The One Week Writing Workshop

As a writer and educator myself, facilitating writing exercises and workshops is a part of my job; hence I need them for my own writing, for my students’ writing. Even in the case that I was not professionally involved with writing/films, I would want to learn new exercises for journalling and as a form of therapy.
I liked Adams’ approach and the overall one-week programme is one that is attainable and sensible,
Writers and writing instructors sometimes invent exercises, and it was lovely to see that Adams’ exercises were in harmony with mine. We also borrow from other disciplines or if there is need to reinvent the wheel, we use a well-established and tested exercise. The logical organisation the exercises in this book as well as the selection is very good.
I highly recommend this book to students of creative writing, emerging and established writers, and those who wish to take up writing as a hobby.

The One Week Writing Workshop by Karin Adams is a practical guide designed to help aspiring novelists overcome the challenges of turning their ideas into a finished manuscript. The book breaks down the writing process into manageable, actionable tasks through a proven seven-step method.

As context for my review, I recently started outlining the plot of a novel. When I saw the ARC of The One Week Writing Workshop available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to gain more knowledge of the writing process while I'm still in the planning stage. I knew it would also give me an opportunity just to practice my writing and find my style before getting into the really hard work of actually writing a novel!

The book provides a few approaches for following the content, based on how many of the activities you complete per chapter and how long you want to spend working through the content every day. I did intend to do one chapter/step per day, however Day 1's activities generated a random idea that really got me inspired and I ended up completing the first three days' activities in one go! As the lessons build up, they really flesh out the new ideas and provide a lot of great writing practice.

The chapters focus on ideas, characters, setting, plot and planning, drafting, rest and revision. I found that this 7 step process really worked for me. I really enjoyed the exercises and I went from day 1's idea-generating exercises to a fully fleshed out story by the end of day 7, in a completely different genre to the one I was actively planning before starting this ARC! Rather than this being a diversion or distraction, this actually gave me confidence in my ideas/creativity and I had a lot of fun working through the exercises and just writing something I found fun and interesting.

There's advice on how to reuse the 7 step process as an ongoing resource after finishing the book, and I will definitely use this method again.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

Really clear guide to writing. Great exercises that are inspiring and realistic within the time frame. I’ll be using this for my own writing practice and as lessons plans for the year 7 students that I teach!

I’ve always dreamed of writing a novel, but every time I sat down to bring my ideas to life, I was met with that frustrating void of a blank page. I would read countless writing guides, take workshops, and meticulously plan out my characters and plot, yet when it came to writing, I often felt overwhelmed and lost. That's when I stumbled upon "The One Week Writing Workshop" by Karin Adams, and let me tell you, it was exactly what I needed.
From the moment I opened the book, I felt like I had a supportive mentor by my side. Karin has a way of breaking the writing process down that feels both approachable and encouraging. The workshop is structured over seven days, with each chapter taking me through actionable tasks that consistently challenged and motivated me. Gone were the days of stagnant planning—the exercises in this book got me writing and thinking deeply about my story in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
One of the standout aspects of this workshop is its emphasis on taking immediate action. Karin doesn’t just give you theory; she provides over 70 fun and engaging writing exercises designed to kickstart the creative process.
I especially appreciated how each session circles back to the essentials of storytelling. I found that this book reinforced what I already knew while also introducing new perspectives. Karin’s insights on character development, plot structuring, and even the revision process provided me with the tools I needed to push through those nagging self-doubts.
What I found most impressive was how adaptable the workshop was. The guidance Karin provides encourages exploration, and I loved having the freedom to tailor the experience to my unique writing journey.
The format of the book kept me accountable, too. By following the seven-step method outlined by Karin, I felt I had a clear roadmap to guide me through the writing process. It’s refreshing to have a writing resource that empowers you to take real action and cultivate your creativity.
In summary, "The One Week Writing Workshop" is not just another writing book—it's a game changer. It reignited my passion for writing and helped me overcome the mental blocks that had been holding me back for far too long.

I love a good writing craft book. This is well organized and full of good advice and structure. A great way to jumpstart your WIP.!

This past summer I fulfilled a lifelong dream - attending the Iowa Summer Writer's Conference - the pinnacle of writing programs in the United States, a place of the greats .I found Karin Adam's The One Week Writing Workshop to be more helpful. The workshop in Iowa had the same premise - let's launch characters, let's think through plot, let's look for layered development -- but when I went home I honestly wanted to quit the writing dream entirely.

Adams book makes a really daunting subject seem accessible. There is an acknowledgment that not all activities work for everyone / there are layers to how much effort each person might put into each activity, but every activity can serve as a building block. I appreciated the way activities were organized with workout lingo - with core being essential and stretch being reach-for-it learning opportunities. Adams is able to go over the basics in an uncomplicated fashion that seems achievable for anyone, no matter their level or experience.

