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1)    When we stay out of the result, we move in the direction of our story.

2)    Story involves a transformation. There can be no transformation without surrender.

3)    Our idea of our story is never the whole story.  It’s not that our idea is incorrect, but that it is incomplete.

4)    We are a channel for the story. When we hold our idea of the story loosely and allow our characters to live, our perspective on the story widens.

5)    Character reveals plot. By staying connected to our characters’ primal drives, conflict arises, and the plot thickens.

6)    By allowing ourselves to be surprised in our daily writing, a coherent narrative gradually reveals itself.

7)    When we try to figure it out, we tend to kill the aliveness of our characters and our story flat-lines.

8)    When we explore the nature of a moment or scene, we connect to what makes it universally relatable.

9)    By exploring the opposite direction of where we believe our story ought to move, we are led to a more dynamic and clearer version of the story.

10)    When we see our characters as functions of a universal dilemma rather than real people we tend to loosen our grip on how they ought to behave, and
consequently they appear more like real people.

11)    Story is malleable. When we stay connected to the ineffable impulse that got us started, the order of events may alter, characters might be conflated, scenes added or deleted, but the essential story will remain the same.

12)    In creating a story, we cannot make a mistake. Everything we write either belongs or is leading is to what ultimately belongs in our story.

I went $64,000 in debt for my MFA in fiction writing. I sit in this class and I wonder why. This is a great class!
– Frank Wilderson (WINNER of 2008 American Book Award for his memoir Incognegro)

“The idea of bringing a first draft of a novel to fruition seemed too daunting and overwhelming to even consider until I was introduced to Al’s 90-Day Novel Class. His methodology is deep and precise, and helps unearth unconscious themes and characters in you that let the story almost tell itself.”
– Rebecca de Mornay (actress/writer)

“For the daunting task of writing my first novel, I needed support and a nice kick in the pants. Al has a great foot! He is a skilled and adventuresome navigator, helping me explore what lies uniquely within my subconscious, which, when prodded with loving hands, knows the truth of my story all along. Al sends out the perfect signals to get you to the end of your novel.”
- Donna Powers (co-screenwriter of The Italian Job)

“I can sum up my experience with Al in The 90 Day Novel in one sentence. In 90 days, I became a writer. I stopped talking about what I was gonna write, and I began writing. And because of that I finally understood what Al and other great artists talk about– when you commit to something and focus enough energy around it, Universal forces conspire in your favor. The work gets done for you and through you. Working with Al is to witness someone who is living his purpose. By osmosis, and through the teachings, you begin to live yours too. Thank you Al. I go to sleep each night satisfied that I have done what I know I am meant to do. I am fulfilled. I love being a writer.”
– Kate West (90-day novelist)

“Alan Watt offers not only a safe environment to talk through your writer’s demons while on the journey but the structure and insights that make the trip fun and enjoyable. It’s worth every penny and then some.”
– Peter Shuyler (author/screenwriter)

What they teach you in MFA programs is how to rewrite, not generate raw material. Believe me, I know. I went to a ‘prestigious’ MFA program where I eventually rewrote myself into a corner. Then I stopped writing for almost ten years. On a whim, I signed up for the 90-Day Novel, and now I‘ve left that corner for good. Through the class, I learned how to play, inquire, and access the raw material needed for my story to come alive. The act of writing has become thrilling and fun again. Thank you, Al!
– Dorcas Nung (LMFT/90-Day Novelist)
“Al Watt goes deep into our unconscious to pry the most out of our inner genius. That, and his superb attention to detail, his daily notes of encouragement and guidance, his insightful exercises and questions, make him a formidable teacher in the pursuit of greatness and originality in story telling – our story that must come out of the bowels of our guts! He is brilliant.”
– Bebe McGarry (author/screenwriter)

“I’ve told several people with some confidence that I’m a writer. I admit I’m new to it and not yet published, but I can hold my head up and say I write. I get that confidence from the 90-Day Novel Workshop. Alan Watt, you are brilliant. How do you do that? How do you keep track of the students, their stories, their characters? How can you have an immediate response, insight, suggestion to what’s going on with the characters and sometimes the writer? The only pause in our 90-minute sessions is when a student has difficulty unmuting. You never miss a beat. That’s amazing. This workshop is so much more than learning how to write. I enrolled in the 90-Day Novel course on blind faith. If I had had some foreshadow of what I was going to go through I probably would have said “Uh…I don’t think I’m ready for that.” Amazing. I’m aware that you’re well respected by accomplished writers, still you teach the course in a humble way, making even me, as the brand new to writing student, feel just as worthy. Just as uniquely qualified. In our egomaniac culture I find this extremely amazing. I see story all around me. I feel so much more alive. This is where I fall back into a loss for words. It’s that thing I call God. You probably understand what I’m trying to say.”
– Judith Scott (90-Day Novelist)

