Live Online Course
July 10—August 4, 2023
Story Medicine
A solid story, compelling characters, and strong writing are a great start. But if you want your novel to stand out from the competition, it has to have something extra.
It has to have a sense of meaning.
In this 4-week class, I'll help you elevate your command of craft—
> by taking a stand on the issues that matter most to you
> by connecting with your reader on a deeper level
> by accurately reflecting the complex truths of reality (and avoiding harm to historically marginalized people in your work)
>>>And in the process, I'll help you cure your novel of some of THE most common ailments that keep otherwise great books from getting published.
If you're ready to break through with your first published novel, then it's time to embrace your true power as a storyteller.
What difference could your story make, if you took that power seriously?
Self-Paced Course
Voice and Vision
Agents and editors will tell you it's the #1 thing that gets their attention in a submission: a compelling voice and a clear point of view (POV).
Spend some time working your way through the slush pile for a journal or contest, and you'll find it too—that special something that sets certain submissions apart from the rest, often from the very first lines.
It's the sense of actually inhabiting the mind of another, and the world as they see it.
It's the sense of a fictional vision, fully realized.
In this self-paced course, I'll help you tune in the unique voice of your novel, and help you ensure that your readers find your POV characters just as compelling as you do.
With techniques borrowed from the emerging body of neuroscience associated with fiction, as well as from some of the best prose stylists working today, this class will help you make a quantum leap forward with your craft.
You'll emerge with a novel that feels inexplicably real and alive, in a way your readers probably won't be able to explain—but won't be able to put down.
Self-paced Course
Being Scene
You know that magical feeling of being transported by fiction—the sense that you're no longer reading the story, you're living it?
It's not actually magic, it's neuroscience. (Which, come to think of it, might be the same thing.)
In this self-paced course, I'll show you how to unleash the true power of scenes in your stories, sharing techniques borrowed from great authors and screenwriters, firmly anchored in neuroscience.
You'll emerge with four powerful scenes that will transform your reader's experience of your novel—and take your command of craft to the next level.
Self-paced Course
Anatomy of the Novel
It’s a dirty little secret in the writing world: you can rack up $40K+ on an MFA, and/or read 40+ books on craft, and still have no idea how to write a publishable novel.
If you’re tired of wondering what you’re doing—and, frankly, tired of the BS—pull up a chair, crack open your laptop, and prepare yourself for a serious download.
In just four sections, you’ll learn the fundamental principles of publishable fiction, regardless of genre, and gain the tools to recognize when your novel meets the standards of the marketplace. Period.
