January...
TITLE: His Personality Ladder
DATE: January 7 – January 27, 2009
INSTRUCTOR: Laurie Schnebly Campbell
LEVEL: Intermediate/Advanced
COST: $15 Outreach Member/Others $25
Deadline to receive application and payment: January 4, 2009
Course Description:
If you've ever started cruising with a hero who insists on going
his own way, you need a map to keep up with him. And if your hero
cooperates all through the book, you need to make sure he's not
boring your readers.
You probably already know his psychological traits and enneagram
type -- if not, check with the instructor. That's because this class
takes up where those others leave off, following a hero through the
stages he'll cover throughout your book.
Whether you're starting with a brand new character, or tweaking some
you've already written, it helps to know what their journey will be.
Not the Vogler-style Hero's Journey, but your hero's individual
journey from Mr. NOT YET Right to Mr. VERY Right.
Every hero needs to move through five steps along that path,
comparable to climbing a ladder...although often with a few detours
here and there. Of course, every heroine has her own ladder to
climb, and in most novels the pair will move in parallel stages --
until the end, when they reach the ultimate triumph together.
There's even a ladder for the villain, although he rarely makes it
to the top.
Why use personality ladders? Recognizing the steps of a hero's (or
heroine's, or even a villain's) progress along the way from Page 1
to The End makes it easier to create the right roadblocks and rest
stops along the way...and to make sure each character's journey is
enhanced by that of their fellow climbers.
Topics Covered Include:
Before The Climb
First Step: Beginning
Second Step: Misdirection
Third Step: Recovery
Fourth Step: Challenge
Fifth Step: Growth
Reaching The Top
Bio:
Counselor and "Best 200 Books of the Century" winner Laurie Schnebly
Campbell has lost count of how many writers have enjoyed her classes
on "Psychology for Creating Characters" and "Creating Your Hero's
Fatal Flaw." For everyone from those classes who's asked for more
insights on personality development, she's created this advanced
course that builds on her psychology and enneagram workshops. Not
sure whether you qualify for the new class? Visit
www.BookLaurie.com and ask Laurie!
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February...
TITLE: Crafting the Sensual Novella: How to
Steam Up the Pages in 25,000 Words or Less
DATE: February 1 – February 14, 2009
INSTRUCTORS: Eliza Knight and Renee Knowles
COST: $10 Outreach Member/Others $20
Deadline to receive application and payment: January 31, 2009
Course Description:
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 more than sex.
And the guidelines are different than for a traditional-length
novel. This workshop will help you learn how to plot a novella
whether you are a heavy outliner or a “pantser.” You’ll see how easy
it is to layer emotion into your love scenes and hook the reader
from the very first sentence. The class will also instruct you on
how to pack more into less words, while still keeping your love
story strong and your audience captivated. We’ll even include a
sensual and sensory word reference list as a bonus!
Are you ready to take readers on a swift,
sensual, and emotionally riveting journey?
Note: This workshop includes handouts as
well as suggested reading, and will include excerpts from the
presenters’ and other authors’ novellas.
Bios:
Renee Knowles: Renee Knowles is an award-winning historical and
contemporary romance author with The Wild Rose Press and Siren
Publishing. She is also an editor for The Wild Rose Press and a
published freelance writer whose work has appeared in national
consumer and trade magazines, as well as newspapers. Renee’s
novellas consistently receive 5-star reviews, and she was called a
“brilliant author” by Two Lips Reviews.
Renee is the author of a series of writing how-to books, Savvy
Business Skills for Writers, from Wild Child Publishing. She often
gives workshops and online classes to writing groups all over the
country. Renee has several years of experience in public speaking
and frequently presents on business topics and image. She has
presented writing workshops at Colorado Romance Writers, Seattle
Romance Writers’ Emerald City Conference, Rocky Mountain Fiction
Writers and the Northern Colorado Writer’s Conference. She also
teaches online writers’ classes through AuthorMBA.com and RWA
chapters. For more information on Renee, please visit her website at
www.reneeknowles.com.