“Al Watt is a fantastic teacher…and delivers the most concise, most graspable breakdown of story structure that I’ve ever heard.”
- Andrew Lampl (playwright)

“Al’s 90-Day Novel is the best writing workshop I have ever taken. The supportive nature of the class inspires and motivates you to write everyday and to get to the true heart of your story. By the end of the 90th day I had completed my rough draft (300 pages long) and developed a writing ritual that I have adopted for the rest of my life. Thank you Al!”
- Jennifer Scott

“The 90-Day Novel is the most fun and exhilarating feeling I have ever experienced, like falling in love. Really, I never had this feeling before, not at Harvard, not getting my book published, I don’t even know how to put it into words. Al Watt is the best teacher I have ever had. He creates a space that is so safe and nurturing, I want to get it wrong because now I know I’ll be able to get it right. Al, thank you so much for sharing what you know and your experience with me.”

Maureen O’Crean (author I Am Diva: Every Woman’s Guide to Outrageous Living)

“In September 2009 I met Al and he promised me that within three months I would have the first draft written. I thought he was a little confident, but maybe I was too confident about my many years of writers block. Fortunately he was right, and now in the 90-Day Rewrite class – not five months later – I am totally and miraculously engaged in the second draft of my first novel.
“In unabashed adulation of Al, I want to say that he has a gift for making people comfortable and confident inside their own heads. I know (and don’t quite know) how he got me to write again, but I have also watched him do the same thing with everyone in class – and has done it all over the phone! He manages to set a tone that is supportive without being gratuitous, and he does so with intelligence and compassion. Writing a novel can be a cold and lonely gray day for the writer, especially when beginning, but Al knows how to get in your head with you and he shows you how to use the sunny side of the journey to harness the inevitable dark side of writing, and use it constructively.
“The online workshop has also been helpful for me since I travel a lot, so I can call from anywhere and rarely have to miss a class. Also, the online group page has been a huge support for me. I feel like there are virtual friends experiencing the same thing and Al’s daily newsletters are supportive and make me feel like I am not going at this alone.
“I can’t recommend this process enough to anyone who needs to write, whether you are an experienced writer or just have an inkling of something to say. I am very lucky to have come across Al and his workshop.”
- Lara Taubman (art journalist)

“I found this wonderful class searching for writing classes on the Internet. The 90-Day Novel workshop is a good way to get your writing out of your head and onto the printed page. Al Watt is serious about his writing, and he truly wants to help other writers find the story that lives inside themselves.”
- Regina Pia (90-Day Novelist)

“Not only is Alan a gifted writer, he is also an extremely intuitive teacher. He always seems to ask the right questions or have the right exercises that bring your story to life. After one workshop with Alan, he has me convinced that I can write. No small feat for a first time writer. If you have an idea that won’t go away then go to Alan’s workshop, you’ll be so happy you did.”
- Cheri Barstow (90-Day Novelist)

“Speaking as a bestselling author in both fiction and non-fiction, I can’t think of a better novel-writing teacher than Al Watt. Not only is he a wonderful and nurturing instructor, he’s also a terrific writer himself! How many of us have had that novel that we’ll get around to writing “someday”? But for most people someday NEVER comes — they think they need years to write it, or to quit their day job. With his revolutionary 90-DAY NOVEL CLASS, Al helps writers accomplish the miracle of getting that novel down on paper. Do yourself a favor and give yourself a gift you will always treasure. Only YOU can write that book — and Al can make it happen.”
– Marc Scott Zicree (The Twilight Zone Companion, Magic Time)

“Al Watt understands that the challenge of writing a novel is as mystical as it is technical. Balancing nuts-and-bolts instruction with calls to the writer’s unconscious mind and deepest spiritual centers, Al cajoles, prods, demands, and inspires each student to finish the first draft of his novel in 90 days no matter what. Why? Because he knows that once it is down on paper , the writer is now, for better or worse, a novelist, not merely another dreamer.”
- Allison Burnett (author of the novels Christopher and The House Beautiful)

“I’ve published two novels to some acclaim, I’ve published a book of criticism, and I have a novel coming out next summer. But I never send a work to a publisher before Alan Watt has gone through it and shown me how to make it better. He’s one of the best editors and mentors in the country. That he’s offering courses open to the public is a gift to the people of Los Angeles.”
–Eric Miles Williamson, author of East Bay Grease, Two-Up, and Oakland, Jack London, and Me, editor of American Book Review, Boulevard, and The Texas Review.

