short, she’s a true asset and a joy to work with.
Thabiso Kgabung - Marketing Agency MD at Naughty Banana
Doreen has been an invaluable addition to our ghostwriting team. Over the years, she has grown tremendously as both a writer and a content strategist, delivering high-quality work on our in-house projects. She works independently, embraces learning, and adapts seamlessly to new challenges. In short, she’s a true asset and a joy to work with.
Live support and learning
What does Novel Nook Program include?
Live support and learning with extensive pre-recorded courses and a library of digital books & templates to help you
...Finish your novel and find joy in writing again.
Finding writing to be the most difficult thing in the world.
This program will take you from
Writing easily, without pressure, and love what you’re doing.
all in under a year
Imagine if you could...
Build the creative confidence and practical skills you can carry into every future book.
01
Banish writer’s block
Reframe writing into a positive, sustainable practice.
02
Find your voice
Write with purpose, confidence, and a style that feels like yours.
03
Craft compelling stories
Build vivid characters, strong prose, and a clear plot.
04
Finish your novel
Move from a promising idea to a complete full draft.
The Novel Nook method
Two pillars.
One transformed writing life.
Doreen’s approach grew from years of writing, ghostwriting, study, and helping other writers move through the same blocks.
Pillar One
Structure
Clear tools for premise, purpose, character, conflict, plot, chapters, and prose—without overwhelming your creativity.
Pillar Two
Nurture
A flexible rhythm, meaningful accountability, and a supportive community that help you create without burnout.
The curriculum
The 3-Course Curriculum
During this year, you will get access to our entire learning library with 3 extensive courses to teach you project prep and character work and the art of writing prose.
01
10 modules
Novel Nook & Plot Academy
For all the character creation and project creation tools you’ll ever need, without the overwhelm.
02
5 modules
Pro at Prose
Find your unique voice and stand out from the sea of authors
03
3-module bonus
Writer Unblocker
3-module bonus course crafted specifically to help you.
Course 01 / 10 modules
Novel Nook & Plot Academy
For all the character creation and project creation tools you’ll ever need, without the overwhelm.
About
Novel Nook & Plot Academy is the most streamlined outlining course out there, crafted specifically to help you focus on the important parts of pre-work to set up a strong project. You start from the heart of your story, then build out your character, which means that once it’s time to outline, your plot will come along easier than you thought possible. The best part of this course? We don’t only work with theory and analysis, but you’ll actually see me create two original stories with you from scratch: We’ll put together everything from the premise, the main characters, a thorough story outline, and even a break-down of the first 3 chapters.
Reframe plotting as a creative tool, allow your outline to evolve, and put character and theme before rigid formulas.
- Plotting is fun and outlines can change
- Why you can do this
- Character and theme over plot
Find your literary purpose and shape the question at the heart of your book.
- Purpose: author and novel
- Thematic argument or question
- Themes
- Motifs and symbolism
- Writing with purpose
Prepare the essentials of your project before you begin to plot.
- Brainstorm your beginning
- Genre
- Title
- Premise and blurb
- Synopsis
- Audience and reader consideration
- Visuals
- Sample stories
Build characters with internal conflict, meaningful arcs, distinct voices, and convincing histories.
- Narrative, major and minor characters
- Internal conflict and story purpose
- Character arc and backstory
- Personality and voice
- Significant relationships
- Appearance, quirks and names
- Diversity
Create story tension and nuanced antagonists whose choices matter.
- Story conflict
- The antagonist
- Motivation and backstory
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Relatability and empathy
- Internal conflict, negative arcs and redemption
Use Doreen’s one-page plot grid to develop three acts and purposeful subplots.
- The plot grid
- Act 1
- Act 2A
- Act 2B
- Act 3
- Subplots
A bonus update on viewpoint, tense, distance, and the voice that tells your story.
- Choosing narrators and tenses
- Unreliable narrators
- First and second person narrators
- Third person narrators
- Introspection and narrative voice
Make places feel lived-in, from realistic settings to fantasy and speculative worlds.
- Psychogeography, immersion and tone
- Fantasy and dystopian worlds
- Magic, technology and rules
Plan your scenes and chapter treatments, including more adventurous narrative structures.
- Chapters, scenes and beats
- Chapter treatments
- Prologues, epilogues and creative structure
- Non-linear storytelling
Move from outline to draft, revise with intention, and explore publication routes.
- When should I start writing?
- The first draft
- The second draft
- Beta readers, editing and publishing next steps
Course 02 / 5 modules
Pro at Prose
Find your unique voice and stand out from the sea of authors
About
Pro at Prose dives into the nitty-gritty of writing, from sentence structure and realistic. dialogue to style, metaphors and creative devices. You will learn about every narrative perspective (even those you didn’t know existed!), and hone your style to make it dynamic and compelling for your readers. This course separates prose into its main elements and features exercises crafter to train each one.
