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| June 2013 Workshops | Jun 24 - Jul 7 | What's in a Graphic Novel and How to Write One
Instructor: Masha Holl. 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 collages or collected images to help you focus your writing, you've probably wondered what it would take to go one step further, and put it together into an image-based story.
Here's the answers to the basic questions: what does it take? Do you have the skills, or the desire to learn the skills? D... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Contests, Genre, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Jun 24 - Jun 30 | The Art of Blurb Writing
Instructor: Beth Fred. “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 clear concise synopsis good for a query or a self-published author’s blurb.
You will learn how to bring voice, character, and story together to create a clear synopsis of less than 200 words. This workshop includes exercises and participants will finish the class with a completed query or outline.
... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Query/Pitch) | (Workshop) |
| Jun 24 - Jul 21 | Formatting for Effect
Instructor: Pat Hauldren. 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 effect for the reader. Formatting for Effect doesn’t just work on sentence structure or what makes a good paragraph, etc., but how that sentence structure, paragraph form, scene development, chapter layout, is interpreted by the reader and how we can make it better.We’ll look at acronyms, the rule ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Editing, Publishing, Technology) | (Workshop) |
| | July 2013 Workshops | Jul 1 - Jul 21 | Developing a Monthly E-Newsletter
Instructor: Allice Osborn. 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 vital part of their marketing plan to distinguish themselves from the competition and allow potential readers, agents and editors to get to know them. In this 2-part workshop Alice will discuss developing lists, writing effective subject lines, inserting links, plugging into third party content, an... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 1 - Jul 14 | Great Beginnings
Instructor: Becky Martinez. 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 sentences can capture a reader’s attention and make you another fan.
So how do you get your idea to go from mere thoughts to a good story? How do you decide where to start and then make your story flow so that the reader wants to keep going?
Get ideas for working with your characters and plot ... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 1 - Sep 30 | Author Coaching and Mentoring with Kat Duncan **FULL**
Instructor: 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 will receive personal, private, specific feedback in writing. Limited enrollment for 5 students. Add your name to a waiting list if enrollment is full.
Includes:
Unlimited access via email for brainstorming, coaching, specific questions and regular check-ins
Regular private online chats in ... {more info}
Duration: 91 days. $250/$350 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Query/Pitch, Masters, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 1 - Jul 14 | It's Only Words - Taking Your Story & Turning it Into a Published Novel
Instructor: TD Jones. 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 wanted to be a writer and would read anything I could get my hands on about writing and there are some great ones out there, but I was always looking for that one book that was more on a personal side and not so much the rules. I'm not fond of rules when it comes to creativity, rules can put people i... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 1 - Jul 28 | Core Curricula for Authors 401 - Getting Published
Instructor: Becky Martinez. Today’s Publishing World
The publishing world is changing every day. From self publishing to the rise of epublishing to changes at the bigger publishing house. We’ll take a look at some of the options out there and what will work best for each author.
Writing the Synopsis & Log Lines
If you’re going to submit to publishers or agents, you’ll need to come up with a reasonable synopsis. We’ll look back at what we learned as we were plotting to get an idea of how t... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 8 - Aug 4 | Plotting from Character
Instructor: Shannon Donnelly. Have no idea what to do with your characters? Do you have a story but no idea how to structure the plot? This workshop covers some ideas on how to create the story from the inside out. Plotting from character can not only give you a more inventive story, it can also be a more fun story to write.
What we'll cover:
1) Starting at the deepest point: for every character, find that person's core need.
2) Keeping the Focus of the story: one character's specific growth.
3) Goals and Motiva... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characte) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 8 - Jul 21 | What a Wicked Web We Weave - A Spider's Approach to Subplots in Storytell
Instructor: Theresa Meyers. The difference between writing and writing big has to do with adding multiple layers to your stories. But how do you weave a story with multiple threads that interweave into an intense read without losing track or weaving in too much?
In this course you’ll:
* Discover the uses for subplotting
* Learn spiderweb plotting board techniques for tracking multiple subplots
* Find ways to strongly connect story threads so that they are interdependent
* Learn why subplots aren’t ... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $10/$20 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 8 - Sep 30 | Maass Part III - Story Techniques and Pitching
Instructor: Kat Duncan. This course will work through the exercises in Part III of Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, which focus on Story Techniques and Pitching including lessons on setting, story structures, point of view and brainstorming. In addition we will read and discuss the relevant parts of the companion book Writing the Breakout Novel, also by Donald Maass. Both books (whether e-book or print) are required for the course. Participants will read a workbook chapter and post their answers to t... {more info}
Duration: 84 days. $60/$75 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 8 - Jul 21 | Social Marketing 101 for Writers
Instructor: Suzanne Rock. Today there are more opportunities for writers to promote themselves than ever before. One of the biggest tools in the promotional toolbox is social networking. Not only can it be used to inform readers about your books, but it helps you make important professional connections that can advance your career. This course will give the basics of social networking - why you need it, how to establish a presence, and how to make connections. By the end of the class students should have established a pr... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 8 - Aug 4 | Growing Your Literary Skills
Instructor: Sally Walker. Literary devices allow fiction writers to manipulate language in a convincing manner that guides the reader. They cannot be blatant but must weave a flawless storytelling. This eight-part course succinctly examines the techniques of 1) General tools such as symbolism, allegory & analogy, exposition, description, prologue and epilogue, 2) Characterizing tools as action (body language), internalization, dialogue, and exaggeration vs understatement, 3) Plotting tools such as suspense, foreshadowin... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 8 - Aug 4 | Functional Fitness for Writers - Description and Setting
Instructor: Todd Stone. This four-week intensive online class is more “workout” than “workshop,” as participants will improve their ability to employ certain techniques by practicing those techniques--using their own writing and WIP. In other words, you’ll learn by doing.
Suitable for beginning and intermediate authors, you’ll need the following to participate:
- A work in progress of at least 3 scenes which contain your main characters and some dialogue (more is better!).
- A work from a recently-published auth... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Beginning, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 15 - Jul 28 | Writing from Theme
Instructor: Susan Meier. Theme, such a little word, such a big concept for your book! Join Susan Meier for a two-week workshop on using theme. Learn what a theme is, how to use theme to focus your story, how to connect theme and conflict and how to use theme to put readers on the edges of their seats!... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 15 - Aug 11 | Walking the Tightrope - How to Juggle Family, Career, Writing and Life in
Instructor: Mary O'Gara. Multi-tasking is your strength-when it doesn't overwhelm you. So how many goals can you handle without stressing out? And how do you know what to do next and what not to do at all?
Writers do thrive on paradox. It's the essence of creativity. And we make more decisions per computer-hour than most people make in a month. So how do you have a great writing year and still fulfill at least the important parts of all the other roles that make your life work? And how do you sort through all the se... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 15 - Aug 4 | Crafting the Erotic Novella
Instructor: Kimberly Gardner . The art and craft of the erotic novella will be explored with the help of multi-published author Kimberly Gardner. The class will center around the seven step plotting template Kimberly has developed and used to write and publish seven erotic novellas. Examples will be given from Kimberly's own work and students will be encouraged to bring their own projects into the discussion. The class will include assignments and discussion with feedback provided as time permits. Topics include: * The struct... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 15 - Jul 21 | The Game Plan: Creating an Organized Manuscript Check List of Necessities
Instructor: Beth Daniels. Game plans. Coaches have them, the things the team or particular players will do when on the field or on the court when up against the plays their opponents make. Writers should have them, too.
You make a grocery list of items that shouldn’t be forgotten at the store, right? Your story needs a list like that.
When going on a trip to a place that is unfamiliar territory, don’t you have a map along to peruse? Your plot wants one as well.
In fact, everything in your story could benefit fro... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $10/$20 (Craft, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 15 - Jul 28 | A Matter Of Point of View
Instructor: Masha Holl. Point of View isn't just about camera angle. It's about perception, emotion, and what details we see depending on which character shows them to us. This workshop reviews and explores the basics and the rules of POV, and how to apply them effectively through examples and exercises. Then we'll see whether these rules are more like guidelines and whether it's worth bending – or breaking them.
Syllabus:
1. Definitions
2. The different types of POV; POV types and genres; POV types and time perio... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 15 - Oct 15 | Mentoring on Marketing and Promotion with Publicist and E-Marketing Expert Louise Rose Innes 6 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Louise Rose Innes, e-Marketing Expert and Publicist.
Mentoring sessions on the following topics:
1. Creating a personal marketing plan
2. Building and/or optimizing your author website
3. Social media marketing
4. Online marketing
5. Self-publishing on Amazon (KDP)
A three month mentoring program focusing on one of the above topics, or any other marketing related topic which you think I may be able to help you with.
Involves 30 minute Skype or telephone sessions weekly - and limitless email exchange for the duration of the program.
... {more info}
Duration: 92 days. $250/$350 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 22 - Aug 18 | Goths, Gadges & Grunge: Steampunk Stories with Style
Instructor: Pat Hauldren. When we write in subgenres, sometimes we fail to utilize all the potential of the subgenre by missing some tropes or putting a new twist on the subgenre cliche. If we write about an analytical engine, do we hear the noise it makes? The clacking and pinging? Do we smell the emissions and wrinkle our nose as we write the passages? If we don’t, then we haven’t immersed ourselves in the depths and delights of one of Speculative Fictions newest and hottest subgenres on the market today: Steampunk. I... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Genre, Technology) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 22 - Aug 18 | There's More Than One Way to Skin a Character: Techniques for Making Your Character's Personality Come Through on the Page
Instructor: Lynn Johnston. You've chosen archetypes for all your characters, you've interviewed them in your imagination, and you've documented their personal details obsessively in character worksheets. You have neat little GMC charts and pages of backstory. But your crit partners tell you that your heroine feels generic and that your villain is a cliché.
Why aren't all those details bringing your characters to life?