“Al is the Zen Master of storytelling! His workshop changed my life! His approach to writing is genius. He listened to me and provided insightful views into the world of my story. He helped me to bring my characters and story to life. I ‘ve been trying to write my novel for 8 years and would start and then get overwhelmed and discouraged. Al helped me overcome my fear and doubt. He created an energy vortex of creativity filled with compassion and wisdom that nurtured the storytelling process and made it fun and exciting. Oh sure at times it was scary and there were moments I thought “what the hell am I doing” but Al helped me get through the rough spots and gave me a deep understanding of the writing process and how it mirrors the life process. He taught me how to channel my resistance and drama into my story. Words just don’t do the incredibleness of Al’s workshop justice. If you are looking for help to tell your story, look no further. Al is the real deal!”
- Kristen Williams (90-Day Novelist)

Where every other fantastic writing class/workshop gave me everything but practical technique with which I could apply to my writing endeavor, Al Watt’s 90-Day Novel Workshop delivered the goods, especially for working actors with a hint that they may be a writer deep down. Al helped me discover my gift and provided me with the tools to dig it out of procrastination and to win the war of art.
- Shawn Michael Howard (actor/90-Day Novelist)

I had always dreamed of writing something close to my heart, but resistance always got the best of me. Then I met Al. The 90-Day Novel Workshop was just the intensive atmosphere that allowed me to focus on quantity and through Al’s loving, supportive and nurturing spirit, we forged ahead as he assured us that the quality would take care of itself. Working out a structure so that I could be free within that was key. Being free, in fact, is the key. There are no rules. I get to be an original. I am fully supported in a positive, loving atmosphere with like-hearted peers. There is no judgment here. I am so happy to have met Al. I must have been ready for the teacher, because he appeared and I am so grateful.
- Julie Lancaster (actress/90-Day Novelist)

Alan Watt is the teacher of teachers; authentic, a rare muse, your best enemy when you are feeling sorry for yourself, your guide through the muck of structuring your work, on the money, and last but certainly not least, spiritually evolved. Purely for selfish reasons I have mixed feelings about telling you how wonderful my experience has been in the 90-Day Novel Workshop. It is much more than a writing class. It is a gateway to artistic integrity. Enter at your own peril and glory, and shhhhhh, please don’t tell anybody.
– Deborah Grant (90-Day Novelist)

“For twelve years I struggled with writing my first novel. A friend encouraged me to sign up for the 90-Day Novel Online Workshop with Al Watt and I’m so glad I did. In 90 days I have written over 150,000 words. I feel confident and alive with my writing, and happily realized I have a fantastic trilogy instead of a single novel. Who knew? I guess Al did. Now I tell everyone about his online course. Thank you Al, you’ve genuinely changed my life.
- Eddie Conner (Radio Host/Author)

“Al Watt and his 90 day novel workshop have enabled me to FINALLY take the words I have been ‘writing’ in my head for the last 10 years and formulate them into something that actually appears to be sensible, meaningful and most of all OFF MY MIND and ON PAPER! {He is also very entertaining and an all around quality guy who wrote a f#%king amazing novel!}
- Dana Kiper

“Al Watt is brilliant. The 90-Day Novel online workshop gave me the structure, support and guidance to finish the first draft of a novel I’d been struggling with for a decade. Al’s coaching gave me tremendous insight into the story and my characters, and the confidence that I actually could finish – which I credit as a minor miracle.
-Laura Brennan (screenwriter)

“Al Watt’s 90-Day Novel Workshop is worth every hour and every penny. By asking all the right questions, Al helps his students explore the depths of the stories they were meant to write. I now have a first draft of a novel that had languished in a drawer for many years. I can’t wait for the rewrite class to begin!”
- Marcy Ayanian

“Think of Al Watt and the 90-Day Novel as your seeing-eye dog: You know where you’re going, but Al makes sure you get there.”
- Litty Matthew (journalist)

“I resisted my story for five years, with ‘good reasons’ to dodge the work. Al’s 90-Day Novel class changed that. The daily letters, stream-of-conscious writing exercises and tales of the other writers kept me focused, honest and committed. It was liberating to write without reflexive rewriting – a huge change for me! And fun to absorb the new characters who kept showing up. I surprised myself every day. Especially the day I finished. Thanks, Al!
– Peggy Mulloy

Al Watt appeared at BOOK SOUP in West Hollywood on October 4th, 2011 to talk about writing and to sign copies of The 90-Day Novel. Thanks to everyone who came out and showed their support!

Al at Book Soup with Amanda Michaels Zech, Trisha P and Stephen Humphries of the Fall 90-Day Novel Online Class

Congratulations to The 90-Day Novel In-Person class (Fall 2011)! The class celebrated at PACE in Laurel Canyon on December 7, 2011 and everyone read from their manuscripts. The Lab is proud of ALL the students for their dedication and hard work over those 90 days. Great job, everyone!

Danny Schmitz
Finley Glaize
Gia Marakas
Timothy Youd
Helena Lee
Steven Weakley
Christopher Moss
Nancy Callaway
Robert Gant
Albert Owens
Deepika Daggubati
Aubrey Thorne Carey
Cynthia Bardes
Meg Brogan