Eliza Knight: Eliza Knight is the author of
multiple steamy Regency and erotic Highlander time travel romance
novellas published by The Wild Rose Press. She is a freelance copy
editor, Newsletter Editor for Hearts Through History Romance
Writers, and President of the Celtic Hearts Romance Writers
signature chapter of the RWA. She also volunteers her time as
moderator of a critique group and contest coordinator. Eliza is the
author of the award-winning blog, History Undressed and has
published numerous articles in various newsletters. She presents
workshops on history, researching techniques and writing craft, to
writing groups online. For more information on Eliza, please visit
her website at, www.elizaknight.com,
www.historyundressed.blogspot.com.
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March...
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April...
TITLE: The Tudors
DATE: April 20 – May 17, 2009
INSTRUCTOR: Eliza Knight
COST: $15 Outreach Member/Others $25
Deadline to receive application and payment: April 18, 2009
Course Description:
The Tudor reign began in 1485 and ended in 1603. There were six
reigning monarchs in the Tudor dynasty: Henry VII, Henry VIII,
Edward VI, Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Although some may not
consider Jane Grey to have been a monarch considering she was only
on the throne for nine days, I will include it because however short
she was crowned queen.
A genealogical tree for the Tudors will be provided
for information on births, deaths, marriages and children.
There will be six lessons during this course, one lesson for each
monarch. Each lesson will discuss events during the reign of the
monarchs, such as educational accomplishments, marriages, children,
foreign policy, Acts within England, person’s close to them
including advisors, and I will throw in some fun facts and gritty
scandals too. Within each lesson are sub-lessons on other important
persons of that time that directly influenced the monarchy.
Questions and discussion welcome throughout, and there will be
assignments and the end of each lesson to help refresh your memory
of all the fascinating history you will learn.
Lesson One: Henry VII, Reign 1485 - 1509
Lesson Two: Henry VIII, Reign 1509 - 1547
Lesson Three: Edward VI, Reign 1547 – 1553
Lesson Four: Jane Grey, Reign July 1553
Lesson Five: Mary I, Reign 1553 - 1558
Lesson Six: Elizabeth I, Reign 1558 – 1603
Bio:
Eliza Knight: Eliza Knight is the author of multiple steamy Regency
and erotic Highlander time travel romance novellas published by The
Wild Rose Press. She is a freelance copy editor, Newsletter Editor
for Hearts Through History Romance Writers, and President of the
Celtic Hearts Romance Writers signature chapter of the RWA. She also
volunteers her time as moderator of a critique group and contest
coordinator. Eliza is the author of the award-winning blog, History
Undressed and has published numerous articles in various
newsletters. She presents workshops on history, researching
techniques and writing craft, to writing groups online. For more
information on Eliza, please visit her website at,
www.elizaknight.com,
www.historyundressed.blogspot.com.
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September...
October...
TITLE: Conducting Historical Research
DATE: October 5 – October 16, 2009
INSTRUCTOR: Eliza Knight
COST: $10 Outreach Member/Others $20
Deadline to receive application and payment: October 3, 2009
Course Description:
There is a plethora of information available online for anybody
who wants to look. As a writer of historical fiction, you will often
find yourself needing this information. But how do you go about
getting it?
This class will teach you the ins and outs of conducting research
online. Do you need to find just one little nitty gritty detail or a
vast amount of information that directly correlates to your plot? Do
you need to know what street Carlton House was on? Or how many guns
were on the HMS Impregnable? By the end of this class you should
have a grasp on how to get this information.
I will also discuss how to mesh your research into your story so it
flows and doesn’t feel “textbook.” Have you ever read a book, where
it feels like the author is just regurgitating fact to you, instead
of seamlessly mixing it into narrative or dialogue?
After each lesson there will be an assignment, and an opportunity
for you to submit a short excerpt from your manuscript in which
you’ve used historical fact, for critique.
Bio:
Eliza Knight: Eliza Knight is the author of multiple steamy
Regency and erotic Highlander time travel romance novellas published
by The Wild Rose Press. She is a freelance copy editor, Newsletter
Editor for Hearts Through History Romance Writers, and President of
the Celtic Hearts Romance Writers signature chapter of the RWA. She
also volunteers her time as moderator of a critique group and
contest coordinator. Eliza is the author of the award-winning blog,
History Undressed and has published numerous articles in various
newsletters. She presents workshops on history, researching
techniques and writing craft, to writing groups online. For more
information on Eliza, please visit her website at,
www.elizaknight.com,
www.historyundressed.blogspot.com.
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November
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