The One Week Writing Workshop

7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel

Non-Fiction - Writing/Publishing
214 Pages
Reviewed on 09/17/2024
Buy on Amazon

Author Biography

Karin Adams holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg and pursued doctoral studies at Harvard University, focusing on ancient languages and literature. After seven years as a university instructor, she returned to her first love—creative writing—and has authored five traditionally published works of fiction.

Since 2010, Karin has been delivering inspiring writing workshops and classes based on her own practices to help fiction writers of all stripes succeed in their projects. She has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and professional development events.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Karin Adams' One Week Writing Workshop offers a structured, seven-day approach to story writing. It includes daily warmups and core exercises to enhance skills, stimulate creativity, and tackle writer's block. Writers can either start a new project or refine an existing one, with a focus on idea generation, plot development, and storyboarding. For example, day four highlights the plot with a mini storyboard; and Adams' workshop leans into the importance of the writing process over the end product. Techniques such as brainstorming, "Writer’s Walks," and using sensory elements like music are employed to boost creativity. Readers are taught about building characters by writing detailed biographies, first-person viewpoints, and visual aids; the setting is integrated with character actions, and the story world is expanded through backstories and physical models. The workshop stresses revision, advising a focus on story core, gathering feedback, and incremental improvements.

One Week Writing Workshop by Karin Adams is a wonderfully pragmatic and engaging approach to writing, making it a standout resource for both novice and seasoned writers. Adams’ own writing style within the workshop is comfortably conversational, making it accessible in how she provides a clear seven-day plan that guides readers. I think her encouragement to embrace the act of writing and experiment freely is extremely helpful and brings writers back to the joy of storytelling. The workshop excels in practical advice, such as using sensory details to bring settings to life and creating dynamic characters through innovative exercises. I personally thought the “500/500 Method” for balancing new writing with revisions to be particularly effective. Overall, with Adams' implementation of interactive elements throughout and her thoughtful strategies that foster steps and prompt proactive writing, One Week Writing Workshop is a valuable tool for anyone looking to enhance their craft and stay inspired. Very highly recommended.

Courtnee Turner Hoyle

Karin Adams presents her seven-step method that will keep you motivated to start or finish your writing project in her book, The One Week Writing Workshop: 7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel. In a process designed to last seven days, the author navigates you through drafting, writing, describing the setting, and revising your book. Adams also provides suggestions for gathering feedback from beta readers. Adams shares advice on decluttering, impostor syndrome, ideas, using synonyms, and character and plot development. With activities and examples and a one- to two-hour commitment from the reader each day, the approach is meant to help you get started on your creative path or reignite interest in completing your work.

Karin Adams has spent a decade successfully teaching her methods, and now you can benefit from her knowledge and expertise. Adams has written five fiction books, so she understands the challenges and success of writing. Her inspiring exercises are appropriate for all ages and writing styles, and the experience is fun, whether you complete every activity or focus on the ones that work best for you. I appreciated the author's viewpoint on writing. As a fellow author, I valued her advice and found nuggets of wisdom to use as I build my next novel. Adams's thorough, conversational technique is informative and inviting, making her book feel more like a mentor guiding and encouraging you. Readers who hope to start a new novel, revive an idea, or craft a book more efficiently will enjoy The One Week Writing Workshop.

Carol Thompson

The One Week Writing Workshop: 7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel by Karin Adams addresses overcoming the hurdles of novel writing. The book is geared for any writer, novice or seasoned, stuck in a creative rut. One aspect of The One Week Writing Workshop is that it gives creative exercises and foundational writing lessons. Adams offers guidance on everything from idea generation to revision. Each workshop day is structured to build upon the last, making the process feel less like a series of disjointed tasks and more like a cohesive journey toward completing your novel.

The One Week Writing Workshop is a guide that gives writers the tools and the confidence to put words down on the page. It’s an ideal read for anyone looking to shake off the dust and dive back into the world of their stories, whether starting fresh or picking up an old draft. While the seven-day structure is suitable for jump-starting a project, some writers might feel that the timeline is a bit too ambitious for them. The suggestions will undoubtedly get writers moving, but maintaining momentum beyond the initial week may require additional strategies not covered in depth here. As a creative writer teacher, I found the book more motivational than getting into the nitty gritty of what happens between story setup and payoff. Still, Karin Adams has penned a valuable resource encouraging readers to customize the activities to suit their needs. If you need the motivation to see your novel through to completion, this book is definitely worth a read.

K.C. Finn

The One Week Writing Workshop: 7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel by Karin Adams is a non-fiction guide for aspiring novelists struggling with writer’s block or needing a creative push. This hands-on book offers a seven-day structured method with over 70 real-world activities and strategies to help writers begin, continue, or complete their novels. Adams' approach breaks down the writing process into manageable tasks, blending creative exercises with essential writing principles. It’s designed to energize writers, making the journey from idea to finished manuscript achievable and enjoyable. Adams’ ability to break down the writing process into practical, actionable steps makes the daunting task of novel writing approachable for all levels of writing experience, and there’s much to learn from her wisdom no matter how long you’ve been writing.

A rich variety of interactive and engaging activities throughout the narrative keeps readers motivated and actively involved in the creative process, encouraging them to think about writing from unusual angles and approaches that help refresh their brains when they can become stuck in their ways. Karin Adams' method ignites creativity with a lively narrative style that is enthusiastic, but also realistic and helps keep writers on track with grounding goals to be kind to themselves along the way. Her lively and supportive tone provides both encouragement and accountability. The organization of the book makes great logical sense to be able to refer back to specific parts with ease. Overall, The One Week Writing Workshop is a must-have resource for writers that I would not hesitate to recommend.

Makeda Cummings

Writing can sometimes be an intimidating task for both novice and seasoned writers. Karin Adams understands this challenge all too well. Her book, The One Week Writing Workshop, is a beneficial guide crafted to help motivated writers master the difficulties of transforming their ideas into a completed manuscript they can be proud of. It explores and simplifies the writing process into an effortless, doable seven-step approach. The chapters focus on different aspects of the writing procedure--such as idea generation, character building, setting, plot development, planning, drafting, and revision. This guide will help you move from a blank page (or an unfinished manuscript) to a book overflowing with originality and unlimited possibilities. This book is brimming with writing motivation that will help unlock your full writing potential.

Karin Adams has done a fantastic job of providing potential writers with many enjoyable, engaging, and creative activities that will help stimulate the writing process. Her book is well-organized, uncomplicated, and accessible. The One Week Writing Workshop: 7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel offers clever writing tips to its readers and will provide them with endless writing support and encouragement. Even though the exercises are precise and tailored to fulfill specific writing criteria, they take into account the reader's distinct writing style and expertise. If you are looking for writing inspiration or you are new to writing and need empathetic guidance, this workshop contains useful exercises that can help you get started. Get ready to unlock your creativity and remodel your approach to writing!