Strong bones create strong stories. Build your Book Skeleton—and bring your story to life.

Most writers get stuck not because they lack talent—but because they lack structure.
Without a clear framework, even the best ideas collapse under the weight of confusion, doubt, and endless rewrites.

In The Book Skeleton, bestselling author and book coach Rea Frey will guide you through building the invisible structure that every strong book needs. Before you write a single word, you’ll design the "bones" of your story—giving you a clear, flexible blueprint to move forward with confidence, momentum, and creative flow.

This is not another overwhelming outline session. This is about creating a living, breathing skeleton that holds up your story’s spine, heart, ribs, and limbs—so you can finally start writing without fear or guesswork.

In this session, you'll learn:

• The 5 essential bones every book must have
• How to create a simple Movement Map for your story
• How to design chapters that feel purposeful, dynamic, and necessary
• How to stop second-guessing yourself and write with real clarity
• How to start strong and keep going—without losing your voice

You'll Leave With:

• A complete Book Skeleton template for your current project
• A Movement Map for your story’s beginning, middle, and end
• A Chapter Blueprint you can use again and again
• Your first 1,000 words written (or ready to flow!)
• A new sense of possibility—and proof that you already know how to begin

This workshop is for you if:

• You have a story idea but don't know how to start
• You've started writing—and gotten stuck
• You want to create a full book without losing creative energy
• You crave structure, but hate rigid outlines
• You’re ready to finally move from dreaming to doing

What attendees have said ...

Rea Frey presented a terrific method for structuring a novel that allows room for movement and change. Unlike so many speakers, she's traditionally published and knows what she's talking about. I highly recommend this course. - Lucy Sanna, author THE CHERRY HARVEST (William Morrow)

She was very knowledgeable and clear.  Loved her approach and hand-outs. 

Easy to follow. Plenty of examples. The framework reminded me of some instructional design aspects, which was an aha moment as something I’ve been chewing on came together.

Two-Part Event:

This two-part symposium explores the unique elements and techniques for writing spy fiction.

Adam Sikes, a former paramilitary officer with the CIA and a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, opens this symposium with a discussion about the real world of espionage and intelligence agencies, but the focus is to examine the following:

• The basic components of spy fiction
• The traditional as well as unique facets of character and character arcs
• How to develop intrigue and conflict in an espionage context
• How to use dialogue and setting
• The various writing styles that comprise spy fiction
• Research methods
• Q&A

At the conclusion of this two-part event, the intent is for attendees to have a deeper understanding of what makes a novel fall into the spy fiction genre, as well as how to write stories that possess the basic elements of spy novels.

Additionally, although the majority of the discussion will be around spy fiction, the principles discussed are applicable to thrillers and mysteries in general.

What attendees have said ...

"Loved it. I didn't think I had it in me to write a thriller when I signed on to the program (I wasn't in the CIA or FBI), but Adam's presentation makes the genre feel more approachable. I'm finishing work on a YA novel these days, but I'm thinking about the next book—a thriller. Thanks for the inspiration!"

"I was very pleased with Mr. Sike's two presentations. I'm currently working on my new MS which is a political thriller with an espionage twist. His information came at an ideal time for me which I will use to strengthen my MS. Keep these valuable webinars coming."

After an author types “the end” on the first draft of a novel, the real work is about to begin. You’ve heard the adage that writing is revising, and that’s largely true. The difficulty is knowing how to begin the revision process. Where do you start? How do you identify weaknesses in your first draft? Is there a right way and a wrong way to go about this? 

In this workshop, you’ll learn the following:

• How to identify and prioritize rewrites to turn a so-so first draft into a much sharper second draft.
• Using a detailed five-point checklist, we’ll focus on main character, emotional stakes, essential scenes, pacing, and world-building.
• You’ll have a strategy and a tool to help you analyze these facets of your own work to figure out where and how to prioritize changes during the rewrite process.
• You’ll take away a clear sense of how and where to attack rewrites and prioritize what areas need the most work.

What attendees have said ...

"Amy's succinct advice was invaluable to relieve my anxiety about tackling this rewrite. And the handouts are a wonderful reference!"

"Amy and Jeanne were both warm, inclusive, and knowledgeable. I attend a lot of webinars and this one felt like I was hanging out with friends, uplifting each other."