Good morning and happy almost–New Year ✨
A few of you have already written to tell me about your projects—romance, historical fiction, memoir, travel and self-discovery—and they all sound fantastic! I’m truly excited to help you with them.
You’re getting this a little earlier than usual, and there’s a reason for that, which I’ll explain below. This email is your orientation for the next month: what we’re doing, where to find everything, and how to use the platform.
You can watch the video at the top of this email if you prefer, or you can simply read on.
Either way, everything you need is here.
A bit about me
If we haven’t met properly yet: I’m American, but I live in England (down in Kent). Sometimes I forget that I have an accent and that may have confused people!
(Since most of you are in the UK, all live sessions will be scheduled on UK time, and I have a poll down below to make sure we land on something that works for as many people as possible.)
Academically, my background is in folklore, mythology, and storytelling. I did my PhD in medieval and early modern studies, looking specifically at how stories are built from recurring threads and motifs. I looked at how those stories shape culture, and are shaped by it in return.
That lens informs everything I teach here: structure, narrative arc, and why stories work the way they do.
I also come from a teaching background, so you’ll see a mix of formats throughout the challenge: short lectures, visuals, slides, and practical exercises.
If anything is ever unclear, you can always email me; I want you to get real value out of this.
Narrative writing
This challenge is designed for narrative writing.
That includes:
fiction
narrative non-fiction
memoir
Memoir absolutely belongs here; it’s one of the richest narrative forms when it’s shaped with intention and structure.
The only type of writing that isn’t a great fit for this specific challenge is more expository non-fiction (business books, textbooks, straight academic writing). If that’s you, there will be other places for that later…but for this month, we’re focused on narrative storytelling.
What you’ll be working on this month isn’t just a blueprint for this book, but an understanding of how books are built, which is something you’ll be able to reuse again and again.
Scheduling
You’ll receive every email at 5am UK time.
That’s intentional. Many writers work early, before the rest of the day begins, and I want to be sure you have these ready to go if you’re one of those early-bird creatives.
If you’re not a morning person, don’t worry. It’ll be there whenever you’re ready.
Nothing disappears, and nothing is time-locked.
The platform we’re using (where to find things)
We’re using Substack for this challenge.
If you’re not into yet another social media platformm, you don’t need a Substack account to participate. You can simply read the emails and watch the videos from your inbox.
If you do want a central place where everything lives, you can always go to:
See all posts at:
👉 freeauthorchallenge.com
(or click this button below…and perhaps bookmark it.)
That page will show every lesson and video in one place.
You’ll also see a tab for Jan 2026: 30-Day Challenge.
This will become a rolling list of posts labelled Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and so on…making it easy to find your place or catch up.
(And here’s where I make my pitch for Substack: to get published, you’ll need a platform and an audience. I hate it…but it’s true. Publishers will always ask, and it’s make or break. Substack is the up-and-coming social media place to be! And I’ve totally fallen in love with it. I’ve actually mostly ditched Instagram for it. I dare you to give it a shot!)
The community
There are three ways to participate and ask questions:
Comments under each post
The chat tab (on the website or in the Substack app)
Emailing me directly
I’ll be opening a daily discussion thread related to each lesson, and you’re also welcome to start your own threads. If anything doesn’t work as expected, just let me know and I’ll adjust the settings.
I’m very hands-on with this challenge. I read everything and I reply.
Be sure to join the chat by clicking here:
Live Q&As
We’ll have two live Q&A sessions this month.
They’ll be hosted directly on Substack (similar to YouTube or Facebook Live). You’ll be able to submit questions in advance and ask questions live in the chat.
The live Q&As will be:
9 January and 23 January
If you can’t attend live, no problem. Replays will be available, and your questions can still be answered.
So…what time works best for you? (I’ll pick the one with the most votes.)
Buddy system
You don’t need a buddy, but if you have one, it often makes the process more fun and helps to keep you accountable.
If you don’t have anyone in mind, I’m happy to be your buddy. Just email me :)
If you do have someone who might enjoy this—a friend, a fellow writer—feel free to share it.
It’s completely free, and the more voices in the conversation, the richer it becomes.
Keep in touch!
You can email me any time: shelly@academyofstory.com
Or simply reply to any of these emails.
This challenge is live. Nothing is automated. I’m adapting it in real time based on who’s here and what you’re working on, so your questions genuinely shape the experience.
Full disclosure
At the end of the 30 days, there will be an invitation to continue this work inside a membership.
You are under no obligation to join it, and there will be no hard feelings if you just want to stick around for free challenges in the future or subscribe to the free educational newsletter.
BUT…this challenge is designed to stand on its own.
I want it to feel substantial, generous, and genuinely useful…not like a thin teaser for something paid.
If there’s anything that would make this month more valuable for you, tell me. I mean that.
See you Friday!
No homework today per se.
Just familiarise yourself with the platform, share with a friend if you’d like, and email me if you haven’t yet to tell me what you’re writing.
Also be sure to fill out the poll and get yourself into the group chat.
You’ll hear from me again on Friday, when the challenge officially begins!
(I’ve left a day in between so you can recover from New Year’s celebrations if needed.)
Then we’ll ease into a strong, foundational first week.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Have a wonderful New Year,
Shelly ✨