Getting into your characters' heads is only the first step: once you're in there, you have to f... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 22 - Aug 18 | Writing Regency-Set Novels
Instructor: Shannon Donnelly. 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 chosen this era for a setting, and the Napoleonic wars offer the setting for the popular Sharp series by Bernard Cornwell and the Aubrey/Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian's. In Romance writing, the Regency is perhaps the most popular historical time period, and has launched many now best selling authors.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 22 - Aug 18 | The Start-Up Novelist Series 5 - Setting
Instructor: Kat Duncan. Setting is not just the place where your characters hang out. It is a character itself. Paying attention to the details of setting can highlight the drama and tension of your story and give your readers a full, rich story world they won't want to leave. Learn how to use setting to advantage by avoiding over-description of ordinary things and focusing instead on the unique and unusual. We'll do some exercises to help you learn how to describe settings based on what you want the reader to pay atte... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 22 - Aug 19 | Spilling the Beans: Secrets, Lies, and Backstory
Instructor: Lynn kerstan. Secrets and Lies are the "juicy" bits in a story. They cause trouble for the characters. Readers love them. But authors too often fritter away their considerable power, which makes for wimpy stories. Backstory, often overused and abused by writers, can be an effective means of uncloaking a character and revealing his/her deepest motivations. This workshop focuses on how to use secrets, lies, and backstory for maximum story drive and emotional impact. We'll examine what to reveal; when to reveal ... {more info}
Duration: 1 day. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 29 - Aug 11 | Making Your Characters Come Alive – Inside and Out
Instructor: Becky Martinez. Good characters can grab you and draw you into a story, but how do you come up with a good, compelling character? The answer is a character that speaks to the reader on two levels – inside and out! Learn how to make your characters come alive on the external or action level while exhibiting an internal or emotional level that speaks to the reader’s feelings.
Get a lesson in creating well rounded characters from romantic suspense author, Becky Martinez, one of the authors of popular writing book... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 29 - Aug 25 | Writing America's Toughest Warriors: Army Rangers
Instructor: Todd Stone. "Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor." —Ranger Handbook
Accomplish your mission of gaining insight into America's top soldiers with this workshop from a retired US Army Ranger, Airborne (Army parachutist) Infantry officer and former instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point.and award-winning multi-published author.
You'll get insights into some of Ame... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Jul 29 - Aug 24 | Superior Sex Scenes
Instructor: Eve Summers. Do you cringe every time your characters get to second base? Do you enjoy reading sex scenes but loathe writing them? Would you like to take your writing to the next level?
This workshop is for you.
Eve Summers writes romance novellas for Red Rose Publishing, and she's just contracted her 20th title there. Some of her books are classified as sweet romance, others as erotica, others still as something in-between. The classification depends on how detailed the sex scenes are.
This work... {more info}
Duration: 26 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| | August 2013 Workshops | Aug 5 - Sep 1 | Grunt! Army Infantry 101 For Authors
Instructor: Todd Stone. Organization, ranks, training, weapons, missions, tactics, and more
The mission of U.S. Army Infantry is to close with and destroy the enemy. Taught in "the spirit of the bayonet," this four-week informational workshop will provide authors with "basic training" in the US Army Infantry. We'll cover Army rank structure, Infantry unit organization, types of Infantry (Airborne, Ranger, Mountain, Air Assault, and mechanized), essential small unit tactics, weapons, gear, missions, training, and more.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Sep 1 | You are What You Say - Dialoguing the Character Arc
Instructor: Kat Duncan. This workshop examines the elements needed to reveal character through dialogue. Using character development techniques you already know such as goals, motivations, and backstory, learn how to reveal strong characters through their words and connect those words to other elements in your story. Successful novels have an increasing amount of dialogue over narration, forcing dialogue sequences to do more and more of the work of telling the story. Learn how to reveal important information about char... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Characterization, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Oct 27 | Advanced Screenwriting Concepts thru Genre Needs
Instructor: Sally Walker. "The more you know, the more you find out you DON'T know" is the adage driving this intense 12 week course taught by working screenwriter Sally J. Walker. Ten cinematic concepts will be examined as exemplified in ten movie genres. Some of the concepts are the do's and don'ts of plotting, scene structure and sequencing, subplot development, characterization for Character Arc, succinct dialogue, and importance of visuals. The essential needs of these genres will be outlined: Mystery, Science Fic... {more info}
Duration: 83 days. $60/$75 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Sep 1 | Storytelling
Instructor: Shannon Donnelly. "Storytelling, the language art that predates written history, is also a widespread, dynamic, and varied art form in the modern world." -- National Storytelling Network
A good story is not just good writing…
There are workshops to improve your writing craft, to show more, to create characters, and on just about every aspect related to fiction. But a good story takes more than good writing: in fact, you can have poor or just okay writing, but still have a great story that grabs readers and ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Sep 1 | Writing YA and MG Steampunk
Instructor: Beth Daniels. How do you sneak some knowledge of history into a youngster’s head? How about by warping it into one heck of an action-adventure tale?
How do get children interested in science? How about through the creation of fantastical machines and creatures that are dropped into that action-adventure tale?
It could work. The folks who created the cell phone frequently confess that it was because they wanted a communicator like the crew had on STAR TREK. Some Bluetooth headsets look like a communicati... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Sep 1 | Creativity, Crafts and Killing: How To Write a Cozy Mystery Series
Instructor: Linda O. Johnston. What are the elements of writing a cozy mystery?
This class will address the basics of writing cozies: choosing a protagonist and deciding how she’ll get involved solving mysteries; choosing a theme for the series; introducing and following through with a love interest (or not); introducing secondary characters who appear often in the stories; throwing in a corpse or two, plus hiding clues for solving the murders; planning a series; and much more!
There will be online class discussions a... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Aug 18 | Writing the Alien Hero
Instructor: Masha Holl. I was an alien, once. A bona fide, card-carrying alien. I am a zero-generation American, an immigrant born abroad. After a quarter of a century, I don't feel like a foreigner, but every day, I still encounter moments of alienness – not alienation. And whatever does that mean? How can I be both American and alien? I try to convey that in my college courses on Russian culture and in my stories about supernatural creatures and distant planets. And now in this workshop, I'll show you the difference ... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Sep 1 | The Sensual Novella
Instructor: Eliza Knight. Have you ever wanted to try your hand at writing a sexy novella? Are you worried you won’t be able to write short? Do love scenes intimidate you? Worry no more! It’s time to learn the craft of novella writing. Creating a sensual short story can be fun and profitable.
And there has never been a better time to write short. With so many new and established publishers hungry for novellas, the market is wide open—if you know how to catch an editor’s attention.
Sensual novellas are about much m... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Sep 1 | Punked
Instructor: Suzanne Lazear.
Everyone has heard of Steampunk and Cyberpunk. But have you heard about Biopunk? What about Sandalpunk or Monsterpunk? What differentiates Sailpunk and Clockpunk from Steampunk? How is Elfpunk different from Urban Fantasy?
Find out what puts the punk in "punk" genres as well as the nuts and bolts of various types from the technopunks and fuelpunks to the historypunks and creaturepunks.
Whether you're writing a "punk" or just curious bring your manuscripts, WIPs, and ideas as we get punke... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 5 - Sep 1 | Create Your Revision Plan with Cathy Yardley 19 SPOTS LEFT
If you have a completed manuscript, but feel overwhelmed with how to approach identifying what might need to be fixed, much less actually revising it, this class will go through a three pass approach, and help you:
- Evaluate your foundational story structure
- Use a scene-by-scene chart and check list to test for strengths and weaknesses
- Offer some possible solutions for issues with pacing, anchoring, and dialogue
- Give tips for the “fine polish” pass
Week 1. STRUCTURE
Introduct... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $75/$75 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 12 - Sep 8 | Functional Fitness for Writers - Action
Instructor: Todd Stone. This four-week intensive online class is more “workout” than “workshop,” as participants will improve their ability to employ certain techniques by practicing those techniques--using their own writing and WIP. In other words, you’ll learn by doing.
Suitable for beginning and intermediate authors, you’ll need the following to participate:
- A work in progress of at least 3 scenes which contain your main characters and some dialogue (more is better!).
- A work from a recently-published auth... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Beginning, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 12 - Sep 8 | Beginnings
Instructor: Christine Amsden. Before there was a story, there was a beginning, and that beginning had to shine or there would be no story, or at least, no one to read it. We draw people in with characters, intrigue, drama, humor, and above all, competent writing. In this workshop, we will discuss where to begin a story and how to reel the reader in with tantalizing details and an implicit promise of things to come. There will be weekly writing assignments and peer review is expected. This workshop is designed with beginners ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 () | (Workshop) |
| Aug 12 - Sep 8 | The Truth Behind Writer's Block
Instructor: June Diehl. During this workshop, we’ll explore the meaning of writer’s block, how to recognize it, what’s behind not being able to write, exercises and techniques to move beyond it, and ways to avoid this in the future.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $10/$20 (Craft, Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 12 - Sep 8 | Shopping, Entertainment, and Slang for Your Historical Characters
Instructor: Beth Daniels. To get the right feel in a historical novel, it’s all about stage setting, looking right, sounding right, and having the right “water cooler” chit chat for the people who traipse through your historical landscape. Can you trust what you’ve read elsewhere? Maybe, maybe not. So how do you decide what you need BEYOND the plot? And where do you go to find it?
Those are exactly the questions that this workshop addresses.
In fact, we go looking FOR dresses! Yes, shopping with your heroine is the... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Characterization, ) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 12 - Sep 8 | Unforgettable Characters-Dynamic Dialogue: What do Indiana Jones, Darth Vadar, Erin Brocovich and Cruella DeVille have in common? Memorable characteri
Instructor: Kit Frazier. Unforgettable Characters-Dynamic Dialogue:
What do Indiana Jones, Darth Vadar, Erin Brocovich and Cruella DeVille have in common?
Memorable characteristics, unforgettable dialogue.
In the first half of the course, we use screenwriting techniques, psychological profiling and intuition to build strong, unforgettable characters.
We’ll delve into archetypes vs. stereotypes, myth vs. legend, and backstory (how and when to use it).