I feel like this is a book I can open again and again over years and still get something new out of it each time.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Indigo Rose publishing for the ARC.

Karin Adams' One Week Writing Workshop might assist you in overcoming a creative block. With more than 70 real-world exercises and techniques, this book provides a helpful, seven-step approach to get you started on writing your novel in as little as one week. It's ideal for both new projects and ones that you want to bring back to life. Karin Adams' method is the perfect partner for anybody who is prepared to transform their narrative ideas into a completed novel since it blends practical assignments with crucial writing instruction. Prepare to unleash your imagination and revolutionise the way you write!

I have long wanted to be able to write, but I get distracted, I don't know what I want to write about, etc.
While some books on this topic can get very wordy and difficult to continue. The One Week Writing Workshop was just what I needed. One week is doable.
The exercises were helpful and made me think.

While I'm not a professional writer, I long to write. This book will help me do just that.

Thank you to Indigo Rose and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A solid 7-day (+) workshop, especially for beginning novelists

I need to preface this by saying that I am already somewhat experienced as a writer, so the contents of this book were not new to me. That means that for advanced writers, I would recommend to only pick this up if you are looking for writing exercises and fresh approaches to your resting projects, not if you genuinely want to learn how to write a book - you already know that.

That being said, for novice writers of people coming back to writing after a hiatus, this book is fantastic.
Karin Adams leads you (gently but firmly) through a seven-day writing workshop, in which you can choose your own exercise regime out of the options she provides. The workshop delves into the usual topics of inspiration, character, setting, plot and drafting, as well as touching on revision. While Adams doesn't claim to give a proper how-to-write-a-novel course, this book will provide you with enough basic information to pick up the rest where you recognise deficits along the way.

The book is heavy on the pre-writing things, such as gathering ideas, drafting characters and starting outlines, explaining most of the elements briefly. There is a lot of note-taking and object-gathering involved, but from experience I can say that this helps illuminate the craft elements and gets the brain going on the things you will need to keep in mind as you draft and go through revisions.

Personally, I appreciated her flexible approach, being able to pick and choose my writing exercises. The best piece was her advice to not consider writing the talent or gift to aspire to but instead to appreciate the desire to write as a driving motivator for aspiring and accomplished novelists.

This book was absolutely fantastic!!! Particularly for writers like myself, who like to plan a little, but also discover our stories as we go. I hope it makes it to Waterstones so I can get a physical copy

I have completed my one week of writing (using my work in progress for the exercises), mostly focusing on the core exercises since I have been quite busy, so I will briefly mention what I got from each of those (but there are also fun warmups and "stretches" to do before and after the core exercises, and there are some that I really want to try out!)

* Day 1 (ideas): got to understand the things that drive me and had a fun time particularly dissecting the life stories that made me who I am today
* Day 2 (characters): felt closer to my two main characters after doing the exercise for each of them. It was a nice icebreaker to start coming up with more vivid details about them, and much easier to get into than, say, a character sheet
* Day 3 (setting): worldbuilding is hard, but this exercise made it simpler and tied it to the characters, which made the setting come alive. My writing has felt much more vivid since I did this.
* Day 4 (plot and planning): i was a bit hesitant about the mini-storyboard since planning has always worked poorly for me, but this was the right amount of planning, and can also be adapted and expanded if you're more of a plotter
* Day 5 (drafting): this was based on the previous work I did on character and setting, pulling from the mini-storyboard, and I could really feel the difference. I ended up writing way more than the suggested number of words!
* Day 6 (rest): loved that the workshop included this! It is very important to let a draft breathe before revising
* Day 7 (revision): for some reason this was what frightened me the most, and it took me longer than any of the other exercises. I need to get better at revision! I ended up changing a lot of what I wrote on Day 5, but the essence was still there (and it's always easier to write when you don't have a blank page staring at you)

All in all, I would say this is the best writing book I have ever come across, and there have been quite a few. I had never been able to complete a writing workshop! Most of the writing books I have read are very plotter-oriented and leave me stuck in "endless planning, no actual writing" mode, but this is applied, and feels simple enough that I found it easy to start, and then the results kept me coming back for more.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

Writing can be a daunting task, even for people who have already been published. How do you get from zero words on a page to thousands and tell a compelling story from beginning to end? For anyone hoping to start writing their own novel, 'The One Week Writing Workshop' includes several exercises that break down how to develop ideas, characters, setting and plot points. By breaking these up into seven days, it's a great way to find inspiration by starting small and expanding over the course of a week.
I've read other writing books like this one and I especially like the focus Karin Adams puts on rest and the fact that writing is an ongoing process.
As she says in the book, "affirm that you're a writer and aim to write every day."

