Premium project-based curriculum

Reality
Writes!

Research a real moment in history. Write the novel. Publish the book.

Intended for 11th–12th graders, and advanced students no younger than 8th grade.

Get Reality Writes! · $495 Two ways to work

zacnorthup.com/terminal

Reality Writes! inside Pharos Terminal: the course overview with its modules and parent sign-offs.

The Reality Writes! PDF cover: A Project-Based Curriculum for Aspiring Writers.

The complete PDF with every purchase. Online in Pharos Terminal for subscribers. Screen shows a sample student.

Watch

One project.
A real book.

17 modulesFrom choosing a subject to launch day.
26 weeksAbout two semesters, self-paced.
18,000–25,000 wordsA complete historical novella.
Pro toolsAdobe Creative Cloud for the cover and pages.
PublishedA paperback on Amazon, through Kindle Direct Publishing.

Two ways to work

Online or on paper.
Or both.

Every purchase includes the complete PDF. Pharos Terminal subscribers also get the same course online, word for word.

Online · For Pharos Terminal subscribers

In Pharos Terminal

All 17 modules as web pages, with everything your student does saved in one place.

Fill-in forms for log cards, the AI log, peer review and the final-draft sheet.
Saved to your family's private records.
Upload drafts, covers and proofs to each module.
Uploads flow into the Parent Tracker and year-end portfolio.
Sign off on each module with one tap.

The same Module 2 source log card as a page in the Reality Writes! PDF.

PDF · Included with every purchase

The complete PDF

The full 132-page course in one printable file. No subscription needed.

Print it, or read it on any device.
Checklists, a source-log sheet, AI log, peer-review sheet and acceptance sheet.
Appendices on the Adobe software.
A parent or mentor sign-off at the end of each module.
Work away from the screen.

Same module, two ways: the Module 2 source log, online and in the PDF.

The course

Seventeen modules. Two semesters.

Research and writing come first. Then the manuscript becomes a book.

Weeks 1–2Modules 1–2Choose a real historical subject. Build a research plan and source log.
Weeks 3–5Module 3Read short novels and stories by the masters.
Weeks 6–7Modules 4–5Logline, synopsis, outline and a look at the market.
Weeks 8–13Module 6Write the draft, 600 to 1,000 words a weekday.
Weeks 14–17Modules 7–9Edit, peer review and final draft.
Weeks 18–24Modules 10–15Cover, layout, Amazon proof and formats.
Weeks 25–26Modules 16–17Marketing plan and launch.

Hand-drawn path through the course, from picking a subject to publishing the book on Amazon.com.

Read like a writer

Learn from the masters.

Module 3 studies how great writers told big stories in few words.

The PearlJohn Steinbeck

Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck

The Old Man and the SeaErnest Hemingway

Short storiesSteinbeck, Hemingway, Edgar Allan Poe and Jack London

Publishing

Their book.
Their business.

In the second semester, your student turns the manuscript into a book and launches a small publishing business they own.

DesignCreate the cover and lay out the pages in Adobe Creative Cloud.

ProofOrder a printed proof through Amazon KDP, and edit it.

PublishPublish the finished paperback on Amazon.

LaunchWrite a basic marketing plan, then launch the book.

The words are theirs

Written by your student.

No AI storiesAI may not invent plot, character or theme.

Every edit loggedStudents keep their first draft and log any AI edits.

A 5% capA finished draft holds no more than 5% AI corrections and edits.

Your guide

Zac Northup

Zac has written and published under his own name since 1996. From 2016 to 2021, he ran an educational nonprofit that taught rural high school students to launch their own small businesses. He holds an M.A. in History from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Pricing

The whole course.
One payment.

Reality Writes!$495One payment. One family license.
No subscription needed.

Included

The complete 132-page PDF curriculum
All 17 modules, from subject to launch
Templates, checklists and Adobe appendices
Parent or mentor sign-off sheets

Not included

Books on the reading list
Adobe Creative Cloud subscription
Printed proofs and books
The optional peer-review weekend

Pharos Terminal subscribers: $295 — includes all 17 modules online plus the PDF.

Get Reality Writes!

Pharos Terminal is $399 a year for one student ($299 for each additional student) and includes Modules 1 and 2. Refund policy

Questions? Answers.

Who is it for?

Intended for 11th–12th graders, and advanced students no younger than 8th grade, who are ready to research, write and publish a full-length novella. They work on their own, with a parent or mentor signing off each module.

Do we need a Pharos Terminal subscription?

No. On its own, Reality Writes! is $495 for the complete PDF. Pharos Terminal subscribers pay $295 and also get all 17 modules online, with forms, uploads and parent sign-offs.

Can we switch between online and the PDF?

Yes, with a Pharos Terminal subscription. The online modules use the PDF text word for word, so your student can move between them any time.

How long does it take?

About 26 weeks, or two semesters. It's self-paced, so your student sets the speed.

Who holds the Amazon account?

A parent or guardian. The KDP account must belong to an adult.

How does it connect to state standards?

Each module cites the West Virginia academic standards it addresses, for planning and records. Citation is not an endorsement by the West Virginia Board of Education or the WV Department of Education.

Standards are cited for planning and record-keeping; citation is not an endorsement by the West Virginia Board of Education or the WV Department of Education. Interface images show a sample student and sample data. Amazon, Kindle, KDP and Adobe Creative Cloud are trademarks of their owners.

Reality
Writes!

One project.
A real book.