The second half of the course is devoted to creating char... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 12 - Sep 8 | Crafting a Page-Turning Plot
Instructor: Ezra Barany. A lot of authors feel that crafting a page-turning plot is a challenging task that they wish they could avoid, but the reality is without plot you don't have a story. If you just follow a few time-tested, proven methods, your fiction is bound to be hard to put down and your readers will be compelled to stay up late to finish YOUR book.
In this 4-week email course you will:
· Learn tricks to make the story more compelling
· Uncover the craft of making the pacing more edge-of-your-seat
... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 19 - Aug 31 | What's in a Name? - Instant Character Development
Instructor: Theresa Meyers. Time to add tools to your writer's toolbox! Characterization drives great fiction. What about yours? Wish you knew how to get into your characters quickly to know who they are, what they want and how they are perceived by others so you could get moving in the story? Never fear!
In this course you'll:
* Discover resources that will give you a quick sketch of your entire character just from the name.
* Learn how to deepen characters with a few simple tools.
* Locate your charac... {more info}
Duration: 12 days. $10/$20 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 19 - Sep 8 | Publicity and Marketing for Writers
Instructor: Alice Osborn. This workshop is for both published and yet-to-be published writers who wish to craft a marketing and branding strategy for getting the word out about their books via social media networking, websites, blogs, and the good old-fashioned way with press releases and media contacts. If no one knows who you are, how will they buy your book? Alice Osborn will give tips and tricks from her own experience as a successful published writer/editor and will address publicity/marketing tips for both traditio... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 19 - Aug 25 | Subplots the Easy Way
Instructor: Jodi Henley. You have a thousand people in your head and want to talk about them—all at the same time. Your story isn’t the lean, mean killing machine it’s meant to be, but a bloated monster out to eat your brain. Before you break out the figurative shotgun and blow it away, check out “Subplots the Easy Way” and find out if you’re writing an ensemble novel, or simply need a little help straightening out your story lines.
Complete with handy templates and diagrams to kick-start your delicious brain and get... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 19 - Sep 8 | Using Joomla to Enhance Your Web Presence
Instructor: Pepper O’Neal. This class will focus on using the free web design software called Joomla, which is similar to WordPress but has some advanced features that can give you more professional-looking website. It will include: understanding how to use Joomla choosing templates, creating pages and blogs, using modules, creating menus, allowing users, creating links, managing images, and much more. By the time we finish, you’ll be able to use Joomla effectively to create a custom, professional-looking site.
LESSON ... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Promo, Industry, Technology, Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 19 - Jan 12 | Maximize Your Online Marketing Efforts (Save on the 5 Pack) with Louise Rose-Innes 6 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Louise Rose Innes, e-Marketing Expert and Publicist. This bundle of workshops is specifically aimed at Authors who want to maximize their online marketing efforts. So often we dabble in a few aspects of marketing and promotion with little or no effect because the full spectrum of what can be done is time consuming and overwhelming.
These workshops will teach you how to become a marketing expert, but only by giving you information that is useful to writers. It includes writing-specific examples and advice, so you can immediately formulate a sch... {more info}
Duration: 146 days. $155/$200 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 19 - Sep 8 | Maximize Your Online Marketing Efforts 1 - Create an Author Website
Instructor: Louise Rose Innes, e-Marketing Expert and Publicist. This bundle of workshops is specifically aimed at Authors who want to maximize their online marketing efforts. So often we dabble in a few aspects of marketing and promotion with little or no effect because the full spectrum of what can be done is time consuming and overwhelming.
These workshops will teach you how to become a marketing expert, but only by giving you information that is useful to writers. It includes writing-specific examples and advice, so you can immediately formulate a sch... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $35/$45 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 19 - Sep 15 | Make Your Muse Proud: Use Story Development Techniques to Transform Your Ideas into Stories 36 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Lynn Johnston. You had a dream that seems like it could be the basis of a story—but you can't figure out how to get started.
You overheard a fascinating conversation on the bus and you rushed to jot it down in your journal—but now you're not sure what to do with it.
You've got a character you're dying to write—but you can't come up with a story for her that works.
You could wait weeks, or months, or even years for your subconscious to turn that glimmering of an idea into a full-fledged story.
Or…y... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 26 - Sep 22 | The Art of Critique: Digging the Dirt Out of Your Draft
Instructor: Pat Hauldren. Everybody loves your story, right? Well, at least Mom and Dad did, Uncle Rufus and Aunt Annie loved it, but your best friend has been avoiding your calls, and then your husband moved in with your mother. Now what? It’s time to step up to the big time—getting critiqued and giving critiques as a professional writer. In this class, we’ll look at the attendees’ manuscripts/WIPS, learning how to analyze a story on different levels. WIPs are expected to be shared with the class for discussion. We’ll... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 26 - Sep 22 | Story Structures: One Shape Doesn’t Fit All
Instructor: Kate Freiman.
Beginning, Middle, End. Plot Points. Pinches. Mid-Point. Crisis. Black Moment. All Is Lost. Resolution. Hero’s Journey. Steps. Beats. Inciting Incident. Reversals. Twists. Tension. Expectations. Pacing. Character Arcs. Story Arcs. Series Arcs. Goals. Set-backs. Sub-plots. Cliff Hangers. Loose Ends. Genres. Theme Statements. Points of View.
Every story has to have a structure of some kind, and over the centuries, literary analysts have proposed numerous patterns, each with its own adherents... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Aug 26 - Sep 22 | The Start-Up Novelist Series 6 - Exposition and Introspection
Instructor: Kat Duncan. Exposition is information about story circumstances and introspection is the thoughts characters share with readers. Both of these are necessary for good story development and good character development. But each of them can be trouble in the same way: boring. Even a short paragraph of nothing but info can turn readers off and more than a paragraph is referred to as an info dump. But readers need to know some facts and details of the characters' circumstances to understand the story. Readers als... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| | September 2013 Workshops | Sep 1 - Nov 30 | Author Coaching and Mentoring Program with June Diehl 1 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor:June Diehl. 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 will receive personal, private, specific feedback in writing. Limited enrollment for 5 students. Add your name to a waiting list if enrollment is full.
Includes:
Unlimited access via email for brainstorming, coaching, specific questions and regular check-ins
Regular private online chats in ... {more info}
Duration: 90 days. $250/$350 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Query/Pitch, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 1 - Nov 30 | Author Coaching and Mentoring Program with Award Winning Author Eliza Knight 4 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Eliza Knight. 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 will receive personal, private, specific feedback in writing. Limited enrollment for 5 students. Add your name to a waiting list if enrollment is full.
Includes:
Unlimited access via email for brainstorming, coaching, specific questions and regular check-ins
Regular private online chats in ... {more info}
Duration: 90 days. $250/$350 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Query/Pitch, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 2 - Sep 29 | The Nuts and Bolts of Goal, Motivation and Conflict
Instructor: Cassiel Knight. Based on Debra Dixon’s popular and uber-helpful Goal Motivation and Conflict (GMC) book (Gryphon Books), the Nuts and Bolts of GMC is for authors at any stage in their writing to further hone their crafting skills.
In a lot of ways, GMC is the heart and soul of story. This interactive workshop will help authors understand the basics at the root of this excellent characterization tool and learn how to apply the concepts to their own stories. At the end of the class, participants will walk away... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Characterization, Beginning, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 2 - Sep 29 | Writing the New American Cowboy: Bikers 101
Instructor: Todd Stone. No matter if you’re writing mystery, romance, fantasy or horror and no matter if your hero is a modern knight who values his freedom, rebel with or without a cause, or a bad boy with too many tattoos and a bad attitude, your character (and it can be a she and your heroine!) will better capture the reader's interest and heart when you better understand the different parts of the motorcycling world, the people who populate it, and how to use that knowledge to rev up your novel.
You’ll get that... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 2 - Sep 15 | Onomastics: The Arcane Mystery of Names
Instructor: Masha Holl. Coming up with a story idea, a premise, a situation, is easy. Having a glimpse of a hero or a heroine is exciting. Flashing on a critical situation sends tingles down our nerves. But how about a name? How many times have we been paralyzed by the terrifying task of bestowing a name on our characters? How many do we reject before the right one comes to mind? And how about all the times when we need to find a name from a rigid tradition?
Here are some answers from a college instructor of langu... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $10/$20 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 2 - Sep 8 | The Beginners Guide to Alternatives to GMC for Pantsers
Instructor: Jodi Henley. Five signs you should take this workshop.
You have no clue what GMC is, but your people are starting to wander all over the place and you need help.
GMC makes your head hurt.
If it came down to a choice between GMC and math, you'd do trig in a heartbeat.
Your characters are trying to talk to you, but plot is a four-letter word and you don't go there.
Why can't you just write; why does it have to be so hard?
If you have no idea how to get your plot and characters together without bloody... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 9 - Oct 6 | Steampunk American Style: Weird West and Weird East
Instructor: Beth Daniels. The American West was wild – hey, we’ve seen the movies, heard about the outlaws, maybe even seen the various boothills where the legends are buried while we were on vacation. But the American East was just as wild – it lacked tumbleweeds and shootouts between only two men in a dusty little town, but the cities had gamblers, prostitution, corruption, gang wars, graft, and more. And considering that machines and big business were in the process of changing, and polluting, the world as well as tro... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Genre, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 9 - Oct 6 | The Black Moment
Instructor: Phoebe Conn. Every great story has a final obstacle to overcome, but the challenge at first appears to be too great. The hero’s strength and resources are exhausted, and he’ll have to look deep inside himself to survive and win. The darker the Black Moment, the more heroic your characters will have to be to triumph. This class will cover how to create a stunning Black Moment to thrill readers and place your books on everyone’s keeper shelf. This is a four-week course and those who wish to share their work fo... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 9 - Sep 29 | Avoid the Rough: Turning Your Story Idea into a Workable Plot with a Broad Strokes Outline
Instructor: Catherine Chant. Do you have a story idea but aren't sure what to do next? Have you started writing a story, but now find your plot stuck in a corner? Have you lost interest in your story idea because the plot became boring? Whether you're a plotter who loves outlines or a pantser who prefers to hit the open road without a map, a broad strokes plot outline can help you avoid the pitfall of the unworkable plot. By creating a broad strokes outline at the "idea" stage, you get the "big picture" of the story right a... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 9 - Sep 22 | Plotting a Romance Series
Instructor: Misty Evans. Romance readers and publishers alike love series, but plotting a romance series can be a daunting project, keeping you from taking the plunge. Not only do you have to manage the main plot, but also the romantic one. In this workshop, you’ll learn to:
* Plot for each type of romance series (serial, sequel, spin-off)
* Recognize thematic romance plot lines and how to use them
* Develop and track multiple plot lines and sub plots
* Develop a romance story arc over multi... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 9 - Oct 6 | Writing the Same-Sex Romance
Instructors: Louisa Bacio and Tara Lain. Same parts, different spots, right? What’s the difference between writing a male/female erotic romance, and a same sex one? Plenty.
