Support our Sponsors:

All ads on this website are unpaid and represent vendors, authors & publishers who support the community by donating their time, expertise and products to our membership. Let's show our support and click any ads of interest!
Building a Mystery from Back to Front in Twelve Months with Misa Ramirez

Twelve months of mystery and mayhem begins in January 2011. There will be teams, challenges, word count expectations, chats and skyping, mentoring, and more! This is an interactive class. You will get out of it what you put into it.

Teams will be made up of three to five authors who are writing similar styles of mystery (cozies, detective, romantic suspense, etc). You’ll come up with a name, because every group need their own name! Together you will have your own section of the Savvy Authors website to use for brainstorming, inspiration, encouragement, and virtual chocolate (or margaritas). Post your daily word count as you build your mystery. There will be mini incentives along the way. REAL chocolate, perhaps?!

Workshops, writing sprints, mentoring, and chatting are all part of the year long experience. Your team will become your best resource, and probably best friends, too. It’s going to be fun, but it’s going to be work. Put your thinking caps on, dust off your pipe, twirl that mustache, and get ready to build a mystery!

FOCUS
Mystery/Suspense


TRACK
Intermediate + Mentoring – Will cover topics in detail, with the assumption that the student has a basic understanding of the craft elements of writing fiction.

Got Questions?
Check here first to see if someone else has already asked, or post your own questions and Ask Misa!


Click here for full details and syllabus

WHEN:    Jan 24, 2011 - Jan 22, 2012

COST:   $75/mo for 12 months ($75 deposit due at registration) or
Save 10% with $810 lump sum payment

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:   
About MISA RAMIREZ / MELISSA BOURBON
Misa Ramirez / Melissa Bourbon is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery Series: Living the Vida Lola (Winter ‘09) and Hasta la Vista, Lola (2010) from St. Martin’s Minotaur, as well as the upcoming Pleating for Mercy, the first in A Dressmaker’s Mystery Series with NAL (written under the pseudonym Melissa Bourbon, which is actually her given name).

When she’s not hanging out with The Naked Hero (http://thenakedhero.com ), running Books on the House, a marketing site for authors (http://booksonthehouse.com ), teaching with the CAPE novel writing track at Southern Methodist University, teaching online classes, or performing CEO and CFO duties for La Familia Ramirez, this blonde-haired, green-eyed, proud to be Latina-by-Marriage girl loves following Lola and Harlow Cassidy on their many adventures.

Whether it’s contemplating belly button piercings, stalking Heidi Klum and the Project Runway group, or visiting nudist resorts (all in the name of research, of course), she’s always up for the challenge.

Misa / Melissa is working on two middle grade mystery series for girls. She is published in Woman’s World Magazine and Romance Writers Report, and has a children’s book published.

Visit Misa's website
Visit The Naked Hero (http://thenakedhero.com)
Visit Books on the House
Visit Books on the House for Kids/Teens
Follow Misa on Twitter
Friend Misa on Facebook

Tags:    Intermediate, Mentoring





*** 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:

CHAT: The Business of Blurbs
Meet with Savvy Instructor Beth Fred as she discusses what participants can expect to learn from her upcoming workshop. Cutting a 200 plus page story down to a couple of paragraphs is hard work. Sh... (June 18 - June 18)

CHAT: Writing Your Book in Multiple Drafts
Julie Rowe will explain her writing process - writing in writing multiple drafts - from how to write a fast first draft, to the checklist she uses to flesh out, revise and edit her manuscripts one dra... (June 19 - June 19)

WORKSHOP: What's in a Graphic Novel and How to Write One
There's more than drawing to creating a graphic novel. There's also more than writing. It's a bit like film-making, yet not. It's where visual art meets verbal art. If you've ever created plotting col... (June 24 - July 7)

WORKSHOP: The Art of Blurb Writing
“The Art of Blurb Writing” is as helpful with plotting as it is for blurb writing. This workshop is good for a mixed group as it focuses on using the basic Seven Plot Point Structure to create a clea... (June 24 - June 30)

WORKSHOP: Formatting for Effect
In this class, we will learn how to format for effect–from words to sentences to paragraphs to pages to scenes to chapters to novel–we will learn how to effectively format our writing to get the right... (June 24 - July 21)

CHAT: Dealing With Rejection
Rejection. It’s a nasty little word. As writers, we face it. A lot. Whether you are published or not, chances are you’ve experienced the sting of rejection. Join Adrienne Giordano to discuss her four-... (June 26 - June 26)

WORKSHOP: Author Coaching and Mentoring with Kat Duncan
This is a 3-month individualized mentoring program to guide authors through the process of finishing or polishing their target novel. We will schedule mutually convenient times to chat online and you ... (July 1 - September 30)

WORKSHOP: Developing a Monthly E-Newsletter
Want a cost-effective way to build your business by nurturing your present and future customers? Then create an e-newsletter. In this challenging economy, writers should consider the e-newsletter as a... (July 1 - July 21)

WORKSHOP: Great Beginnings
The beginning of your novel can be the most important words you write. The first three chapters can get you an editor or agent. The first 30 pages can net a contest win. But the first page, the first ... (July 1 - July 14)

WORKSHOP: It's Only Words - Taking Your Story & Turning it Into a Published Novel
My name is Teresa D. Jones and I write under the pen name T.D. Jones. It was just a few years ago when I was just like you…dreaming of being a published author. For as long as I can remember I've w... (July 1 - July 14)