You don’t need another idea

Or more inspiration

You need to interrupt the phase where everything stays possible (and nothing progresses)


Right now, that probably looks like this:
– you’re thinking about a book you’re not properly writing
– you’ve written some words and stalled
– you keep reworking the beginning instead of moving forward
– you know roughly what you want to do, but not enough to commit

This phase feels can thoughtful... But can also turn into avoidance

The real problem

(and why it hasn’t fixed itself)


Most writers don’t stall because they lack ability.

They stall because they stay too long in the phase where nothing has to be decided.

Everything remains provisional, which means the work doesn’t move.

Starting or Stuck exists to bring that phase to a close... so the book can actually go somewhere.

What this course *actually* is


Starting or Stuck is a five-week intervention

It’s short on purpose
It’s structured on purpose
It ends on purpose

This is not a course you 'dip into'
It’s a designed to remove your ability to drift

For five weeks, you’ll be guided (and expected) to:

  • write consistently
  • make decisions you’ve been postponing
  • move your project into a clearer, more workable shape

By the end, you are not just inspired... You're actually underway

What will change in five weeks


If you do the work, you will:

  • Stop circling the same questions
  • Commit to a direction instead of keeping everything provisional
  • Write regularly instead of sporadically
  • Have a story shape that can actually hold a book
  • Know what the next problem is — instead of feeling vaguely stuck

You may not have a finished manuscript...
You will have momentum and clarity you didn’t have before

How the program works

(and why it gets books moving)


Starting or Stuck runs for five weeks, with writing built into the structure from day one.

You’ll write five days a week, guided by short, low-pressure writing exercises designed to push the book forward. These aren’t polished drafting tasks or performance exercises. Each one exists to help you make a decision, test an idea, or write into the next part of the book without needing everything figured out first.

This is not about refinement, it's about momentum.

Each writing day also includes a short momentum audio. These are there to cut through the mental noise that tends to derail early sessions — overthinking, doubt, second-guessing — so it’s easier to begin and stay with the work.

Once a week, we meet live for a prompt-based writing session. I guide the group through a focused exercise connected to that week’s theme, so progress happens during the call itself. These are working sessions, while they're interactive, there’s no workshopping or critique.

Over the five weeks, the exercises will also take you through:

– stress-testing your idea before you write yourself into a corner
– shaping a flexible outline that can evolve as the draft grows
– clarifying your protagonist and arc so the book has somewhere to go

Everything here is designed to support one thing: forward motion.

Participation is not optional


Starting or Stuck only works if you:

  • show up regularly
  • use the prompts
  • write when you said you would

This is not for you if you want:

  • reassurance without action
  • inspiration without output
  • something you can half-do and still 'get value' from

You don't need to be perfect, but you do need to participate

It's for you if:

  • You’re starting a new book and want to do it deliberately
  • You have an idea but no workable structure yet
  • You’ve written some words and stalled
  • You’re tired of circling and want to move
  • You work better with clear expectations and accountability

It's not for you if:

  • You want a passive course to consume
  • You’re not prepared to write regularly for five weeks

About me

I’m Katherine Collette, a novelist whose work has been published internationally

I work with writers on the thinking, decisions, and momentum required to turn ideas into finished books

Logistics

  • Starts: Wednesday 11 February
  • Live calls: Wednesdays at 12pm AEDT (one live, prompt-based writing call each week for five weeks)
  • Writing cadence: Guided writing exercises are provided five days per week
  • Length: 5 weeks
  • Places: Capped

Investment

  • Early bird: $997 AUD (until Tuesday 3rd February, 11:59pm AEDT)
  • Standard price: $1,197 AUD (until Tuesday 10th February, 5:00pm AEDT)

Access

  • Program materials are available for the five weeks of the program, with an additional two-week wrap-up period afterward

Testimonials*


'I’ve got a graveyard of first chapters on my laptop and I was determined to push past that this time. Signing up for Starting or Stuck was the best five weeks I’ve invested in my journey to finishing my manuscript. I now have momentum, a solid writing habit, and a firmer grasp of how to approach drafting. I’m actually feeling excited about the process rather than overwhelmed.'

(Tania)

--

'I was well into a draft but it wasn’t really grabbing me. I needed something to strengthen its direction and give it extra oomph. Starting or Stuck delivered on this. I came out with more energy, clearer focus, and a stronger sense of what the story needed next'

(Anne Farrell, about-to-be published author)

--

'I started Starting or Stuck with nothing except a nagging idea and not much time. By the end, I’d completed 25 days of writing practice and written over 18,000 words I wouldn’t have otherwise. I also left with a plan for the next three months of writing — prompts, resources, and Katherine’s voice in my ear cheering me on.'

(Kathryn Favel)

*Testimonials edited for length and clarity

Ready to stop circling?

If you know you can’t stay where you are, and you’re ready to move your book into a clearer, more workable shape...

Starting or Stuck begins Wednesday 11 February