Bestselling authors Tara Lain and Louisa Bacio will explore setting up the same-sex romance, and getting into those detailed sexy scenes. Learn how to keep the relationship complex, and not shy away from real-life complications. How to avoid the famous “chicks with dicks problem” while still creating a deep emotional connection.
And then there are areas some... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 9 - Sep 29 | Thou Shalt Use Pronouns Properly
Instructor: MM Pollard. As the fourth of an on-going series of workshops, Commandments 6, 7, and 8 of my Ten Commandments of Grammar for Writers cover
6. You shall use subjective case pronouns as subjects and subject complements.
7. You shall use objective case pronouns as objects.
8. You shall make your pronouns agree with their antecedents.
In the lessons on Commandment 6, I will explain what pronouns cases are first. I will give you the subjective case pronouns and show you how to use them as subjects ... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 9 - Apr 13 | Putting it all Together: Writing Your First Novel for Plotters and Pantsers (Save on the Six Pack)
Instructor: Beth Daniels. Six months of basics, challenges, and shared information (10% discount over individual classes) or six separate 4-week each workshops dealing with a specific spot along the road to publication with Beth Daniels.
Whether you prefer structure (are a plotter) or surprises (a pantser) when it comes to writing a novel or novella there are basic steps to get you where you’re going…like climbing a staircase. No taking the lift/elevator to bypass any squeaky boards along the way!
“Putting It All T... {more info}
Duration: 216 days. $150/$175 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Query/Pitch, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 9 - Oct 6 | Putting it all Together 1 - What’s Necessary: Knowing What You’re Getting Into and Where You Want to Go With a Story
Instructor Beth Daniels. Register for the individual workshop here.
When a master builder begins construction on a building there are certain things that need to be in place before the first shovel full of dirt is turned over. Same thing happens when building a novel because you need to know a lot about the characters – not just the main characters. Chances are there will be research of some sort to be done either about a location or the sort of things a job entails, or wardrobe, travel, etc. in a historical p... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Dec 15 | Author Coaching and Mentoring Program with Author and Editor Cassiel Knight 5 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Cassiel Knight. 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 will receive personal, private, specific feedback in writing. Limited enrollment for 5 students. Add your name to a waiting list if enrollment is full.
Includes:
Unlimited access via email for brainstorming, coaching, specific questions and regular check-ins
Regular private online chats in ... {more info}
Duration: 90 days. $250/$350 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Query/Pitch, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Oct 13 | Functional Fitness for Writers - Characters and Cast
Instructor: Todd Stone. This four-week intensive online class is more “workout” than “workshop,” as participants will improve their ability to employ certain techniques by practicing those techniques--using their own writing and WIP. In other words, you’ll learn by doing.
Suitable for beginning and intermediate authors, you’ll need the following to participate:
- A work in progress of at least 3 scenes which contain your main characters and some dialogue (more is better!).
- A work from a recently-published auth... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Beginning, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Sep 29 | Chapter One
Instructor: Meredith Bond. Do you have a great idea for a novel, but don’t know where to start? Have you started, but got bogged down after only the first few pages and don’t know how to go on from there? Chapter One is a writing survey course. The first five lectures of the course focuses on the larger concepts, (character; goal, motivation, and conflict; story structure; the hero's journey; and world building/setting) the last four lectures focus on more defined concepts in the craft of writing (POV, dialogue, show and ... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Sep 28 | Create Your Own Book Trailer 18 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Kris Tualla. Book Trailers are 60-to-90-second presentations that describe your book in the same way a movie trailer describes a movie. They are teasers, meant to make people want to read your books. Book trailer companies charge fees beginning around $300 for their services.
In this class you'll learn how to make your own trailers for less than $20 in purchased professional photos plus approximately $49 for a PowerPoint to video conversion program: a cost which will be apportioned over all the trailers y... {more info}
Duration: 12 days. $15/$25 (Promo, Technology) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Sep 29 | Short Story Structure From Concept to Upload 5 Easy Steps to Creating a
Instructor: Jodi Henley. Do you write stories people want to read? Join Jodi Henley in an intensive 14 day workshop designed to get you from concept to download in a supportive, feedback heavy format.
Days 1-2: Identify your target market, reader triggers, and emotional needs.
Days 3-8: Rough draft a short 2-5k story.
Days 8-10: Analyze the different elements--time frame, setting, story elements and emotional thru-lines. Includes tips for self-editing.
Day 11-13: The importance of blurbs, titles and keywords... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Oct 13 | WriteSEX: Defining Erotica
Sascha Illyvich. Sascha Illyvich, with the help of M Christian, Oceania, Jean Marie Stine, Ralph Greco, Deborah Riley Magnus and Thomas Roche, are going to explore the daunting aspects of erotica in all its forms. Once a week we’ll discuss every aspect of writing sexy fiction from what makes a story erotic even if there is little to no sex involved. Writers of all genres will come away with writing tips that will benefit their careers. We’ll cover author marketing, what defines a story as erotic, things new w... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 () | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Sep 29 | Gears, Goggles and Steam, Baby: Steampunk Basics for Beginners
Instructor: Theresa Meyers. Everyone's talking about it: steampunk. But what is it? Can you write it? Are you possibly writing it already? Learn the basics about research, character archetypes, world building for the genre and the different sub-genres within Steampunk as well as a suggested reading list, pictures from the Wild West Steamcon and Steamcon II and links to some of the hottest steampunk conventions across the country.... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Sep 22 | Snidley Whiplash, Look Out! Building a Better Villain
Instructor: Beth Daniels. What sort of villain do you need in your story? Are they Snidley Whiplash melodramatically evil or the subtle type?
Is their villainy more stabbing a neighbor in the back verbally or physically? A bully on the playground or on the prom committee?
Are they predators, whether paranormal or not?
Do they have powers we mere mortals (also known as the rest of the cast in the story) need to go up against, or not?
We love our hero and heroines but sometimes (a lot of the time!) the villai... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $10/$20 (Craft, Characterization, ) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Oct 13 | Nonverbal Communications for Writers
Instructor: June Diehl. Description: The Nonverbal Workshop for Writers explores the use of body language, gestures, eye contact, tone of voice, and posture and how to use these in writing, especially around dialog and for showing versus telling character emotions. Examples from published novels will be used as well as the workshop participants’ writing.
Outline:
The workshop will cover the following:
Body language
Introduction & Body Language Clusters
Emotional Body Language
... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 16 - Oct 6 | Maximize Your Online Marketing Efforts 2 - SEO for Authors
Instructor: Louise Rose Innes, e-Marketing Expert and Publicist. This bundle of workshops is specifically aimed at Authors who want to maximize their online marketing efforts. So often we dabble in a few aspects of marketing and promotion with little or no effect because the full spectrum of what can be done is time consuming and overwhelming.
These workshops will teach you how to become a marketing expert, but only by giving you information that is useful to writers. It includes writing-specific examples and advice, so you can immediately formulate a sch... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $35/$45 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 23 - Oct 5 | Foreshadowing and Other Tricks to Improve Your Writing
Instructor: Theresa Meyers. Time to add tools to your writer’s tool box! Take your writing to the next level with techniques and tips used by the pros to add depth and pacing to their work.
In this course you'll:
* Discover what foreshadowing is and how it works to improve writing.
* Learn how to utilize the techniques of screenwriters for on-screen and off-screen action to heighten tension, create a faster moving plot and give your characterization more depth.
* Find why three is such a powerful number... {more info}
Duration: 12 days. $15/$20 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 23 - Sep 29 | Tick Tock: Building Timelines to Keep Your Characters on Track
Instructor: Beth Daniels. A novelist needs to be a clock watcher, a calendar freak – at least when it comes to spinning a story out logically.
Consider the things that need to be kept track of:
• how long it takes to reach a location
• how long it takes to get results back
• how long it takes to say lines of dialogue
• while the hero does this what is the heroine doing, or vice versa
• while the main characters are doing their thing, what’s happening elsewhere at the same time?
And these are just the b... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $10/$20 (Craft, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 23 - Oct 6 | Writing and Placing Short Stories for Anthologies
Instructor: Lisa Kessler. Need to build your writing resume? Anthologies are a great way to build your fiction readership and your writing resume.
During this course you will learn about online resources to find calls for short story submissions, plus learn techniques for crafting a targeted short story for a certain anthology. We'll also work on ways to place stories you may already have saved on your hard drive.... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 23 - Oct 20 | Author Bootcamp – The Publishing Journey
Instructor: Cassiel Knight and Amanda Bergeron, Editor, Avon. Navigating the world of publishing can be a frustrating trip fraught with potholes and barriers. This workshop will provide an overview of things newer writers and authors need to know to safely and sanely travel within the publishing world. The presenters will give attendees tips and tricks as well as some inside information to help authors at the early stages of their careers better prepare themselves for a career in publishing.
... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Characterization, Editor/Agent, Industry, Writing Life, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 30 - Oct 27 | Blending Emotional Arcs and Conflict
Instructor: Kat Duncan. This workshop explores the elements needed to show a character's emotional arc from opening page to ending scene. You will learn techniques that enable you to tug at a reader's heartstrings. How and when to launch into emotional introspection and when not to. Blend emotion and story conflict and learn when and how to emphasize each. Manage your characters' emotions by learning how to manipulate your readers' emotions. Entice your readers to follow your characters' emotional upheavals and revelat... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 30 - Oct 6 | The Power of Story 30 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Lynn Kinnaman. What is it about story that draws us in and captures our attention?