See what makes prose work and how to use ‘show, don’t tell’ with purpose.
- Breaking writing misconceptions
- Show, don’t tell
- Elements of prose
- Audience expectations
Explore first, second and third person, tense, distance and introspection.
- Choosing narrators and tenses
- Unreliable narrators
- First and second person
- Third person
- Introspection and narrative voice
Give characters individual speech patterns and use subtext, action and pacing to enliven conversation.
- Character voice and the core four technique
- Realism and subtext
- Ten dialogue techniques
- Formatting and speech tags
- Action tags
- Dialogue pacing
Build vocabulary banks and use verbs, sentence variety and sensory details to create atmosphere.
- Elements of description
- Vocabulary banks and tone
- Sensory action
- Sentence structure and rhythm
- Variation and balance
- Immersion
Develop an expressive style through imagery and literary techniques.
- Metaphors and similes
- Figurative language
- Creative devices
- Finding your style
Course 03 / 3-module bonus
Writer Unblocker
3-module bonus course crafted specifically to help you.
- overcome your mental blockades and reframe writing into a positive activity step-by-step (bye-bye, writer’s block!)
- sell the story to yourself before you try to sell it to someone else and find unwavering confidence in your work.
- critically identify your own issues within your story and avoid common writing pitfalls.
Tools for the whole journey
Bonus: Digital Library
Resources you can make your own, and keep after your year of live access ends.
01 / Library
E-Books Library & Cheatsheets
Course workbooks for Novel Nook & Plot Academy and Pro at Prose and bonus resource booklets amounting to 100+ pages of learning and exercises.
Additional cheatsheets for prose writing and resource vaults, all in pdf format you can keep for a lifetime.
02 / Workspace
Novel in a Year Notion workspace
- A month-by-month and week-by-week recommended schedule to make sure the program doesn’t feel overwhelming.
- Trackers for your word count, learning and extra reading.
- In-workspace templates, such as character sheets, moodboard building, and an awesome chapter organizer.
- Note-keeping and writing spaces where you can type your novel directly.
- A focus room where you can build your custom sound atmosphere and set focus times for your writing sessions.
03 / Templates
Templates & Spreadsheets
From chapter treatments to character sheets, my iconic-1 page outline, vocabulary banks, character voice templates and more.
These templates are all fully customizable and can be filled in directly through a pdf viewer or edited and customized inside Canva.
You won’t write alone
Live support
Most writers I work with thrive on having a place to go to be held accountable and someone to bounce ideas off of. This is why the live support is such a huge part of this program. I’ll be checking in with you through your year-long journey and help you out of any blockades you may fall into.
Community chat
We have our own WhatsApp group chat for members of this program. Besides only me, though, you’ll get to meet other writers, make connections, exchange manuscripts for feedback, and find writing partners- because writing doesn’t have to be solitary.
Weekly accountability & Support
Attend weekly events inside the group – don’t worry, this isn’t anything overwhelming! Our accountability events are chilled group writing sessions or sprints where you can show up and leave whenever you want to.
Surprise Workshops
Whatever workshops we decide to host at the Novel Nook over the next year, you’ll have first dibs on it. The topics of the workshops will be determined by you, and whatever you want to take a deeper dive into. This is a great way to shake up your usual writing routine to work on something different for a little while.
Priority waitlist
Get the Novel Nook Program
Join our priority waitlist for a chance to secure your spot and gain access.
30 Days Guarantee
Applies if the learning provided does
not match the programme description.
Pay in full
Craft
Ksh. 38,440
Ideal for writers ready to master the art of prose; strengthen your style, dialogue, and narrative techniques with focused exercises.
End creative blocks for good. Shift your mindset, solve sticking points & get back to writing with confidence and clarity.
Cards, M-PESA and Airtel Money accepted.
Pay in full
Outlining
Ksh. 51,380
Perfect for writers who want a clear, hands-on approach to outlining: efficiently build your story heart-first with complex characters and guided examples
Turn your idea into a novel. Master outlining, theme, characters, plot, chapters & drafting with this complete step-by-step course.
Cards, M-PESA and Airtel Money accepted.
Pay in full
Confidence
Ksh. 9,965
Ideal for new and old writers seeking guidance to overcome blocks, build confidence, and improve their own issue-solving techniques.
Transform your prose writing craft: sharpen sentences, strengthen voice, refine dialogue & bring your writing to life with your unique style.
Cards, M-PESA and Airtel Money accepted.
Everything in your nook
A complete creative ecosystem.
- One year of curriculum access
- Live office hours and coaching support
- Novel in a Year Notion workspace
- Customisable templates and spreadsheets
- Weekly writing sprints and write-ins
- Private WhatsApp writing community
- 100+ pages of workbooks and resources
- Surprise workshops chosen by members
Is this your nook?
This is for you if...
