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This is the best Udemy How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) coupon code discount for 2026.

So if you’re interested in The Smarter Artist’s “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)” course, which will help you increase your Business skills, get your discount on this Udemy online course up above while it’s still available. (The coupon code will be instantly applied.)

How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) review for 2026

In our review of this course, we try to help you answer all of your most important questions about How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) as quickly and efficiently as possible, so that you can determine whether this online education training is worth your time and money.

Feel free to jump to whatever question you want answered the most.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Why use HTPAON(S as an abbreviation of the course name?

During our How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) course review, you might sometimes see us refer to it as HTPAON(S for the following 2 reasons:

1. We created the acronym by taking the first letter of every word (which was very ingenious and innovative, we know)
2. We’re lazy and HTPAON(S is simpler and easier for reviewing purposes

The full course name is 48 characters long, including blanks, while HTPAON(S is 8 characters long.

You do the math.

Okay, we’ll do the math. We’re saving 40 characters every time we use HTPAON(S.

So, just a heads up that we’ll be using this abbreviation sometimes, so you’re not left scratching your head and wondering what the heck we’re talking about whenever we refer to HTPAON(S throughout the remainder of this review.

Is the How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) course for you?

To determine whether The Smarter Artist’s Udemy course is a good fit for you or not, ask yourself the following questions down below.

The more you answer “yes” to each question, the more likely it is that you’ll like this course.

Can you understand what The Smarter Artist’s course is about in 30 seconds or less?

Hopefully, you can easily grasp in 10 seconds or less what this online course is about simply by taking a look at the title that The Smarter Artist chose for the course, “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)”, as well as its subtitle: “Learn the Step-by-Step “Story Beats” Process That Two Bestselling Writers Use To Publish 1.5 Million Words a Year”.

This combo of title and subtitle should be enough to communicate the purpose of the training if The Smarter Artist is a good, clear communicator (which, of course, you want in a teacher).

In our opinion, if you still don’t know what HTPAON(S is about after looking at these two things, then this is a red flag, and you might be better off not taking this class.

Among other things, it means The Smarter Artist hasn’t clearly and accurately conveyed what the course is about and might not be the best teacher for you.

For similar reasons, it’s important that you’re able to clearly understand what How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) is all about from the first few lines of the course description.

So take just a few seconds to read the opening lines down below and see what you think of them. 

Opening lines of The Smarter Artist’s official description of HTPAON(S

In this course, Smarter Artist co-founder Sean Platt will show you the step-by-step process our 3-person bestselling author team uses to plan and outline over 2 million words per year of high-quality, reader-loved fiction without hassle, delays, or the frustration most writers face.

The most important thing any independent author must do to sell more books and make more money is to “write, publish, and repeat,” getting new work to market fast. In this course, we’ll show you how to get faster while making your stories richer, deeper, and flat-out better.

Through ten videos and just under 3 hours of content, you’ll learn a pre-production process we call “story beats” — a way of planning that combines the thoroughness of traditional outlining with the flexibility and high creativity of “seat of the pants and trusting the story” writing. Having the very best beats in place before writing will take the frustration out of daily writing because you’ll always know your characters, their world, their motivations, and their conflicts. You’ll know what they look like, how they act, and what they’re up to. Sean will show you this process using our favorite writing program: Scrivener. He’ll show you what to put where, how to use images and the different sections to define your project, and how to show up at the desk tomorrow ready to kick butt and take names.

(Read more about this course on the official course page.)

Does HTPAON(S pass the 30 Seconds Test?

You can read a lot more about How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) on the official course page on Udemy, but the point is this: are the title, subtitle, and just the first few lines of the description enough to help you understand what the course is about?

If so, The Smarter Artist has done a good job and can be considered more trustworthy and a good communicator, which are important qualities for any teacher.

And, if not, maybe you’re better off looking at other Business classes that are more clearly defined and more tailored to your specific interests.

Did How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) appeal to you in 30 seconds or less?