Storytelling has been around ever since humans first communicated, and the principles of what make the best stories haven’t changed.
The basics were described by Joseph Campbell in 1949 in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. His theory was that numerous myths through the ages and all over the world share fundamental structures and stages.
The idea was further expanded upon by Christopher Vogler, a writer, story analyst, p... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 30 - Oct 27 | Mindful Creating
Instructor: Mary O'Gara. Mindful Creating: How to get the most from your muse when you want it, is a month-long workshop focusing on quieting, focusing and working with your creative mind. You’ve taken your Inner Writer on artist dates and talked to her in morning pages; you’ve tried all the writing software and attended all the workshops. You may have plotted six thousand books you haven’t written yet or learned to write a book in a month. And whatever you’ve done is good–but it’s the dating and courtship stage.
... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 30 - Oct 27 | Tropes, Tollops & Truths In Speculative & Paranormal Fiction
Instructor: Pat Hauldren. Knowing the history of our chosen genre helps us as writers grow and become better storytellers. This class is for anyone interested in the history of science fiction and fantasy and how it impacts what we write today.
In this class, we’ll explore the elements of Speculative and Paranormal fiction, both genre tropes and cliches and how we can best utilize them for our stories. We’ll also look at the emerging and very popular female protagonist and how she fits into the best-selling world of S... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Query/Pitch, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 30 - Oct 27 | Stress-Free Writing Productivity: Streamline Your Writing Process and Find Out What's Really Holding You Back.
Instructor: Lynn Johnston. Are you struggling to establish a writing habit?
Is your relationship with your Muse on the rocks?
Do your stress levels skyrocket every time you try to write?
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing productivity: what works for some writers will cause writer's block in others. But it is possible to get a clear understanding of the factors that affect your own unique writing process, so you can write more and stress less.
In this workshop, we'll use introspective jour... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Writing Life, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Sep 30 - Oct 27 | Beyond the Basic Google Search: How to Make the Most of Online Research
Instructor: Ally Broadfield. There’s nothing more frustrating than wasting your precious writing time on a futile web search. Whether you are looking for a specific piece of information or need to research an entire time period or subject, this class will help you conduct the best search for your information needs. You will learn how to utilize multiple online search resources, including search engines, web directories, and databases. You will also learn how to refine search terms, narrow or broaden your search, how to use ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 () | (Workshop) |
| | October 2013 Workshops | Oct 7 - Oct 10 | Becoming a Professional Author
Instructor: Kayelle Allen. For the debut author -- Your first book is about to launch. Do you know what to do first? What about the next step? This 4 day workshop covers the basics of getting prepared for your book launch. At the end, you will have written an author bio, prepared a review request for your book, created a promotional packet, and have a plan for setting up an organized system to handle book reviews, blog visits, chats, ads, and other aspects of your career.... {more info}
Duration: 3 days. $10/$15 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 7 - Nov 3 | Character Development
Instructor: Mary McCall. People become who they are as a result of many factors: genetic, social, spiritual, psychological, environmental, physical and so on. How they act and react is based on the synthesis of their history in those spheres. Using sound basic profiling principles during character development along with a few proven author recommendations allows fictional characters to take on a multidimensional complexity that is both more realistic and more compelling as well as shortens writing time because the char... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 7 - Oct 27 | Putting the Suspense in Romantic Suspense 27 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Dee Lloyd. To keep the reader eagerly turning pages from the first
word to the last, a Romantic Suspense novel needs engaging characters, a
believable and complicated plot and fast-moving pace. This workshop will
give you some of the tools necessary to achieve this goal.
It will also point out some of the pitfalls to avoid. It will conclude with
some do's and don'ts from an acquisition editor's point of view.
TOPICS:
Essential elements of Romantic Suspense
Where to begin?
Plotting
Developing ... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 7 - Nov 1 | Are You My Type
Instructor: Mary O'Gara. Are You My Type? Is a two-week workshop on character development and conflict based on the Myers-Briggs Type Index (MBTI). Opposites may attract–but not smoothly. And that’s great news for the romance writer whose characters must acquire a taste for working together. Or the mystery writer whose detective needs a little friction with other characters to hide the solution. The workshop will reveal the 16 basic character types and show you why they like or dislike each of the other characte... {more info}
Duration: 25 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 7 - Dec 30 | Maass Part IV - Advanced Breakout Techniques
Instructor: Kat Duncan. This course will work through selected exercises in Part II of Donald Maass's The Breakout Novelist: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers. A copy of the book (whether e-book or print) is required for the course. It is helpful to be familiar with Part I of the book, but this is not a requirement. This course is geared toward career-oriented novelists who are willing to take a serious look at advanced fiction techniques. Participants should have completed, polished, edited and submitted... {more info}
Duration: 84 days. $60/$75 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 7 - Nov 3 | Advanced WordPress
Instructor: Pepper O’Neal. Now that you have your website or blog set up, it’s time to get creative. This course will focus on advanced customizing of WordPress sites. It will include: troubleshooting your site when it crashes, creating custom themes and child themes, allowing users, allowing subscribers, importing and exporting content from different sources, creating user-friendly permalinks, search engine optimization, using the WordPress community forum, and creating a webhost server on your home computer that is not ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Promo, Technology) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 7 - Nov 3 | Writing the YA Paranormal
Instructor: June Diehl. In this workshop we’ll cover: What is a YA paranormal? What is the same or different that adult paranormals? What subjects might you write about? How not to be preachy, but still open up discussion about your theme(s). How to pick ages for your young characters.
... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 7 - Oct 27 | Breaking Down Into Threes: Plot Organization for Pantsers as well as Plot
Instructor: Beth Daniels. Plots require organization -- even those written by Pantsers. Why? Because all storytelling requires a flow, a smooth transition from one scene to the next. Getting it doesn’t require an outline though. All it requires is a system. A system of breaking everything down into thirds.
Three is a magic number. It’s used in art, music, interior design, and in literature. After all, doesn’t every story have a Beginning, a Middle, and an End? Three things.
But we need to go further. Need to section ... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Beginnin) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 7 - Nov 3 | Weapons 101 An overview of shooting, stabbing, and stunning for authors
Instructor: Todd Stone. Does your character need to shoot, stab, use a stun gun, or wield a sword? Want to know more about the weapon is his or her hands so your scenes can be both accurate and entertaining? This informational workshop is for you. In this five-week informational course we’ll hit the highlights of modern military and civilian weapons, to include military, law enforcement, and criminal, an well as taking a quick look at the cold steel edges of knives and swords. People spend careers, write doctoral th... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Oct 27 | Going to the Dark Side: Writing and WorldBuilding for Vamps, Weres and Orcs
Instructor: Theresa Meyers. Interested in writing vampires, weres, shapeshifters, ghosts, or dark fae? Find out the basics of building a world that will suck your readers in and keep them coming back for more. Learn how to motivate, build credible backstory, deal with the darker aspects of paranormal characters and make them memorable so readers are rooting for your characters on the dark side. Discover how to mine historical stories, myths and more for added detail and depth to your work.... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Dec 7 | Want Style? Get Grammar - 101 - 303
Instructor: Kat Duncan. Section 101 - What's a style or a voice and where do I get one? Whether you "get" grammar or not, your style and voice come from how you use grammar. This grammar-based style-enhancing workshop is for writers who don't "get" grammar or for those who think they don't want to get it. Proper use of grammar and style makes a story flow smoothly, page after page. Poorly constructed sentences and paragraphs ruin the pace of your novel and make editors and agents pass up your manuscript. Lectures will ... {more info}
Duration: 54 days. $30/$40 (Craft, Editing, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Nov 19 | Scenes and Sequels and Scenes, Oh My!
Instructor: Kat Duncan. Highly recommended and as scary as the flying monkeys of Oz, Swain's and Bickham's books on fiction theory give us the basic concept behind why fiction works: scenes and sequels. This workshop will do more than attempt to simplify the theory with methodical steps. With fresh insights and useful examples and templates learn the essential parts of writing scenes and sequels by understanding their components of goal, conflict, disaster and emotion, reaction, dilemma, and decision. Using examples fr... {more info}
Duration: 36 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Nov 10 | He said/She said - Writing Fictional Dialogue
Instructor: Eliza Knight. Learn the mechanics of writing dialogue, and how to make your character's conversations pop.
* Craft/mechanics of writing dialogue
* What to write and what not to write
* What moves the story along
* Tags/action tags
* Mixing dialogue with action/narrative
* Making character GMC shine through speech
* Viewing individual personality traits/morals/values through speech
* Weaving backstory into dialogue
* Dialect
Multiple lessons, exercises and critiques provided each week. Your ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Nov 10 | Flipping the Dust Bunnies: Rewrite, Rethink, Recreate
Instructor: Beth Daniels. Everyone has them…or will have them. Story ideas that were started, made it through a few chapters before being abandoned, or completed manuscripts that were turned down so often all hope was lost.
All this happened before your prose improved to its present level, right? These were written before you knew what you know now about the publishing world.
I don’t think there is any such thing as a bad story idea. There are simply poor presentations, manuscripts that don’t match current market ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Sep 22 | He Shot the Sheriff and I Know Why: Motivating Your Characters
Instructor: Ann Roth. If you've ever been told your characters seem cardboard or cliché, this class is for you. Characters with strong, clear motivations for their thoughts, dialogue and actions are never cliché . During this week-long class we'll explore this thing called motivation- what it is, and how to develop and use it in creating characters so that they are three-dimensional and believable.... {more info}
Duration: 1 day. $10/$20 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Nov 10 | Scene-by-Scene Writing
Instructor: Sally Walker. Learn the building blocks of fictional storytelling through brief lecture then writing exercises. In this workshop you will learn how to plan story and prevent pitfalls, one page at a time. You will discover the magic of successfully juggling main plot and subplot, Point of View, and the crisp pacing demanded in today's fiction market. You learn the “how to” of analyzing and achieving “Scene-and-Sequel.”... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Nov 10 | Putting it all Together 2 - Brass Tacks: From the Ground Up Including Descriptions.
