Write Your First Novel in 12 Days… By Copying!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.9 stars (5966 students)
For centuries, people learned to write by copying great novels. This is called copywork.
Jack London copied Rudyard Kipling. Hunter S. Thompson copied The Great Gatsby. I copied Hemingway to write an award-winning novel that sold over 15,000 copies.
In the 12-Day Copywork Masterclass, I’ll teach you my exact method.
The Lost Art of Copywork
Musicians learn by playing old songs.
Chefs learn by cooking classic dishes.
A great song teaches you harmony. A classic recipe teaches you flavor.
For writers, we have copywork.
It’s simple: you copy great novels, word for word, for 30 minutes a day.
As you do this, you’ll absorb the rhythms, sentence structures, and storytelling patterns of great fiction.
This is the best way to learn to write a novel.
Join the Masterclass:
💥 SALE: 85% OFF, today only! 💥
“If you type out somebody’s work, you learn a lot about it. Amazingly it’s like music. And from typing out Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, these were writers that were very big in my life and the lives of the people around me. I wanted to learn from the best.”
— Hunter S. Thompson
The 12-Day Copywork Masterclass
In this course, you’ll learn to write a novel using copywork.
You’ll study and copy from 19 legendary authors. Every day, I’ll send you a lesson. Each lesson comes with copywork exercises, where I explain everything you need to learn.
Part 1: Prose Skills
1: Show, Don’t Tell
How to paint a vivid picture with your words.
Taught by: Ernest Hemingway, Jack London
2: Description
How to describe things and people.
Taught by: Bret Easton Ellis
3: Narration
How to move the story through space & time.
Taught by: Suzanne Collins, Harper Lee
4: Dialogue
How to write realistic and interesting speech.
Taught by: Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy
5: Action and Behavior
How to create motion in your scenes.
Taught by: F Scott Fitzgerald, JRR Tolkien
6: Rhythm and Flow
How to write poetic, lyrical prose.
Taught by: McCarthy, Vladimir Nabokov
Part 2: Storytelling Skills
7: World, Setting, Tone
How to write believable settings and places.
Taught by: George Orwell, Douglas Adams
8: The Narrative Question
How to keep your reader interested all the way.
Taught by: Ken Liu
9: Pacing
How to control the speed of your story.
Taught by: Shirley Jackson, Dan Brown
10: Inner Journey
How to add emotional depth to your characters.
Taught by: Stephen King
11: Setup and Payoff
How to deliver endings that satisfy.
Taught by: Jane Yolen
12: Story Patterns
How to use plot patterns to tell great stories.
Taught by: Kurt Vonnegut, Kate Chopin
Join the Masterclass:
💥 SALE: 85% OFF, today only! 💥
How It Works
The 12-Day Copywork Masterclass starts today and runs for 12 days.
You’ll get a lesson in your email every morning. You can print the lessons, or login at any time to learn at your own pace. Each lesson takes 30-45 minutes.
What you'll get:
12 Daily Email Lessons taught by legendary authors
23,000 Words of Copywork to practice the techniques of good prose
19 Downloadable Exercises you can save, print, and use offline
5 Novel Cheat Sheets to help you plot, characterize, and edit your novel
How I’ll help you succeed:
Guided Copywork App to explain the lessons and track your progress
24 Hour Email Support, where I answer all your writing questions
Lifetime Access, so you can learn at your own pace
100% Money-Back Guarantee for 12 days, so you can learn without worry
Join the Masterclass:
💥 SALE: 85% OFF, today only! 💥
Guided Copywork App
You can do copywork by hand or by typing.
If you want to write by hand, simply print the PDFs attached to the lessons.
If you want to type, you can use our new Guided Copywork App:
Login anywhere on any device
Get detailed notes that explain the passage
Save your copying progress
All 12-Day Copywork Masterclass students get lifetime access to the Guided Copywork App.
Join the Masterclass:
💥 SALE: 85% OFF, today only! 💥
Student Testimonials
Since the 12-Day Copywork Masterclass launched, we’ve had over 5000 satisfied students, ranging from beginners to traditionally-published authors.
Here’s what our students are saying:
Join the Masterclass:
💥 SALE: 85% OFF, today only! 💥
FAQs (Common Questions and Answers)
Does copying actually work?
Yes, it actually works!
Hunter S Thompson copied his favorite books word-for-word. It’s how he became a great writer.
Jack London, a failed gold prospector, ended up making the modern equivalent of $90,000 a year in book royalties just three years after he started writing. He did it with copywork.
Simply put, copywork is the best way to learn the patterns and rhythms of good writing. It has worked for myself and thousands of our students. It will work for you too.
If I can just copy, why do I need this course?
In this course, you’ll get 12 writing lessons and 19 hand-picked copywork exercises. Instead of wasting time copying entire novels like Jack London, I’ll show you exactly what to copy – so you can focus on learning.
Each lesson teaches an important writing concept, based on what I know as a professional writer.
Plus, each copywork assignment comes with my notes that explain all the writing techniques you might have missed.
Is it plagiarism to do copywork?
No, of course not.
With copywork, you don’t publish the things you copy. It is merely a technique to help you learn from the best of the best.
Once you learn the skills of the old masters, you will be able to confidently write your own original works.
How much writing experience do I need?
You don’t need any writing experience! Most of our students are beginners.
Can I do the course at my own pace?
Yes, you can do the Masterclass at your own pace. You’ll always have access to the lessons by logging in.
How long does it take?
Each lesson takes 30-45 minutes. You will need 15 minutes to read the lesson, and 30 minutes to complete the day’s copywork assignments.
Do I have to copy every assignment?
No. You can pick and choose from the assignments you want to copy from.
Sometimes a style doesn’t work for you, and that’s fine.
However, if you have the time, I suggest you try each assignment. You never know what you’ll learn.
I have questions about something else.
I’m happy to answer your questions!
Just drop me an email at Teng@MasteringFiction.com and I will be delighted to help you out.
Join the Masterclass:
💥 SALE: 85% OFF, today only! 💥
✅ Our 100% Money-Back Guarantee
Since we launched, we’ve had 5000+ satisfied students. That’s why I can personally guarantee your satisfaction.
Within 12 days, I’ll refund your entire purchase for any reason, no questions asked. Simply reply to any of our emails to request a refund.
About Me
Hey there! My name is Teng Rong. I’m a 2x award-winning novelist (2022 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for best YA Audiobook & 2022 Library Journal IAP for best YA Novel).
Since 2020, I’ve written over 1.5 million words of fiction. My first novel sold over 13,900 copies. In addition, I sold over $100,000 in story commissions under various pen names.
I am the Managing Editor for Fictionalist, the internet’s leading writing advice newsletter.
Ready to Write Your First Novel?
Click below to sign up for the 12-Day Copywork Masterclass today!