Welcome to Craft with Kat

Craft with Kat is a weekly newsletter with practical craft lessons for writers.

My name is Kat Lewis, and I use my professional experience as a fiction writer and video game narrative designer to demystify the writing process. This weekly newsletter takes the “mushiness” out of writing with concrete, step-by-step lessons that guide you through everything from story structure to the business of publishing.

Before starting this newsletter, I was a college instructor at the University of South Florida where I designed and taught upper-level creative writing courses. Once a month, subscribers get access to the content from my novel writing class.

Some of the key concepts from our craft lessons include:

• Story Structure

• Character Goals

• Dialogue Writing

• Scene Craft

• Revision

Whether you’re working on your first draft, querying agents, or revising your novel for submission to publishers, these concrete lessons will transform your writing life by teaching you practical approaches to craft.

Craft Lesson Links

• Freytag Who? A New Plot Diagram (Available for Free)

• The Four Elements of Character Goals

• How to Create Conflict and Antagonists

• How to Write a Character-driven Climax

• How to Write a Query Letter

• Act I: Three Beats to Start A Story

• Act I: Three Beats for Creating Conflict

• Act I: Three Beats for the Turn into Act II

• How to Revise a Short Story (Available for Free)

• How to Write a Subplot

• Act II: How to Write the Fun and Games

• Act II: How to Write a Midpoint

• Story Structure Analysis: Bring It On (2000)

• How to Write a Personal Statement

• The 15-Beat Synopsis

• The Story Hourglass

• How to Write a Novel Synopsis

• Act II: How to Avoid a Soggy Middle

• How to Create Tension in a Story

• The Secret to Character Development (Available for Free)

• Act III: How to End a Story

• How to Write a Scene

• How to Publish a Novel with a Big 5 Publisher (Available for Free)

• How to Write a Novel in Three Drafts (Part 1)

During the other weeks of the month, this newsletter will document my journey toward publishing my debut novel, Good People (Simon & Schuster 2026). My goal is to give other early career writers real-time insight into the reality of getting a first book published.

For free, you can read content about:

• Querying Agents

• Submitting to Publishers

• Tackling Imposter Syndrome

• Writing for Video Games

New posts are published every Sunday.

Subscribe today to support the free educational content and in-depth craft lessons I publish here on Substack.

Craft with Kat Courses

This summer, we’re launching Craft with Kat courses, an online writing school with practical craft lessons for writers. Each course demystifies the writing process with clear definitions, concrete examples from diverse storytelling media, and guiding questions that help you apply the lesson to your own story.

Our first course, the Query Letter Master Class, will teach you all of the techniques I used to sign with my agent and eventually sell my first novel. If your goal is to publish a book with a major publisher, this course will guide you through the entire querying process.

Our Query Letter Master Class has exclusive content and new writing exercises that will help you move past the query trenches and achieve your goal of signing with an agent. This course is available in two programs.

Independent Study Program

The Independent Study Program is available for writers who want to work independently with the course content.

Personalized Feedback Program

If you want personalized feedback on your query letter, you can sign up for the Personalized Feedback Program.

Why Writers Love Our Courses

Hear what writers are saying about Craft with Kat courses.

Tanya Žilinskas:

“I always recommend Craft with Kat to fellow writers; Kat has a preternatural ability to break craft and structure into understandable and actionable components. Kat brings this talent to her query letter editorial services, guiding writers to hone in on what’s compelling and relevant, while respecting the individuality of voice. Any writer looking to generate or revise their query letter toward results should use Kat’s editorial services.”

Former USF Student:

“Kat Lewis is by far one of the best instructors I have ever had the pleasure of learning from. This is the second class of hers that I have attended. I can confidently say that her teaching and feedback have made me a much better writer than I ever would have been without it. She not only taught us about the writing process, but she went above and beyond to provide an inside look into the industry and prepare us for our futures. I feel much more ready to start my writing career, and I owe so much of it to Kat.”

Mingshu D.:

“Kat has an amazing eye for language and storytelling, and just as importantly, the skill to communicate feedback in a supportive and eye-opening way to strengthen my vision. I would highly recommend working with Kat on improving your craft as she is a fantastic instructor.”

Elevate Your Query Letter with Our Course