Instructor Beth Daniels. Register for the individual workshop here.
When a master builder begins construction on a building there are certain things that need to be in place before the first shovel full of dirt is turned over. Same thing happens when building a novel because you need to know a lot about the characters – not just the main characters. Chances are there will be research of some sort to be done either about a location or the sort of things a job entails, or wardrobe, travel, etc. in a historical p... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Nov 10 | Edit the Life Back Into Your Story: Hands-On Techniques for Creating Emotional Impact
Instructor: Lynn Johnston. You started out with a great premise, larger-than-life characters, and a fast-paced plot. Your walls are plastered with goal-motivation-conflict charts and you could recite each character's internal and external arcs in your sleep. Maybe you even came up with a detailed outline before you started writing your latest masterpiece.
But now that it's time to edit your rough draft, you realize your characters' emotions and personalities didn't make it onto the page, and the scenes that were so ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Writing Life, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 14 - Nov 3 | Maximize Your Online Marketing Efforts - Optimization for the Writer 6 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Louise Rose Innes, e-Marketing Expert and Publicist. This bundle of workshops is specifically aimed at Authors who want to maximize their online marketing efforts. So often we dabble in a few aspects of marketing and promotion with little or no effect because the full spectrum of what can be done is time consuming and overwhelming.
These workshops will teach you how to become a marketing expert, but only by giving you information that is useful to writers. It includes writing-specific examples and advice, so you can immediately formulate a sch... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $35/$45 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 21 - Nov 18 | The Feminine Journey
Instructor: Dr. Mary O'Gara, Ph.D.. Did you love Gone with the Wind and Titanic? Do you write women’s fiction or family sagas? The feminine journey is the structure underlying all those stories and more.
In this workshop, Mary O’Gara will teach the feminine journey both as a structure for story based on the myth of Inanna and as the actual journey writers and artists take in discovering their own creative work. (Cinderella is not a feminine journey story, but it is one of the failed strategies that can bring the feminine journe... {more info}
Duration: 28 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 21 - Oct 27 | Curing the “What Comes After the First 3 Chapters” Blues: Dealing with th
Instructor: Beth Daniels. The idea for your story has been brewing for quite awhile now. You knew how it opened, and we all know how they close – everyone lives happily ever after (except any villain that needs to be caught), girl gets boy, and wedding bells will or do or might ring.
But now you’ve got those first three chapters…or first 50 pages…done and you’ve slammed into a very large, very firm, very unyielding brick wall. The dreaded writer’s block virus is far more deadly than any new strain of flu because there... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 21 - Nov 17 | World Building in Science Fiction and Fantasy 19 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Christine Amsden. With special emphasis on the concerns inherent in writing science fiction and fantasy, we'll delve into such topics as where/how to begin a story, relevant description, and common beginner mistakes. There will be weekly writing assignments and peer review is expected. This workshop was designed with beginner and intermediate writers in mind.
Note: Due to limited enrollment payment is due at time of registration. Unpaid registrations will be removed after 72 hours.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 () | (Workshop) |
| Oct 21 - Nov 17 | Some Like It Hot: - Writing the Erotic Romance
Instructor: Louisa Bacio. Let’s talk about sex. Whether you’re writing a short story, novella or a full-length novel, an erotic thriller, paranormal or historical romance, the basics of the Erotic Romance remain the same: it’s all about plot and keeping it hot.
And, if one looks at the book offerings available from various traditional and e-book publishers: Readers like it steaming.
The workshop will cover the basics of characterization and motivation, and then delve into the heart: The sex scene(s). When writing a... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 28 - Nov 24 | Seven Secrets of the Prolific: How to Overcome Procrastination, Perfectio
Instructor: Hillary Rettig. 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 often think they’re lazy, undisciplined, or otherwise lacking, but they really aren’t lacking at all: they are merely constrained from using their creativity and power. Liberate yourself from those constraints and you will see your energy, discipline, commitment, etc., “magically” reappear – and your w... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $25/$30 (Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 28 - Nov 10 | The Particulars of Plotting
Instructor: Monette Michaels. Plotting is a crucial aspect in every novel. This class uses the three-act model of plotting which is appropriate for the pantser, the plotter, or a combination of both. The approach is plotting major points of the story and will also show the relationship of plotting to characterization through Deb Dixon’s “goals, motivation, and conflict” method. There will also be a short lecture on sagging middles and hitting the wall, what they are and how to avoid them. Classes will be a mixture of lectur... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 28 - Nov 10 | A Writer’s Website 29 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Lynn Kinnaman. When I read your books and love them where do I go to learn more?
To your website.
If a publisher, editor or agent wants more information about you, where do they
go?
To your website.
If I want to book you to speak at my conference, where do I look for your bio,
current books, downloadable images, press kit?
Your website.
It’s essential that your site is professional, not cutesy, cluttered or confusing. It
needs to reflect YOU in the style and design.
The average visitor ... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Promo, Technology, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 28 - Nov 3 | BDSM for Writers
Instructor: Cassandra Carr. In this course you will learn the terms most commonly associated with BDSM, as well as about equipment, misconceptions, how to write good BDSM characters, sadism and macochism, and bondage. Appropriate for anyone who is thinking about writing a BDSM story or who wants to learn more about the lifestyle.
Four lessons:
Lesson 1 - Terms, equipment, misconceptions about BDSM
Lesson 2 - Sadism and Masochism and Bondage
Lesson 3 - Writing a good Dom/Domme and a good submissive
Lesson 4 – Miscell... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 28 - Nov 24 | Witches, Fairies, & Wizards: Divining The Supernatural World
Instructor: Pat Hauldren. The black arts have divined their way into our hearts and our love for lore has been listening to us tell their tales of foe and woe. The supernatural world surrounds us—on all continents, in all aspects of our mundane lives—yet we know little of how or why. In this class, we will not only study the origins of the supernatural, especially those areas common to paranormal and fantasy literature, but also study how they affect us and therefore affect your readers as we divine the supernatural worl... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 28 - Nov 3 | Getting the Most Out of Contests
Instructor Peter Andrews. Getting the Most Out of Contests
Writing contests can get you recognition, feedback, and access to editors and agents. Find out how to choose the best contest for you, prepare an entry that avoids common pitfalls, and improve your chances of winning. Get into the heads of judges and use your results thoughtfully to get closer to publication.
Day one
• The value you seek
• Where to find contests, search strategies
• How to evaluate contests (final judges, feedback, prestige)
• Contest eval... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $10/$15 (Craft, Contests) | (Workshop) |
| Oct 28 - Nov 24 | Writing Historical Fiction Right...I Mean Correctly
Instructor: Kris Tualla. Writing fiction in historical settings is tricky - even in the fantasy genre. From the author's standpoint, there is the accuracy in dialog, vocabulary, and sentence structure. From the character's standpoint, there are social structures, attitudes, and technology - none of which can stray from the norm in the chosen time frame. In this class we will discuss what the author needs to be aware of, and how to find the information they need.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Plotting, Characterization, Genre, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| | November 2013 Workshops | Nov 4 - Dec 1 | Increase Your Readership: How to Create and Run a Blog Tour
Instructor: Beth Barany. Do you wish you had a way to let many new readers know about your book? Do you like to blog but don’t want to necessarily keep your own blog?
One of the best ways to get the word out about your book is run or participate in a blog tour.
Instead of going from bookstore to bookstore across the country, a blog tour is hopping from blog to blog in a concentrated period of time to highlight your book.
It usually involves posting articles related to your book, excerpts, and/or offering pri... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Promo) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 4 - Dec 1 | Drupal for Websites
Instructor: Pepper O’Neal. This class will focus on using the free web design software called Drupal, which is similar to WordPress but has some advanced features that can give you more professional-looking website. It will include: choosing templates, creating pages and blogs, using modules, creating menus, allowing users, creating links, managing images, and much more. By the time we finish, you’ll be able to use Drupal effectively to create a custom, professional-looking site. Drupal is the software favored by web deve... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Promo, Industry, Technology, Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 4 - Nov 17 | Thou Shalt Use Modifiers Correctly
Instructor: MM Pollard. As the fifth in an ongoing series of workshops, Commandments 9 and 10 of my Ten Commandments of Grammar for Writers cover
9. You shall form the comparison of adjectives and adverbs correctly.
10. You shall write participial phrases that modify the first noun after or right before the phrase.
In lessons on Commandment 9, you will learn how to form the comparison of adjectives and adverbs. Is it fewer or less gallons of gas? What if you only have one? Do you still use fewer with count nou... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Editing) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 4 - Nov 17 | Writing Love Scenes
Instructor: Tawny Weber. Whether you're writing sizzling hot or sexy sweet, it's the connection
between the heroine and hero that drives the story and keeps the reader
turning the pages.
A well-written love scene not only heats up the pages, but it moves the plot
forward and adds layers to the story conflict.
In this two-week workshop, we'll go over:
The basics of sexual tension,
Explore ways to create love scenes that are unique to the characters
enjoying them, and
Discuss ways to get past your writing i... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 4 - Dec 1 | Great Beginnings
Instructor: Lynn Kerstan. WHAT:
A. Introducing Irresistible Characters
First impressions count. They endure. How you first present your
protagonists is even more important than the opening "event."
1. How exactly to choose the qualities you most want the reader to perceive
in a character on first acquaintance.
2. Finding the opening scene action that will allow you to show the
specifically chosen aspects of your main character(s).
3. Recognizing the personal qualities most relevant to the character's story
... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 () | (Workshop) |
| Nov 4 - Dec 1 | Online Marketing 101 - Building an Author Platform
Instructor: Karen Cioffi. As an author or writer, it’s a certain bet that you have something to sell; it may be your book, your skills, or your experience and knowledge. In order to sell what you’re offering, you need to create and build your online presence.
Why is this absolutely necessary?
