Courses: Classes for Writers
Self-paced classes can be accessed for eighteen months after purchase and allow you to go at your own pace. Read the materials and do the lessons when you have time. There is no instructor feedback, but exercises and answer keys help you understand how to put the principles into practice.
Instructor-led classes include feedback from the instructor, start and end on specific days, and have homework assignments that are due at specific times, but discussions are forum-based and asynchronous, meaning you can join in whenever you have a chance during the period the class is in session.
Writing Romance
$80 (Members: $72) | How to write romance novels | 4 lessons | Self-paced | Intermediate In this class, you’ll learn the basics of writing romance novels. Each lesson includes an assignment for you to do to practice your skills. The class covers: basic conventions of the genre (reader expectations) and why they’re important differences…
Writing Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense
$80 (Members: $72) | How to write mystery, thriller, and suspense novels | 4 lessons | Self-paced This class walks you through writing the related genres of mystery, suspense, and thriller. It covers: Understanding genre conventions Creating a strong central conflict Keys to building tension and suspense Common problems in crime fiction Character development in…
Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
$80 (Members: $72) | How to write science fiction and fantasy | 4 lessons | Self-paced In this class, you’ll learn the basics of writing science fiction and fantasy novels. The class covers: conventions of the genres and subgenres (reader expectations)—and why they’re important why the “what if?” matters what we mean by “speculative fiction”’;…
How to Write Query Letters, Synopses, and More!
$80 (Members: $72) | How to write query letters, blurbs, pitches, and more | 4 lessons | Self-paced This class is meant for novelists who are interested in pursuing a traditional publishing path that requires query letters, synopses, and other author collateral. You’ll learn how to write: query letters elevator pitches for conference or online…
Essentials of Conflict for Writers
$80 (Members: $72) | How to write stories with good central conflicts | 4 lessons | Self-paced This class digs into what story conflict is, how authors create it (or don’t), and what you can do to fix it. It covers: how character development impacts conflict and how conflict impacts story structure the eternal trifecta…
Understanding Point-of-View and Perspective for Writers
$80 (Members: $72) | How to effectively use point-of-view and perspective in fiction | 4 lessons | Self-paced This class goes beyond the basics of head-hopping to dive deep into problems in perspective and POV. It covers: the possibilities and limits of various narrative points-of-view describes how other developmental problems are related to POV, such…
Advanced Point-of-View and Perspective for Writers
$50 (Members: $45) | How to immerse readers in a story through the effective use of point-of-view and perspective | 2 lessons | Self-paced If you already know how to spot head-hopping and can explain why that first-person narrator is slowing down the pacing of a story (and what to do about it), this is…
Finish Your Book Bootcamp
$30 (Members: $27) | How to finish your novel | 8 lessons | Self-paced I like to call this the What-Comes-After-NaNoWriMo Class. You’ve got a project that you may have made a good start on but it needs work. And you just can’t seem to get it finished. Maybe it isn’t a novel; maybe it’s…
Foundations of Storytelling for Writers
$80 (Members: $72) | How to write a novel | 4 lessons | Self-paced This class, written by a developmental editor, shows authors how to apply developmental editing principles to their own work. You’ll learn what concerns like “lack of a clear central conflict” and “poor character development” mean, how to find out if your…
Evolution of a Novel
$90 (Members: $81) | How the novel revision process works | 4 lessons | Self-paced | Intermediate For writers, editors, book coaches, and critique partners interested in learning about the revision process. Follow along as an author shows how her vision for a novel changes from the original draft to the final published version. Identify…
Query letter critique
A query letter is a sales tool used to interest a literary agent in representing your manuscript, or, more rarely, an acquisitions editor for a publishing company that accepts unsolicited manuscripts. Query letters are typically one page and focus on what the manuscript is about with a sentence or two devoted to the author’s background….
Synopsis critique
A novel synopsis is typically a three- or four-page summary outlining who the main characters in your novel are and what happens over the course of the story arc. (If you’re writing a nonfiction book, please get in touch with Jennifer at [email protected] to discuss your options – usually you’ll need to write a book…