Join the Character First Story Free Writing course and become a plotting expert.
What is the Character First Story?
Here is my introduction to "character-first" writing: a free, interactive course that you complete at your own pace, delivered by email.
Build your plotting skills and sketch out a new story!
The course will do two things at once. Firstly, the lessons will guide you through the creation of a completely new short story. And they will also introduce you to the breakthrough plotting approach: the "character-first" story.
In other words, as you follow the writing prompts, they will guide you to try out and master new storytelling skills -- at the same time as you sketch out a compelling short story, from start to finish.
Introduction to the Character First Story?
Watch the video to learn more about The Character First Story Method.
It's easy it is to begin!
You will boost your ability with plot and pacing, get into a writing habit, and experiment with new narrative voices and story structures.
I will provide a framework for the plot; you will provide the setting and the protagonist. It’s a lot of fun.
It should be the easiest short story you’ve ever created.
Writers who have signed up to the course describe how freeing and liberating the approach is, and how easy it is to begin.
The best part of the process: this new story will arise out of your specific situation, your environment and location, and your own voice.
P.S. If you do sign up, and find that the course is not for you, you can unsubscribe at any time.
Click to view the course map
Start Plotting "Character-First"
Here's why you should be writing your pages, scenes, and chapters "character-first":
Grab Your Reader's Attention
Learn the secret ingredient that keeps your readers turning pages: it's the connection they feel to your main character. In this course, you'll learn how to create that relationship quickly.
Write Dramatic Scenes that Flow
It's so frustrating when you write a big, dramatic scene only to discover that it confuses readers. This course introduces multiple ways to structure your most exciting scenes so that readers instinctively get what's going on.
design a Killer Ending
This is maybe the fastest improvement the character-first approach brings to your storytelling: you'll learn how to prepare the reader for a powerful, meaningful ending.
What they say
"To be honest, I didn't expect much because it was a free course. Boy, was I wrong!
Even with a handful of writing prompts and advice, I came out with a better understanding of how to plot and with a new story pecking away in my mind for me to write, a story I never would've imagined I had in me."
- Lisa Troy
"I have collected enough books on the craft to fill a full bookcase shelf. Daniel David Wallace’s free course has helped me more than any book in my small library.
It's simple enough to move me steadily in the right direction, but complex enough to ensure I provide the depth of character, setting and plot necessary to create a substantial and satisfying work of short fiction."
- David Barry
Meet Daniel
I'm Daniel David Wallace, an award-winning writer and teacher. I spent four years of a PhD researching new ways to help writers like you tell a great story.
My stories, reviews, and essays have been published in great magazines like Tampa Review, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Air Schooner, and my writing won me awards like the Toni Brown scholarship and the Hodges prizes.
But when I sent my first novel to the big publishing houses, it was rejected. This was a tough experience! And so I designed a way of teaching storytelling that the younger me would have wanted to find, the "character-first" approach.
I'm grateful that this approach has resonated with so many people: 12,000 writers read my newsletter each week and every year I host three conferences on the craft of writing.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have access to the course?
When does the course begin?
Is the course really free? How is that possible?
Is the course suitable for every genre of fiction?
What if I'm writing a memoir?
What if I want you to review and give feedback on my story?
More comments on Daniel's teaching
"I have collected enough books on the craft to fill a full bookcase shelf. Daniel David Wallace’s free course has helped me more than any book in my small library.
It's simple enough to move me steadily in the right direction, but complex enough to ensure I provide the depth of character, setting and plot necessary to create a substantial and satisfying work of short fiction."
- David Barry
Start the first lesson
Copyright - Daniel David Wallace 2026