Well, imagine being a spec in the sky . . . so tiny and far away that you’re invisible to the human eye. That’s you in the internet universe. So, how do you get a flickering light going and build it into a steady strong beam... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Promo, Industry, Technology) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 4 - Dec 1 | Character Building with Jane Austen
Instructor: Megan Applegate. Elizabeth Bennett, Elinor Dashwood, Anne Elliot…nobody could capture the agony or the ecstasy of a young woman’s romance quite like Miss Jane Austen. Her characters were nuanced, they had depth, they waged silent, intelligent wars against rivals, society, and the occasional misbehaving rogue when need be.
This four-week course will delve deep into Austen’s methods of characterization and how to apply them to your own writing—the many tiers of a heroine, the depths and drive behind heroe... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 4 - Dec 1 | Plotting Subplots
Instructor: June Diehl. Plotting Subplots explores the nature, purpose, and types of subplots that can be used in novels. We will look at ways to develop subplots based on main and secondary characters and to chart the ebb and flow of subplots within the main plot. We will look at some subplots from published novels and the participants’ writing and where subplots might be developed.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 4 - Dec 1 | Story Sense/ Story Logic
Instructor: Beth Daniels. It doesn’t seem to matter whether the story I’m reading is someone’s manuscript or a published book, the element that is very irksome to find missing is a sense of Story Logic, or Story Sense.
I define Story Sense as the actions of the characters remaining true to how they are being portrayed. Story Logic is much the same thing, but has more to do with the way the plot plays out.
For instance, if a hero is going to take on a terrorist or a mugger, he needs to have a background that include... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 11 - Dec 8 | Puzzling Out the ‘Necessary’ Bits
Instructor: Beth Daniels. Have you gotten rejection after rejection on manuscripts that your beta readers love but editors quibble over. You know the kind of rejection: “Love your writing style but the story just isn’t right for us.”
As nice as the compliment was, what you really want is a contract, right? So what the heck was missing or wrong to make the story not “right” for the publisher?
This is the workshop where we dig into what’s being published to find the elements that slipped from our grasp before and mak... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 11 - Nov 24 | Ghosts Along the Silk Road
Instructors: Eilis Flynn and Jacquie Rogers. Every culture has stories about ghosts, but the ghosts are different in every culture, with different names and abilities, even. Some are good, some are bad, some have feet, some … don’t? The names may change, but whatever you call them, myths and legends about ghosts can be found all over the world. Let Jacquie Rogers and Eilis Flynn take you on a trip around the world to examine those myths and see how they differ from region to region. ... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 11 - Dec 8 | Storytelling thru the Anxiety Curve
Instructor: Sally Walker. Humans exist in varying states of anxiety allowing for survival. This writing workshop of lecture and writing exercises will teach you how to identify stress and coping mechanisms in fictional characters that will create a marketable short story or novel. From envisioning those dynamic, vivid characters to screwing up a “normal day,” your creativity will be challenged through brief exercises and class discussions.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 11 - Dec 8 | Dirty Little Secrets--Use Scene Structure to write faster and better
Instructor: Todd Stone. Four Weeks to scenes that make sense!
Here’s a dirty little secret many multi-published authors and screenwriters know and use--there’s an essential framework for scenes in your novel and when you use that structure and selected techniques you can knock out confrontational, dramatic scenes faster and easier.
In this four-week workshop we’re going to share that secret and those techniques, find examples of them in works in our genres, and then practice them to begin making those techniqu... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Beginning, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 11 - Dec 8 | Maximize Your Online Marketing Efforts 4 - Online Marketing
Instructor: Louise Rose Innes, e-Marketing Expert and Publicist. This bundle of workshops is specifically aimed at Authors who want to maximize their online marketing efforts. So often we dabble in a few aspects of marketing and promotion with little or no effect because the full spectrum of what can be done is time consuming and overwhelming.
These workshops will teach you how to become a marketing expert, but only by giving you information that is useful to writers. It includes writing-specific examples and advice, so you can immediately formulate a sch... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $35/$45 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 18 - Nov 24 | Applications for the Writer - An introduction
Instructor Peter Andrews. There isn’t an application that will write your stories (yet), but there’s plenty of timesaving help available. This results-oriented review of Dragon Dictate, Autocrit, Scrivener, and a dozen other technologies you need to know about will jumpstart your productivity without hurting the quality of your work.
For each technology reviewed, students will learn use and value, best practices, and short cuts.
Day one
• The value of technology (and the danger)
• Technology evaluation template
... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Technology, Writing Life, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 18 - Nov 24 | The Deets of Dialogue
Instructor: Monette Michaels. The object of this class is to show that dialogue is more than character conversations in a novel and that it is a crucial aspect of “showing” and not “telling.” The class will be a mixture of lessons and writing exercises. The students will write various kinds of dialogue using fact scenarios as set out by the instructor. The student should come prepared to write and participate. ... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 18 - Dec 15 | Whodunit? Building A Mystery: Choosing a Sleuth and a Crime
Instructor: Billie Williams. "In fiction and in fact, amateur detectives are shrewd students of human nature." Anne Wingate
A special look for mystery readers and writers at what, how, why—means, method and opportunity create good reading and writing.
The traits of a sharp amateur detective are the keys to their being able to ferret out clues at the scene of a crime, many times, after the professionals are done reading it. Traits that make a perfect sleuth; keen insight, intellect, lively, energetic and curious risk t... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 18 - Dec 15 | Putting it all Together 3 - Into the Trenches: Developing Your Game Plan
Instructor Beth Daniels. Register for the individual workshop here.
Because I find outlines confining, I call the development of a plot a Game Plan. With game plans things can be changed when characters get the bit between their teeth (which they do) or when you’re stuck by an even more brilliant idea of the direction for the story to take. This month we’ll develop the first 50 pages of the story – from the Plotter perspective, from the Pantser perspective, and as a combined Plotter/Pantser creation. We’ll con... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 18 - Nov 24 | Keep Those Pages Turning 29 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Dee Lloyd. If you want readers eager to read on from the first page of your novel, you must maintain a tight control of pace and use solid hooks. Subtle hints that there is more to know about the past or the emotional makeup of your hero or heroine makes the reader curious. Partly stated ideas raise questions in her mind. A character’s thoughts like “Not again.” Or “He couldn’t know about that!” make her want to know what happened earlier.
KEEP THOSE PAGES TURNING is a seven day, intensive course. You w... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 25 - Dec 22 | Nano-Ing Your Novel To Publication
Instructor: Pat Hauldren. In this class, students will look at their work critically and learn to write well-constructed sentences, active verbs, and pick up the pacing the first time instead of after agonizing through edits. We’ll look at how other published authors turned their NaNo Novels into published works and learn to use those tips and tricks as more tools for our writer’s toolbox. We’ll also discuss how to better prepare ourselves for next year’s NaNoWriMo.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Nov 25 - Dec 22 | Rivet Your Reader with Deep POV
Instructor: Jill Elizabeth Nelson. Have you ever read a book that drew you into the main characters' minds and hearts so completely that you felt as if you were experiencing the story inside their skins? Didn't your reading pleasure hit a new high? You knew those characters from the inside out. Their experiences were your own. Why? How did that happen? What did the writer do to gain that affect?
Join suspense author, Jill Elizabeth Nelson, for Rivet Your Reader with Deep Point of View to find out the answers. The course will ... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| | December 2013 Workshops | Dec 2 - Dec 15 | How Characters Change
Instructor: Mary O'Gara. Evolutionary change is the basis of the character arc. The character moves from, maybe, naïve bliss to full-blown empowerment in the space of a novel, novella or short story. And the reader changes as the character changes.
In a two-week workshop, you’ll learn
The six stages of change
Behavior patterns for each stage
What works to facilitate change at each stage (and what doesn’t)
How the stages of change relate to character arcs
Genre-specif... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 2 - Dec 15 | Self-publishing for Beginners
Instructor: Meredith Bond. Your novel is done! You’ve written those magic words, “The End”. Now what? If you’ve decided to jump into deep end and self-publish your work, this two-week course will get you started. We’ll cover basic coding in HTML for formatting your work for Kindle (mobi), Nook and Kobo (epub), how to get it right for the very particular Smashwords “meatgrinder” and ready for POD through CreateSpace.
... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 2 - Dec 22 | Power Writing
Instructor: P. June Diehl. You've developed real-life characters, learned to do more showing than telling, reworked description to become woven into characters and action, know how to write hooks and cliffhangers, make use of metaphors, flashbacks, and other devices. But what about something that is the basic of all good writing: sentence structure? What power does your writing have without the use the different types of sentences and putting them to the best use you can?
Learn how to combine lyrical and rhythmic phras... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 2 - Dec 29 | Crafting Memorable Dialogue
Instructor: Joni M. Fisher. In many genres, dialogue makes up half of the novel. This hands-on course delivers the techniques to ramp up dialogue so each one matters. Discover when and when not to use dialogue, how to construct dialogue with depth of meaning through subtext, how to infuse various levels of conflict into every exchange between characters, how to create suspense through dialogue, how to design dynamic conversations that employ the less-is-more adage, how to apply the stimulus/response pattern correctly so re... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Characterization) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 2 - Dec 20 | BDSM in Romance
Presented by Sascha Illyvich. This workshop is for authors particularly in the romance genre who dabble BDSM in any form, be it writing spanking stories, light bondage, or like myself, heavier darker things.
Many folks think that once a book is written the author’s job is done. Not so. As any seasoned author knows, once we finish writing, we have edits, cover art choices, more edits, and of course the hype. Marketing, promotions. PR Hell as it is known in some circles. That’s the toughest part of any author’s job I... {more info}
Duration: 18 days. $15/$20 (Craft, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 2 - Dec 15 | Shattering the Mirror of Your Character - How to Use Backstory Effective
Instructor: Theresa Meyers. We work so hard to make our characters three dimensional, but what without giving in to the temptation to do huge amounts of backstory dumping into our stories, how do we get it across?