Now that you’ve done the 30 Second Test with HTPAON(S above, what is your gut reaction to this Business course with only the basic information of its title, subtitle, and the first few opening lines of its official course summary?

Did The Smarter Artist do a good job conveying its subject matter, and did it immediately get your attention and appeal to you?

If so, The Smarter Artist’s online course is certainly worth considering some more.

But if not, perhaps it’s in your best interest to consider some other Business courses instead, because clear communication and being able to hook and maintain your interest are two very important qualities for your online learning success.

Does The Smarter Artist sound like a course instructor you’d like to learn from?

You’ve already learned how to use The 30 Second Test to make a quick evaluation of whether the HTPAON(S course is worth taking.

We have a similar 15 Second Bio Test where you read only the first few lines of an instructor’s background — in this case, The Smarter Artist’s background — and then you make a quick, snap judgment as to whether you think the instructor would be ideal for you.

There is no right or wrong answer. It’s just about going with your gut instinct. What might appeal to one potential student might alienate another, and vice versa.

(FYI, all Udemy instructors, including The Smarter Artist, have a Udemy profile on their course page, so you can easily check for a bio and background on the Udemy website that way. We’re only including the first few lines of the bio down below for The 15 Second Bio Test).

Opening lines from The Smarter Artist’s Udemy bio

SEAN PLATT, JOHNNY B. TRUANT, AND DAVID W. WRIGHT (the Smarter Artist team) are the co-hosts of the top-rated Self-Publishing Podcast and the co-authors of the #1 Marketing bestseller Write. Publish. Repeat: The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success. Sean is also the author of Writing Online, the writing how-to that has helped thousands of writers. Together the trio have published well over 4 million words of popular fiction.

(Learn more about this instructor on the official course page.)

What did you think about The Smarter Artist after reading just the first few lines of the bio above?

After reading just the first few lines about The Smarter Artist, did it make you more or less interested in taking the HTPAON(S course?

And did it make you feel like The Smarter Artist was more or less credible and qualified to teach How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)?

Finally, overall, did you feel like you’d receive the proper training from the instructor of this Business course?

As always, we encourage you to listen to your gut instinct, which is different for every student.

Are the HTPAON(S lessons clear, specific, and organized well?

Part of the (good) problem with Udemy’s online courses, such as the How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) course, is that the instructors are constantly updating them, including adding and renaming lessons.

So it makes no sense whatsoever for us to list out all the modules and lessons in the HTPAON(S course here, because you can just as easily go to the Udemy course page and get all the up to date course structure as of right now.

We do, however, have some tips about reviewing The Smarter Artist’s course structure, so that you can get a better sense of whether this program is worth your time or not.

In a nutshell, you want to scan the the titles of the different sections and lessons of the course, and verify that they are clearly relevant to the course’s name, How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener), as well as the course’s subtitle, Learn the Step-by-Step “Story Beats” Process That Two Bestselling Writers Use To Publish 1.5 Million Words a Year.

If the section names and lessons are clear, specific, and relevant, then it’s a good sign that HTPAON(S is potentially a good, useful course for you, and you can have more confidence in The Smarter Artist’s teaching abilities and lesson planning.

On the other hand, if the module names are confusing, vague, or irrelevant, then this is a red flag, which might indicate that the program is worth skipping.

Have you taken some free lessons from The Smarter Artist that you enjoyed?

Have you already learned something from The Smarter Artist that you valued or enjoyed?

For example, does the How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) training have some free lessons that you can try? (Almost all Udemy instructors will give you at least one or two lessons for free to help you make a better, more informed decision before enrolling in their course.)

But if you weren’t able to get any HTPAON(S lessons for free, have you perhaps watched a YouTube video by The Smarter Artist, or perhaps come across this instructor’s thoughts on Quora, Facebook, LinkedIn, Github, Reddit, or some other platform?

Or have you perhaps even taken one of The Smarter Artist’s free courses or free webinars? (Many online teachers offer these freebies, which is a great way to get to know them and evaluate their teaching methods before buying one of their courses.)

