The Author's Journey

A Nine Month Writing Challenge for people who want to be Authors

Sign-Ups begin February 1st, 2026!

Writing a story can feel overwhelming... especially at the beginning.

 

Where do you start?
What should you focus on first?
How do you know whether you’re building something solid or just spinning your wheels?

 

The Author’s Journey is a nine-month writing challenge designed to help new writers (and experienced writers starting fresh) build a story step by step, with guidance along the way.

Rather than asking you to do everything at once, the challenge breaks the process of storytelling into nine focused stages, each one guiding a different part of how stories grow. You’ll work on a single story throughout the challenge, allowing characters, ideas, and meaning to develop naturally instead of being rushed.

 

Each month centers on one part of the journey:

  • The Spark — Choosing a genre, a main character archetype, and a writing style
  • The People — Learning how to create characters readers can relate to and live inside
  • The Voices & the Flow — Developing authentic dialogue, pacing, and tension
  • The Heart — Building toward turning points and earned payoff
  • The World — Establishing setting, rules, and consequences
  • The Pressure — Escalating conflict and momentum
  • The Cost — Exploring consequences and change
  • The Shift — Growth, meaning, and transformation
  • The Shape — Resolution, revision, and refinement

 

Running through all nine months are our "Nine Tails of Good Tales", the guiding principles we use to explore what separates good writing from GREAT writing:

 

Rather than treating these as rules to memorize, the challenge shows how they appear naturally at different stages of a story’s life — and how they work together over time.

 

By the end of the nine months, you won’t just have written “something.”  You’ll have the opening arc of an original story, built with intention, care, and a clearer understanding of how stories actually work.

How it Works

  1. Join the KI Discord Server and sign up via KI Learn to track your progress
  2. Once enrolled, new content will unlock every month
  3. Each month includes guidance, prompts, and tools focused on that stage of the story
  4. Move at your own pace, using the materials as deeply or as lightly as you choose

 

There's no daily word count, no pressure to post or publish, and no "falling behind".  For those who manage to complete their entire journey within the nine months a special prize awaits you!

Why We Built this

We built The Author's Journey to:

  • Support new writers throughout the intimidating process that is writing a novel.

  • Give experienced writers a structured way to start something new

  • Encourage patience and curiosity backed by a better understanding of what could take you to the next level

  • Create a space where stories can grow before being judged

 

Writing is not only a skill, but a process.  We wanted to make that process feel more approachable. 

Are you ready to begin your Author's Journey?