In this course you’ll:
* Discover when and how to use backstory to improve pacing
* Learn techniques for interweaving backstory with action, inner thought and dialog
* Find ways to make your characters actions and reactions match with backstory
* Learn why backstory is better in small b... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Craft) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 2 - Dec 22 | Manuscript Makeover Self - Editing for Fiction Authors
Instructor: Gina Ardito. Whether you’ve just typed “The End” or “Chapter One,” editing your manuscript can make or break you in the publishing world. No one wants to read a story filled with misspellings and incorrect punctuation—not even the author! Learn a few tricks to turn that pile of messy words into a literary masterpiece and develop habits that will help ease your editing nightmare now and on every book you write in the future.
Outline:
I. Copy Editing
a. Overused Words
b. White Space
c. Punctuation
... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Editing, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 2 - Dec 22 | Write Flash Fiction!
Instructor Peter Andrews. Don't have time to write a novel? Well, fewer people have time to read one. That's why flash fiction is hot, with over 300 paying markets looking for well-formed stories of 1000 words or less. Learn how to write, market and sell these tiny tales.
Week one
What flash fiction is - The class will review the elements of a good story, talk about creating texture and see how flash fiction differs from slice of life and other short forms.
Examples of flash fiction
• The story of you
• Who ... {more info}
Duration: 20 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Genre, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 9 - Dec 12 | Making Your Newsletter Work For You 30 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Mary Caelsto. An author newsletter can be a powerful tool to creating reader engagement and promoting an author’s brand. With a newsletter, authors can form a community of fans who beg for the next book. Learn how to use a newsletter to keep your readers interested and eager, to craft a fan base willing to purchase (and share news about) your next release, and create and maintain buzz around your author brand. This three-day class will teach you how to do that, and even ways to boost your subscriber numbers s... {more info}
Duration: 3 days. $15/$25 (Promo, Technology, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 9 - Dec 15 | From Flat to Fluffy: leveraging plot and emotion with the transformational arc
Instructor: Jodi Henley. You have lots of emotional situations, your character changes and you have great structure--it "should" work. Why is your character-driven story still flat? Join Jodi Henley in a short, highly focused workshop to pinpoint exactly what needs to change in "your" story to get you from good to great.
... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Intermediate) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 9 - Dec 15 | The Ins and Outs of Self-Publishing
Instructor: Kris Tualla. In today’s market, many new authors are choosing to self-publish. Is
this the right choice for you? In this class we will look at:
What you gain and what you give up. Are you ready?
Critiques, editing, and proofs.
Releasing multiple books – it’s about the backlist.
Print books? Where and how.
Ebooks? Where and how.
Setting realistic goals for sales and income.
Branding and Promotion: it’s all on you.
Self-publishing as a springboard to traditional publishing.
Th... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $10/$20 (Publishing, Industry) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 9 - Dec 22 | “Swear to Tell the Truth”: How to Write Realistic Courtroom/Legal Scenes
Instructor: Jody Lebel. At the end of this workshop the student will be able to write realistic courtroom scenes by learning the different roles of common courtroom personnel (such as the judge, district attorney, defense/public defender, court steno, bailiff, probation officer, and clerk), understanding what their jobs are and what they can and cannot do, and how a hearing or trial proceeds. Lessons 9 and 10 cover crime scene and law enforcement.
The audience for my workshop will be writers of any genre and any ski... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $15/$25 (Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 9 - Dec 15 | The Help Desk - A Christmas Gift for Savvy Authors - Author and Editor Cassiel Knight 13 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Cassiel Knight. THE HELP DESK: WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?
It’s the holiday time – the season for giving, and we here at Savvy love the giving far more than the receiving. So we've teamed up with some of our most popular and experienced instructors, editors and writing coaches to help make your holiday season brighter and keep your writing on track during the end of the year insanity.
Therefore, for one week, five of our favorite elves will toss out ideas to help 20 writers each who are stuck for one rea... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. FREE (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Query/Pitch, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 16 - Dec 22 | Author Marketing and Branding
Instructor: Cassandra Carr. In this course you will learn what branding is, what your platform is and how to develop it, including tips for book launches and signings, what should be on your website, how to put together author pages on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, and much more!
Six lessons:
LESSON ONE: INTRODUCTION TO BRANDING AND PLATFORM
LESSON TWO: BOOK LAUNCHES, SIGNINGS AND KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE
LESSON THREE: BLOGGING, TOURS AND HOPS, TWITTER AND FACEBOOK
LESSON FOUR: AUTHOR PAGES ON AMAZON AND GOODREADS
... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $15/$25 (Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 16 - Dec 22 | Your Story, Your Way: Advanced Alternative GMC for Character-Driven Writers
Instructor: Jodi Henley. You're almost there, but it's not fun anymore. Writing is getting heavier, and heavier--and all the plotting software and index cards are starting to bury your keyboard. Your characters feel like cardboard, and there's no spark. What happened to the joy of writing, and that indefinable "something" you had when you were first starting out? And is there anyway to get it back?
Join Jodi Henley in an intensive, highly interactive workshop designed sink your processes "and" the way you work and th... {more info}
Duration: 6 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Intermediate, Masters) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 16 - Jan 12 | Maximize Your Online Marketing Efforts 5 - Creating Your Personal Promotional Plan 6 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Louise Rose Innes, e-Marketing Expert and Publicist. This bundle of workshops is specifically aimed at Authors who want to maximize their online marketing efforts. So often we dabble in a few aspects of marketing and promotion with little or no effect because the full spectrum of what can be done is time consuming and overwhelming.
These workshops will teach you how to become a marketing expert, but only by giving you information that is useful to writers. It includes writing-specific examples and advice, so you can immediately formulate a sch... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $35/$45 (Publishing, Promo, Industry, Technology, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Dec 30 - Jan 26 | Urban Fantasy: More Bang For Your Fang
Instructor: Pat Hauldren. In this class, students will look at their work critically and learn to write well-constructed sentences, active verbs, and pick up the pacing the first time instead of after agonizing through edits. We’ll look at how other published authors turned their NaNo Novels into published works and learn to use those tips and tricks as more tools for our writer’s toolbox. We’ll also discuss how to better prepare ourselves for next year’s NaNoWriMo.... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $15/$25 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| | January 2014 Workshops | Jan 1 - Mar 31 | Author Coaching and Mentoring Program with Award Winning Author Eliza Knight 5 SPOTS LEFT
Instructor: Eliza Knight. 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 will receive personal, private, specific feedback in writing. Limited enrollment for 5 students. Add your name to a waiting list if enrollment is full.
Includes:
Unlimited access via email for brainstorming, coaching, specific questions and regular check-ins
Regular private online chats in ... {more info}
Duration: 89 days. $300/$400 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Editing, Publishing, Query/Pitch, Mentoring) | (Workshop) |
| Jan 6 - Feb 3 | Celtic & Roman Britain
Instructor: Sharron Gunn w/a Sheila Currie. Celtic peoples lived in much of north-western Europe in the time of the Roman Empire. In this class you will learn about how they resisted the Romans in what became the province of Britannia. The Romans never conquered the Celtic tribes of the north of Britain (Scotland) or Ireland, but Roman camps there suggest they had plans to do so.
Meanwhile the Romans made themselves comfortable in their towns and their leaders in palatial villae. And they made roads which were not superseded as a marv... {more info}
Duration: 28 days. $20/$30 (Plotting, Characterization, Genre) | (Workshop) |
| Jan 6 - Feb 2 | Death and Taxes
Instructor: Diane Kelly. Only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. While taxes may be the last thing creative types want to think about, it’s critical for writers to understand the rules and reporting for their writing business. This comprehensive class will cover:
(1) how to determine if your writing constitutes a business or a hobby;
(2) whether incorporating is right for you;
(3) federal income tax forms related to your writing business and how to prepare the forms;
(4) business expense de... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$45 (Industry, Writing Life) | (Workshop) |
| Jan 6 - Feb 2 | Putting it all Together 4 - Dip That Quill! Begin Writing!
Instructor Beth Daniels. Register for the individual workshop here.
While some will have begun writing already, this is really the month when the words begin landing on the page. We’ll do it in increments, aiming for 5 to 10 pages a day, which could result in 150 to 300 pages written within four weeks. As an example, the National Novel Writing Month challenge of 50,000 words within 30 days works out to around 170-180 pages. This is only a suggestion – if 2 pages a day are accomplished, you’re still moving ahea... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| Jan 13 - Feb 9 | The Depths of POV - An Advanced Look
Instructor: June Diehl. The Depths of POV focuses on the more advanced questions the writer should ask when deciding POV: Which POV is right for this story and why? How to pick the right POV character or characters? How deep should the POV go? When and how might I break POV rules? How is POV related to the other story elements? How can POV strengthen characterization? Reinforce setting? Add to the plot and subplots? Enhance the theme? The workshop explores the advantages and disadvantages of the subtypes of POV and inc... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting) | (Workshop) |
| | February 2014 Workshops | Feb 10 - Mar 9 | Putting it all Together 5 - What to Do When the Story Is Told: Editing, Polishing, and All That Jazz
Instructor Beth Daniels. Register for the individual workshop here.
No matter how much of the story you have written, we’ll do a first run through of the editing process concentrating on what to look for, what to mark, when to fix it, and how to drop yourself into the position of Beta Reader for your own story. We’ll look at what needs to go (and pass around tissues if necessary), what needs to stay and discover whether there are things missing that need to be written in yet. We’ll look at clarity of prose, wo... {more info}
Duration: 27 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
| | March 2014 Workshops | Mar 16 - Apr 13 | Putting it all Together 6 - Submissions, Promotion, Building a Career as a Writer.
Instructor Beth Daniels. Register for the individual workshop here.
Very few people put this much effort into writing a story that they have no intention of sharing with others, right? You certainly didn’t! That means it’s now time to move to an entirely different niche in a writer’s life – the business part. This month we’ll make decisions about whether to put an agent on our list of “wants” or simply go straight to an editor. Which is the thing you want most: publication in paperback or hardcover or the more... {more info}
Duration: 28 days. $30/$35 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Genre, Beginning) | (Workshop) |
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