In any case, the more familiar you are with The Smarter Artist’s teaching methods, and the more you enjoy them, the more likely it is that How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) will be a good fit for you.

(P.S.: We strongly encourage you to seek out some free instruction from The Smarter Artist before purchasing this course, since it’s one of the best ways to determine whether HTPAON(S will be helpful for you.)

Are “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)” reviews generally positive?

On the bottom of the HTPAON(S page, you can read student reviews of the class.

Prior to July 04, 2026, there were 1,375 students enrolled, 648 reviews / ratings, and it was overall rated 3.4 out of 5.

Obviously, the more highly other students rate HTPAON(S the better, but no matter what, keep an open mind when reading the reviews, since you might still like a course a great deal that other students dislike.

After all, everyone’s got their own opinion.

We recommend that you spend only a couple minutes scanning the HTPAON(S reviews to get an overall sense of them. You don’t have to read each one!

Is The Smarter Artist responsive to student questions in the HTPAON(S training?

You can see what other students have to say about this in their HTPAON(S reviews.

But, our simple all time favorite way of gauging an instructor’s responsiveness is to simply email the instructor and see if or how they respond.

In this case, Udemy has a messaging system for students / anyone who has an account, and you can send The Smarter Artist a message through this system quite easily, even if you haven’t bought HTPAON(S yet.

For example, you could say, “Hi, and I came across HTPAON(S while looking at Business courses on Udemy. If I enroll in your training, would you mind if I asked you any questions along the way?”

If you use this approach, the response (or lack of response) from the professor will tell you everything.

Obviously, the quicker the response the better!

Are you comfortable going through the lessons in How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) on your own, online?

This is a big one, because How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) is an online course as opposed to a course that you physically take in a classroom.

Of course, you will need a good internet connection to have access to the course material and lessons, but beyond that, you also have to be comfortable being self motivated to some degree, being on your own, and not having any physical interaction with any of the other students taking How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener).

Yes, you will be able to interact with the students and the teacher, The Smarter Artist, online, but it’s a different kind of experience than what you’d get if you were interacting with them in person.

This is not a big deal to most people, but it might be something for you to consider if you feel like you do better taking classes in person rather than learning online.

Do the pros / benefits of HTPAON(S make it worth your time?

Ideally, if you’ve gone through the evaluation steps above, you have a list of positive things about the How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) training that looks something like this:

• The purpose of HTPAON(S can be clearly grasped and understood, and its lesson structure is clear, specific, and well organized
• The Smarter Artist is well qualified to teach this subject matter, has good teaching abilities, and is responsive to student questions
• Other HTPAON(S students have great things to say about the program

Other benefits include:

• You get to go through HTPAON(S at your own pace
• You join a community of 1,375 other students taking the course
• You get lifetime access to the training
• All updates to the training are free
• You have a 30 day money back guarantee

Even if there are some things that you don’t like about the program, so what?

The question is simply this: do you think that HTPAON(S would be worth your time, even if there are some things that could be better about it?

Can you comfortably afford HTPAON(S?

Can you comfortably afford the cost of How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)?

This is an important question to answer, because even if you think HTPAON(S sounds like the greatest online class in the world, it’s still not worth taking if you can’t comfortably afford it!

Before July 04, 2026, the price was $13.99 before any Udemy discount, and you were able to pay with a credit card.

Keep in mind that this is a Udemy online course, and there’s a great chance that you can get a solid discount on HTPAON(S with Udemy coupons / promo codes, especially with the strategies we provide for helping you find the best, most popular coupons available.

We’ll cover that in greater detail in the next section, because at the end of the day, its important that you can learn whatever you want to learn without getting into a lot of credit card debt.

How can you maximize your discount on How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)?

By far, the easiest way to get the best and biggest discount on this course is to use the How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) discount code link at the top of this page.

It will instantly give you the best coupon code we could find for The Smarter Artist’s online training.

