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Writing Your Lightning Draft with Cathy Yardley

In three months, Cathy Yardley can help you plot and write a novel… and give you the tools you need to repeat the process. 

If you want to be a full time writer, especially in today’s publishing climate, you’re going to find that productivity is crucial. “More books” equals “more sales” as both traditional and indie publishing learn that new books boost the numbers of previous ones. 

If you want to increase your productivity (and teach your muse to show up when you do) this course will help you: 

1.   Set up for writing a “lightning” draft:  build a foundation for your characters and make sure your plot points are in good shape before diving into the draft.

2.   Learn to create a “container” of space, time and attitude to ensure you’re writing at a regular rate, and creating a support network to ensure you keep you on target.

3.   Get the motivation you need to keep going as well as guidance to help you get through the “stuck” parts.

4.   Identify and negotiate any fears or self-sabotage that crop up, as well as identifying your writing process.

In three months, you’ll have the rough draft of a genre novel completed and ready to revise.    

COURSE FOCUS:  Genre fiction.

COURSE LEVEL: Mentoring course for beginning to intermediate writers.

Click here to view Syllabus

WHEN:    Sep 3, 2012 - Dec 3, 2012

COST:   $200/mo for 3 months ($200 deposit due at registration) or
Save 10% with $540 lump sum payment
$200/mo ($200 deposit due at registration) or
Save 10% with $2160 lump sum payment for Basic Members

Payment Options: Studens may choose to pay tuition as a discounted lump sum payment or in monthly installments. If paying by monthly installments, a non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a seat in the course and will be applied to the last month's tuition cost. If student chooses to withdraw from the course early, the non-refundable deposit is forfeit (see cancellation policy).

Cancellation policy: Any student may cancel at any time after the course begins with a 30 day written notice (email is fine) and will forfeit the non-refundable deposit. If tuition had been paid using the discounted lump sum payment, refund will be pro-rated at the monthly fee rate minus the non-refundable deposit.

REGISTRATION:      *** Registration Closed***

COURSE APPLICATION PROCESS & TUITION:
Due to the intensive nature of this program, all prospective students must complete and return an application plus a five page sample of their writing after registering for the course and paying the deposit. Admittance is at the instructor's discretion, and the instructor will be evaluating applications as they are received. Payment of course deposit will ensure a seat in the course should your application be accepted. If an application is not accepted, applicant's deposit will be refunded immediately.

INSTRUCTOR:   
Author of more than 15 novels with publishers such as Harlequin, Avon & St. Martin's Griffin, Cathy Yardley is a powerhouse of writing knowledge. She has presented workshops at the Emerald City Writers Conference and the New England Writers Conference, and at several RWA chapters, including Sacramento, Monterey Bay, Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Seattle's Eastside chapter. She was the only romance author representing the romance genre at the California Writers Club's annual "East of Eden" conference. She has spoken at the RWA conference, either on a panel or as a solo speaker, in 2003, 2004, and 2007, and teaches a variety of writing workshops throughout the year.

Find out more about Cathy at her website.


WHERE:   
In the Savvy Authors Forums and Chatrooms

Tags:    Craft, Plotting





*** PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED ***

Website Instructions

Savvy Authors' workshops are held on a forum: a bulletin board based system. Instead of an invitation to join a loop you will receive a reminder notice one or two days prior to the start of the workshop that includes your user name, password and instructions on how to access the workshop forum. If you have not received instructions by the day the workshop begins, please check your spam filter.

The forum will be available the morning (EST) of the day the workshop starts and will remain accessible to all participants thereafter, even after the workshop ends (unless otherwise stated by the moderator).

Participants can "subscribe" to the forum at any time after receiving initial access to automatically receive notice of all posts made to the forum via email. Participants will receive a link in each email which will take them directly to that area of the forum where one can post a reply.

A moderator is assigned for each workshop and will introduce himself/herself on the first day of class. The moderator is available to answer any website questions, assist the instructor, and address any concerns. We urge every participant to contact the moderator immediately if you feel the workshop experience falls below expectations so we may address issues promptly before the workshop ends. Savvy Authors strives to offer an educational and satisfying workshop experience for everyone, and we treat complaints with utmost urgency.

Questions or concerns may also be sent to workshops@savvyauthors.com.

Payment is due at the time of registration to guarantee your seat in the course. Registrations are non-refundable except when the workshop is cancelled by Savvy Authors.

Upcoming Events:

WORKSHOP: The Purpose Driven Scene
Scenes are the building blocks of a novel. But while a scene is advancing the book’s story question, each scene is, in itself, a story in miniature. This workshop focuses on how to develop a scen... (May 27 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Active vs. Passive Voice
What is passive voice? Why should it be avoided? How can you make your writing more active? We will look at how to recognize and change passive into active writing. We will also look the rare occasion... (May 27 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Hunting the Elusive Hook
What is a hook and how can I use it? Whether you've never heard of hooks or have been writing hooks for years, this workshop will take you through the whole gamut of ways to write hooks and use them e... (May 27 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Book Your Blog
Did you know that if you have a blog you may already have a book with built-in readers? And if your goal is to finish your book this year, why not use your blog to make it happen? Attract the attentio... (May 27 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Using Astrology to Add Intensity to Your Characters
How readers connect to your character determines if they finish your book and if they become your fan (and buy more of your books). Readers connect with characters that are authentic and have depth. A... (May 27 - June 23)

CHAT: Honey, I've Got a Headache: Embrace writing sex scenes
Do you dread writing sex scenes? Are you pulling your hair out trying to figure how to keep it sizzling and fresh? Do you struggle with how to make it hot when you close the bedroom door? Well, you d... (May 29 - May 29)

WEBINAR: Self-Publishing and Marketing a Book
This seminar is not a how-to lecture, but rather one that addresses a catalog of issues, decisions and pitfalls facing the new author who intends to publish a book on their own. Author Hank Quense, w... (June 2 - June 9)

WORKSHOP: Seven Secrets of the Prolific
Secrets of the Prolific: How to Overcome Procrastination, Perfectionism and Writer’s Block will forever change your relationship with your writing. People suffering from procrastination or a block oft... (June 3 - June 30)

WORKSHOP: Making Scenes Come Alive
MAKING SCENES COME ALIVE (A workshop by Dee Lloyd) Think of your story as a series of scenes. Then make every scene vibrant and engrossing. MAKING SCENES COME ALIVE workshop will ... (June 3 - June 23)

WORKSHOP: Writing Regency-Set Novels
For all that it covers an amazingly short time span (1811 to 1820) the English Regency has a remarkable allure for writers and readers. Mystery writers, including the great John Dixon Carr, have chose... (June 3 - June 30)