Please note that all course descriptions are in blurb form. There’s often more information at the official websites. The September writing workshops in order of start date and length are:
Instructor: Megan Applegate
Dates: October 2011
Course Description: This two week course will delve 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 heroes.
Instructor: Erica Barton
Dates: October 1 - 21 2011
Cost: $20
Course Description: Erica will show you:
• How to Build a Blogging Platform
• How to Manipulate Amazon to Get Your Book Pushed UP in the Rankings
• Creating an Amazon Platform for your Books
• How to Quadruple the Growth of Your Email Subscribers
• And much more!
Instructor: Sherry Lewis
Dates: October 1 - 31 2011
Cost: $30
Course Description: A synopsis is one of the most valuable tools in your writer’s toolbox, but to write a successful one, we need to shift gears and forget almost everything we’ve learned about writing a great novel. Learn how to show editors and agents that you understand basic story structure. Wow them with a compelling story filled with sympathetic characters faced with layers of conflict and driven by believable motivation.
Instructor: Sally Walker
Dates: October 1 - 31 2011
Cost: $30
Course Description: Learn the building blocks of fictional storytelling through lessons filled with definitions, explanations and examples leading up to writing exercises with instructor analysis. In this eight-session workshop you will see 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 will learn the “how to” of analyzing and achieving “Scene-and-Sequel,” the fundamental logic of story events.
Instructor: Traci Hall
Dates: October 3 - 17 2011
Cost: $25
Course Description: Traci Hall shows how she creates worlds, whether they are futuristic, contemporary or historical; the rules are the same. You’ve heard the saying, Rome wasn’t built in a day? This workshop will show you how to build your world one famous Roman building at a time – from the Ampitheater to the Villa Boscareale, we will learn how the details all add up to a lasting monument.
Instructors: Karen McCullough
Dates: October 3 - 28 2011
Cost: $25
Course Description: This workshop is for authors who want to create their own web presence but don’t know where or how to start. We’ll cover all the necessary procedures for creating your own website, from registering a domain name to choosing from the variety of hosting options to actually setting up the pages. Please note: This workshop is for authors who either have no website currently or who want to start all over with a new site. Attendees must be willing to register a domain name (unless they already have a domain name), purchase hosting (if you already have hosting, it must be able to support WordPress), and install WordPress, with the guidance of the instructor. Strictly limited to 15 participants; acceptance will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Instructors: Carol Hughes
Dates: October 3 - 28 2011
Cost: $25
Course Description: What does Nora Roberts, Stephen King, George Lucas, Stephen Spielberg, Terry Russo, and James Cameron know about writing that makes them the mega stars that they are? How are they able to turn out the constant string of stories that they do while you are barely able to struggle to the final page of your current SIP? Why did TITANIC and AVATAR each gross over $1 Billion in ticket sales in only a matter of weeks? Are you interested in learning the secret techniques that each of these mega stars has in common? It’s not as hard as you think – not if you know the simple-to-master writing secrets that they know and haven’t shared with you.
Instructors: Linda Gerber & Jennifer McAndrews
Dates: October 3 - 28 2011
Cost: $25
Course Description: What do a jock, a burnout, a geek and a chav have in common? They can each fill a character archetype as found within the YA heroine’s journey. Take the journey with us and learn to identify the twelve basic steps of the journey, the routes teens tend to take, and the archetypes met along the way.
Instructors: Becky Martinez & Sue Viders
Dates: October 3 - 28 2011
Cost: $25
Course Description: No matter what method of plotting a writer uses, there are certain elements that need to go into any well told story. The plotting wheel can help the writer make certain they're headed in the right direction with their plot and that the story is moving forward through meaningful action, building tension and good pacing. The plotting wheel can help get a story off to a good beginning, help prop up a sagging middle and provide help to insure there is a satisfying climax and conclusion.
Instructor: Shirley Jump
Dates: October 3 - 28 2011
Cost: $25
Course Description: Are your scenes blah instead of blockbuster? Do they lag in the middle, or fall flat at the end? In this month-long intensive online class, you'll learn how to:
o Beef up your scenes
o Add more conflict
o Use every scene to raise the stakes
o Strengthen characterization
o Show instead of tell for maximum bang
o Work with hooks to keep readers turning the pages
o Tighten your pacing
o Create scenes that are unforgettable and powerful
Instructors: Kathy Bennett
Dates: October 3 – November 6 2011
Cost: $30
Course Description: During the class you’ll learn about handguns, rifles, shotguns, ammo, and body armor. We’ll start with the basics, and your questions will direct just how in-depth we’ll delve into the world of firearms, ammo and more.
Instructor: Robyn De Hart
Dates: October 3 - 14 2011
Cost: $20
Course Description: You’re familiar with all the basics, but how do you really apply all those acronyms? This workshop will go deep with hands-on assistance to show you how to build your story through the arc of your character’s emotional journeys. We’ll pay special attention to the character arc and how it relates to theme and the developing romance.
Instructor: Kit Fraizer
Dates: October 4 - 27 2011
Cost: $16
Course Description: Cops make great heroes, and in order to get gut wrenching motivation, realistic dialogue and significant backstory, you have to know what makes them tick. Knowing what police officers think, how they feel and how and why they react helps create real believable heroes and give them sympathetic, even gut-wrenching motivation.
Instructor: Grace Conley
Dates: October 4 - 27 2011
Cost: $16
Course Description: Interested in learning how L’Engle, Cormier, and Blume gave rise to Meyer, Marr, and Dessen? During this workshop, we’ll cover:
• An overview of modern Young Adult literature
• Principal themes and subgenres in YA
• Handling your approach: YA vs. YA with Romantic Elements
• Voice and the YA Writer
• The different audiences: writing for Tweens vs. Teens (and the Adults who read YA)
• The business side: agents, marketing, and resources for the YA writer
Instructor: Deborah Blake
Dates: October 5 - 27 2011
Cost: $16
Course Description: Author Deborah Blake moves beyond Vampires to delve into a wide range of paranormal folk who don’t need to hide from the sun. From Witches to Weres, Fae to Phantasms, this class will explore the alternatives to over-used supernatural stereotypes and help you to create your own unique paranormal character. The class will include:
• A discussion of current trends
• Suggested reading
• Hints for character building
• An overview of authors who have successfully gone beyond the traditional
Instructor: Catherine Chant
Dates: October 10 - 24 2011
Cost: $30
Course Description: At the end of this workshop you will have a better understanding of what goes into making your author website more appealing and inviting to a visitor and thus more effective for promoting you and your work.
This two-week workshop* will cover the golden ratio of layout design, web fonts and web-safe colors, using white space, user interface considerations and website organization, web graphics for the artistically challenged, and the importance of testing websites with multiple operating systems and browser applications.
Instructor: Paty Jager
Dates: October 17 - 30 2011
Cost: $25
Course Description: This two week course will help you get to know your characters and their backstory to catapult you into the correct spot to start your book. You’ll brainstorm until you find the best first sentence, paragraph, and page that will capture the attention of a reader and draw them into your story.
Happy writing!