We don’t believe there’s a bigger discount than the one we provided, but if for some reason you’d like to try find one, you can use the methods below to hunt for the best HTPAON(S course coupons and promo codes you can find.

FYI, the methods below will help you not just with getting HTPAON(S for a better price, but also with any other The Smarter Artist Udemy course that you’d like to get for cheaper.

How can Google help you get a HTPAON(S discount?

To use this method, do a Google search for the HTPAON(S training, but in your search query, be sure to add words like coupon code, promo code, deal, sale, discount, and Udemy.

For example, you might do a search for “Udemy How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) promo code” or “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) udemy coupon codes” and see what turns up.

Similarly, you can use the same combination of search terms with The Smarter Artist’s name and see what happens.

For example, you might do a Google search for “The Smarter Artist Udemy coupons” or “The Smarter Artist course coupon codes” and see if that helps you.

However, in general, it’s far more powerful to do a search for deals and coupon codes with the actual training’s name, than with the instructor’s name.

So in this case, for example, prioritize searches for “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) coupons” rather than “The Smarter Artist coupons”.

How can a Udemy sale get you HTPAON(S for cheaper?

Every once in while, Udemy will do a sitewide sale where they offer all (or almost all) their courses at a discounted price. For example, one of the best sales is where every course is only $10 or $9.99.

So, if you’re interested in saving as much money as possible, you could wait and see if you can get HTPAON(S for this cheaper Udemy sale price one day.

The problem is that these sales only occur sporadically, so you might be waiting for a while. Also, if The Smarter Artist decides not to participate in the site wide sale, then you won’t get a discount on HTPAON(S, even though you could get a great discount on almost any other class at Udemy!

To understand this, think of there as being two different coupon categories for the HTPAON(S course. Category one is an official Udemy coupon (which instructors can opt out of), while category two is a coupon offered directly by the instructor.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what kind of a coupon tag you’re dealing with (for example, “officially from Udemy” or “officially from the instructor”), as long as long as as you’re dealing with active coupons that get you a better price.

How can you get a HTPAON(S discount from The Smarter Artist?

If you’re really serious about getting “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)” for the cheapest price possible, then perhaps one of the most powerful things you can do is get a coupon code straight from The Smarter Artist, instead of waiting for a Udemy sale.

To do this, you can use either the direct approach or an indirect approach to try to get your discount.

With the direct approach, the big idea is to simply get The Smarter Artist’s contact info in some way or another (whether it’s email, or Twitter, or whatever else).

Then you send a message saying something like “I’m interested in enrolling in How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener). Do you happen to currently have an active coupon code for it that I could use?” (And then, hopefully, you’ll get a reply with your discount code.)

On the other hand, with the indirect approach, you join The Smarter Artist’s mailing list, if you can find it, and then you hope that at some time HTPAON(S will be promoted to you at a discount.

By far, the more powerful approach is the direct approach, because it tends to get results faster. But you can experiment with the indirect approach and see if it works for you.

Can you get HTPAON(S for free?

Of course, the best possible price for the HTPAON(S training is free! As in, you pay no money whatsoever.

And guess what? Sometimes Udemy instructors provide coupon codes that enable students to take their courses for free. So, perhaps it’s possible that The Smarter Artist has done this.

Basically, if you’re trying to get this program for free, you will want to search for the course’s name along with other words like free coupon, or 100 off coupon.

For example, you might do a google search for “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) free coupon” or “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) 100 off coupon” and see what happens.

But keep this in mind: often, Udemy teachers will offer a free coupon for their course when it first opens to get some publicity and reviews. And then, after a few days, they’ll make the coupon expired.

So even The Smarter Artist has offered free coupons for HTPAON(S in the past, the odds are likely they will all be currently expired. This is a common pattern that we have found.

What about a HTPAON(S free download?

It’s important to understand that there’s a difference between getting full access to the HTPAON(S training for free legally with a free coupon code vs. finding a way to download HTPAON(S illegally.