If you find yourself constantly questioning whether your project is good enough and getting stuck in writer's block. You don't have clarity on your project or you need some support and accountability. Once you’re done with this program, you should have confidence about your writing and knowledge to repeat this process for any book your write again. You should have a transformed relationship with writing, so that it never feels like an impossible task again.
This course is GREAT for
- You’re beginning your first novel.
- You have a story idea but keep getting stuck.
- You want support, accountability and room to experiment.
- You’re willing to practise and rethink your writing habits.
This course is NOT for
- You’re looking for a shortcut instead of doing the work.
- You don’t want to explore a more nurturing approach.
- You aren’t ready to make a year-long commitment.
Priority waitlist
Your novel deserves to leave the drawer.
Join the priority waitlist for the next opening. Both options include a year of lessons and live support, plus digital resources you keep.
30 Days Guarantee
Applies if the learning provided does
not match the programme description.
Pay in full
Ksh. 240,000
One year of the full curriculum and live support. Pay-in-full bonus: feedback on 5,000 words of your writing during the programme.
Ksh. 20,000
One year of the full curriculum and live support. Pay-in-full bonus: feedback on 5,000 words of your writing during the programme.
12 instalments, not a cancel-anytime subscription. No pauses, cancellations or extensions. Cards, M-PESA and Airtel Money accepted.
Yes, you can! Whether you already have a few ideas in mind or have absolutely no idea what to write about, we do cover this in Novel Nook & Plot Academy, and the first two months of the program are dedicated to preparing your project. In fact, you actually get an idea vault of 100 story prompts as a bonus to this course!
This program is designed for beginners and writers alike, so you don’t need to have ever written a thing in your life. Most members never have. You will get ample advice, and reading examples to strengthen your prose, too.
You have access to the video lessons and the group chat with coaching and writing events for exactly a year from the date you joined.
You will be able to keep your Novel in a Year: Notion Workspace, as well as all the included workbooks & templates past forever, and you can always reach out to me at the end to sign up for another year at your same joining fee
We usually open the doors to the public every few months, but if you join the waitlist, you actually get priority to the spots. Currently, the expected waif for the people on the waitlist is about 4 weeks.
Most live events are held in the Google meet with all the other students inside the course. These include:
- Office hours where you can attend a live stream to chat with me and get advice on your project or ask questions you want clarified. These will be held a minimum of once a month and adjusted depending on the WhatsApp group activity & necessity to arrange the Google Meet.
- Writing sprints or write-ins where you can come hang with me or one of my admins to sit and write for a few hours. These will be scheduled weekly.
All events are typically hosted between 5-8pm. Office hours are always on weekends, while write-ins tend to happen on Fridays, and happen more often outside of the scheduled one.
Other events will be additional workshops or special events (like writing challenges), typically hosted on Google meet and these may be simple lectures, or the kind where participation is expected. There will be a minimum of 3 events like this held in a year, and the topic will be decided by the members!
You can access all previous workshops with your curriculum as well, even from before you joined the program.
I totally understand this concern, but i want to share here that some of my most successful clients are typically the busiest ones too: moms with jobs and family obligations, students with learning and part-time jobs etc. so you shouldn’t let this hold you back.
This program is created in a way to transform your relationship with writing into something you love, so you don’t find it as just another stressful thing you have to do in your day, but rather a way for you to unwind and truly enjoy your hobby.
The schedule you stick to is also customizable and created in a way that can fit your own approach to writing. It’s there to motivate instead of overwhelm. You can take things a week at a time, or focus on the monthly goals (these usually work better for me!) – either way, you have the option. And when things are broken down and structured properly, you’ll see you don’t actually have to write as much as you think.
We support all major debit and credit cards, MPESA, AIRTEL MONEY..
We offer a 30-day guarantee if you find the learning provided inside the program unfitting to the description on this landing page. Please note that this program isn’t a subscription, but a 12-month installment plan to manage affordability, which means we don’t support cancellations, pauses or delays.
Make sure that when you’re starting this program you commit to the 12 months to get the most out of this experience. You don’t have to be present for the entirety of the program to benefit from it, and the schedule is adjustable to you, so even if you fall behind a little, you can catch up on your own time, but we unfortunately can’t grant extensions.
Content such as the video lessons and live access to the program (groupchat, live events and support) will expire in 365 days from your starting date, but you will still be able to keep the Ebooks, exercises, templates, and your Notion workspace indefinitely, even if you do not participate in the live portion of the program.
I am always available to answer any queries you may have on info@doreenkhamalabooks.ke to make sure this is the right investment for you before you commit.
By joining today on either payment plan you receive all of the core-program bonuses:
- All workbooks and templates included in Novel Nook & Plot Academy and Pro at Prose
- The Writer Unblocker video course with the corresponding workbook
- The Novel in a Year: Notion workspace
If you join today by paying in full, you will also receive:
- Physical Product: All my four (4) books (print copy) without any pay and a book
- This product ships out within 1 week of your joining the program