4.5 I had so much fun with this little workshop-in-a-book! I'm usually a faster reader/reviewer but I wanted to slow down my pace to engage fully with the book over the week-long period and 'take it out for a spin'... I'm so glad I did because this was awesome!

What stood out:
✏️ The conversational, accessible writing style was a huge boon to this workbook. I've read a few fiction-writing guides over the years and this was one of the best for using plain language, not giving heaps of 'rights' and 'wrongs' and normalizing experimentation. I loved it for this. Writing should be for everyone!
✏️ Throughout the book, there are a variety of exercises that will appeal to a diverse range of skills and mediums. While I enjoy the writing ones best, I deeply appreciated the scrapbooking, mixed media, acting, and other mediums of creativity that the book encouraged!
✏️ For writers that struggle with a dearth or ideas or idea overload, this book will help you generate or streamline your ideas into a coherent, workable thing. Many of the exercises are structured in exploration and play to see what has traction and what doesn't. I was very surprised at what sparked a meaty idea versus what didn't!
✏️ Writing doesn't need to be a punishment (where did this rhetoric even come from, that we must 'suffer' to write?) and this book encourages rest, taking breaks from writing, and allowing ideas to flow naturally instead of forcing them through punitive writing practices.
✏️ Including an example that spans the length of the book was such a great idea - watching how Adams' idea goes from a spark to a full story outline helps illustrate the exercises while also inspiring us that we don't need to over engineer our ideas right from go.
✏️ Adams is a natural accountability partner: as the book wraps up, she uses common roadblocks to redirect us back to inspiring exercises that will 'unstick' us and get us moving again. It's too easy to fall over at the first hurdle but Adams knows that and helps us out!

If you're searching for writing inspiration, want to play around with some ideas you're holding, or simply want to give writing a chance, this book is packed with exercises, helpful tips, examples, and a tailorable approach to get you loving what you write and writing what you love!

I was privileged to have my request to read this book accepted through NetGalley. Thank you so much, Author In Your Corner/Indigo Rose. ✨

Do not be fooled by the “One Week” portion of the title. This is a full-on, high-intensity writing workshop that can easily be stretched out over the course of several weeks. Each of the seven days is not simply a single activity, but rather multiple activities centered around that day's theme. And these exercises are not the basic writing prompts that many writing craft books offer. Rather, they are vehicles which encourage writers to engage all their senses—to think outside the box and to really be in the here and now—and then translate those thoughts, observations, and feelings into words.

Unique and inspiring. There is a lot to do in this book.

Engaging and accessible. A recommended purchase for nonfiction collections where writing craft titles are popular.

I found *The One Week Writing Workshop* to be incredibly useful and motivating! Karin Adams breaks down the writing process into manageable steps, making it easier to tackle even when inspiration feels elusive. The seven-step method is practical and straightforward, offering real-world activities that you can apply immediately to your writing.

Whether you’re just starting your novel or trying to get back on track with an existing draft, this book provides actionable strategies and fresh perspectives. I particularly appreciated the focus on both immediate writing tasks and grounding in story essentials. It’s a great resource for overcoming writer’s block and making steady progress on your novel.

I am so happy I had the chance to read and try this. As a person who writes, with a dream to one day get published, I felt this book helped me out of my funk. It was no pressure, and I felt myself relax during the 7 days. I will be ordering a physical copy, because this book needs to be next to my other writer-help-books. I loved the steps, the way she explained in a way that didn't make me feel silly or doubt myself. This book is truly a booster for the creativity. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy, this one truly made me write with joy.

This was such a helpful book with amazing tools for an aspiring author. This book is insightful, easy to follow and great for new or experienced writers

I have been wanting to write a book for a long time but I'm never quite sure where to start. This book gives good practical advice and exercises. It's been a great help.

This is a good book if you are stuck and need help moving your story along or even getting inspiration for a new story. It hits all aspects of a book you may be struggling with from the characters, to world building, and everything in between. I find it has really great suggestions on how to dive deeper and where you can look for inspiration. Some of it is a lot of work, but if you are really stuck, I think it would be worth it to try these practical exercises. This will be something I can turn to if I come to a point where I need help. Until then, I can only say that this author's practical steps make sense and I can see utilizing them in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a great resource for aspiring authors. I’ll definitely be referring back to the exercises

I loved this and found it extremely helpful in my writing journey. It included much advice I haven’t ever read before so it’s a worthy book to add to any writers shelf. It’s a book I’ll read again and again, and probably get new things from it every time. Brilliant.