If you really want to go the download route, you can do a google search for something like “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) download”.

And if that doesn’t get you the results you want, you can add the word “free” to your search.

For example, perhaps you could do a google search for “How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) free download”.

However, even if you get some results from these searches, we do not recommend that you take this course of action.

First of all, there are some shady sites out there that could be trying to infect your computer.

Second, The Smarter Artist created this course and deserves monetary compensation for it.

And third, if you go the free download route, you’ll be missing out on a lot of value, because you won’t be able to ask the instructor questions or interact with the other 1,375 students enrolled in the program.

Can you get a refund on How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) if you don’t like it?

Let’s say that you used our tips above, and you were able to buy the HTPAON(S training at a fantastic discounted price. So at this point, you’re super excited.

Then, you actually dive into The Smarter Artist’s course, and you discover that it just isn’t for you for whatever reason.

And now you’re super bummed, because you feel like it wasn’t money well spent.

Well, guess what?

Udemy offers a rock solid 30 day money back guarantee on all their courses, so you can get a refund on HTPAON(S no matter what. And this means there is absolutely no risk.

Indeed, even if you left a super negative, critical review on the HTPAON(S training, and then asked for your money back, you’d get a refund. For better or worse, there’s nothing The Smarter Artist could do about it, since it is simply Udemy policy.

To sum it up: yes, you can get a full refund, so at the end of the day, don’t worry about the possibility of purchasing HTPAON(S and not liking it, since you can always get your money back.

What is OCP’s overall rating of How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)?

During this HTPAON(S review, you’ve learned about some of the unusual ways we like to evaluate courses, such as with The 30 Second Test and The 15 Second Bio Test.

So our overall review process is perhaps a little unusual and different from other reviews out there. Keep this in mind when you consider the overall rating / score that we have given this course.

Anyway, after taking a look at the HTPAON(S training, the instructor, The Smarter Artist, and reading what other students have said about this program, we give it an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5.

Ultimately, though, what matters most is what you would rate it based on the same criteria.

What are some potential alternatives to How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)?

If you like this course, you might also be interested in:

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3. How To Start A Business: Business Ideas To Success

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4. Stock Options Trading Level 2: Proven Strategies For Success

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5. Uber: Learn to Max Out your Uber Rideshare Profits

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TLDR: Just the quick facts about HTPAON(S

Okay, if all of this was Too Long Didn’t Read for you, here is the Cliff’s Notes version of what HTPAON(S’s online training is all about:

HTPAON(S coupon & course info

Course Name: How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener)

Subtitle: Learn the Step-by-Step “Story Beats” Process That Two Bestselling Writers Use To Publish 1.5 Million Words a Year

Instructor: Taught by The Smarter Artist

Category: Business

Subcategory: Media

Provided by: Udemy

Price: $13.99 (before discount)

Free coupon code: Get Udemy coupon code discount at top of page (no charge for coupon, especially since we are compensated for referrals via affiliate marketing)

HTPAON(S review info & popularity

Prior to July 04, 2026…

Students: 1,375 students enrolled

Ratings: 648 reviews

Rank: ranked #169 in Udemy Business Courses in Udemy Business Courses

Rankings tip: rankings change all the time, so even if How to Plan and Outline Novels (Using Scrivener) is a bestseller or one of the top Udemy courses one year, it doesn’t mean it will be a top Udemy course the next year

HTPAON(S final details

Languages: English

Skill level: All Levels

Lectures: 10 lectures lectures lessons

Duration: 2 total hours hours of video

What you get: Plan your entire story from Day One starting with a no-fuss, stepwise outlining process … but WITHOUT locking yourself in and cutting off creative expansion as happens with most outlining methods.

Target audience: Authors who want to write better stories faster.

Requirements: Scrivener software (not required for planning process, but recommended to get the most out of it).

Access: Lifetime access

Peace of mind: 30 day money back guarantee

Availability: available online, as well as on iOS and Android

Download options: check course to see if you can download lessons