Quality, Affordable, Accessible:
Workshops For Writers of All Genres
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Please visit our new site at:
http://yosemiteromancewriters.com/
To see more class options and to sign up for
all courses.
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2008
One step sign-up: Pay and register
all at once!
Just click the "pay now"
button below your chosen course to pay by Paypal
Or, click here to pay by
check.
Click here to view our refund
policy |
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September
4 weeks
9/1 - 9/26
$20/$25 September
4 weeks
9/1 - 9/26
$20/$25
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Writing a Winning
Synopsis
Instructor:
Robin Burcell
Registration Deadline: 8/30/08
Whether you’re entering the Golden Heart or submitting to an
editor or agent in hopes of making that sale, multi-NY-published,
Golden Heart AND Rita finalist, Robin Burcell, will teach you the
nuts and bolts of writing a synopsis from scratch as well as the
secrets to whipping a completed synopsis into tip-top shape.
........................................................................................................................................Firearms
for Writers
Instructor:
Lucinda
Schroeder
Registration Deadline: 8/30/08
Let’s face
it….most criminals and antagonists carry guns. But they don’t
all carry the same gun. Why not? Learn which make and model
most fits your character according to their personality. Give
your character a reason for carrying her weapon of choice.
You’ll also learn the basics of revolvers and semi-automatics
and the pros and cons of each. Finally, you’ll learn how to
write about guns in a way that adds depth to your story. This
is a target you can’t miss!
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October
4 weeks
10/6 - 10/31
$20/$25
October
4 weeks
10/6 - 10/31
$20/$25 |
Terrorism,
Weapons of Mass Destruction and Homeland Security
Instructor:
Cynthia Lea Clark
Registration Deadline: 10/5/08
This course
defines basic definitions associated with terrorism as we take a
look at who becomes a terrorist. We will talk about the "homegrown
terrorist" as well as some of the best known terrorist groups. We
then discuss how the external terrorists enter the country, how
they finance their activities, how they commit their acts of
terror. Then we will discuss chemical, radiological, nuclear, and
biological weapons, discussing various weapons of mass
destruction, how they work, what they do, and their antidotes.
Finally, we will discuss various aspects of Homeland Security,
including how to tell if an audio or video tape from a terrorist
is real. A US Terror timeline is included.
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Structuring
Your Manuscript for More Impact!
Instructor: Terry Spear
Registration Deadline: 10/5/08
Have you just
started your mss and you're at a loss already? Have you
finished the mss and need help structuring it so that it has
the kind of impact that will compel readers, agents, and
editors to keep reading?
Whether
you're a plotter who sets up the whole mss from start to
finish, or a pantser who writes from the seat-of-the-pants,
from the writer who is just beginning, to the one who has
finished a mss and needs some help, this workshop is for you!
We'll discuss the major components of a mss-the Scene and
Sequel, what makes them work and how to make they better. We
talk about the anatomy of scenes and sequels, flashbacks,
transitions, opening and climax scenes, conflict,
characterization and more. I'll give examples and work with
you on how to improve your own mss. Afterward, you should be
able to identify what makes your story catch the
reader's interest and what needs to be reworked to do a
better job.
Please join
Terry Spear, the online presenter of Happy Hookers and 3-D
Characterizations, for a workshop on Structuring Your
Manuscript for More Impact!
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November
4 weeks
11/3 - 11/28
$20/$25
November
4 weeks
11/3 - 11/28
$20/$25 |
Covert Operations for Writers:
How to Set Them Up, Bust Them and Barely Live Through Them
Instructor:
Lucinda
Schroeder
Registration Deadline: 11/2/08
This class presents a rare
opportunity for writers to learn first hand how federal agents and
other law enforcement officials develop targets and set up a
covert operations to catch them. Students will also learn how
covert agents establish a cover and how covers are often blown.
All undercover operations have problems, and there is no better
way to create trouble for a character than to have him involved in
some type of covert mission. All this, including an analysis
of several actual undercover operations that were busted and how
the protagonist survived the meltdown.
Even if a writer isn't writing about covert operations,
this course will spark great ideas for extraordinary creativity.
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Thrillers
with Heart
Instructor:
CJ Lyons
Registration Deadline: 11/2/08
Thrillers are hot! And romance
thrillers, Thrillers with Heart, are sizzling! What is the
difference between mysteries and thrillers? How to add romance
without slowing the pace? Explore the fascinating world of
thriller fiction with award winning author CJ Lyons.
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| December
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No courses --
Happy Holidays! |
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2009
One step sign-up: Pay and register
all at once!
Just click the "pay now"
button below your chosen course to pay by Paypal
Or, click here to pay by check.
|
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| January
4 weeks
1/5 - 1/30
$20/$25 |
Writing the Authentic
Western
Instructor: Anne
Schroeder
Registration Deadline: 1/4/09
A fascinating look at how physical, chronological and
social histories of the American West apply to westerns. Whether
we are writing paranormal, romantic, historical or YA genre, this
class will lend authenticity to our writing. (Course taught at the
Women Writing the West conference in Colorado Springs.) This is
not a stuffy social studies class; it's a must for authentic
paranormal, romance, historical and YA western writing.
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February
4 weeks
2/2 - 2/27
$20/$25
February
4 weeks
2/2 - 2/27
$20/$25 |
PR is NOT a
Four-Letter Word
Instructor:
Marcia James and Guests
Registration Deadline:
2/1/09
Self-promotion. Say the word
aloud in a room full of authors and watch a
fingernails-on-the-blackboard shudder run through the crowd.
Promotion can be a scary drain on time and finances. But there are
also many entertaining and often free opportunities to get one’s
name in front of readers. Marcia James will present affordable
author self-promotion strategies from author branding and press
kits to blog/chatroom opportunities and niche markets. A number of
PR-savvy authors will present guest lectures and answer
participants’ questions, including Kensington author Patricia Sargeant and
Ballantine author Jennifer Stevenson.
There is an erroneous but often
accepted assumption that an author doesn’t need to know how to
self-promote until she is published. An author at any stage of her
career – from pre-pubbed to multi-pubbed – can benefit from
learning these PR tricks.
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Happy Hookers! Engaging the Reader from Start to Finish
Instructor:
Terry Spear
Registration Deadline:
2/01/09
Slow starts and sleepy endings to scenes and chapters can ruin a
manuscript's chance of being published. Conversely, solid hooks
can make the sale - as workshop instructor Terry Spear
demonstrates, with six publishers currently hooked for six
manuscripts. Setting such practical matters aside, what author
wouldn't be thrilled to hear someone say, "I couldn't put the
book down"? Strong hooks are a vital ingredient in strong
writing. In this online class, which features lectures,
discussion, practical exercises, and handouts, she'll teach
students how to captivate readers with great openings, scene
hooks, chapter cliff hangers, and intriguing back cover blurbs.
Participants will master the hook in all its environments, from
the query letter through the novel.
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March
4 weeks
3/2 - 3/27
$20/$25
March
4 weeks
3/2 - 3/27
$20/$25 |
Block-Busting: Putting the Joy Back in Writing
Instructor:
Laurie Schnebly
Registration Deadline: 3/1/09
At some point, almost all writers
suffer from the inability to tell the story they want. Part of
writer's block is a lack of joy in the process. So counselor
Laurie Schnebly Campbell looks at the causes -- including
exhaustion, boredom and fear of success -- and the benefits of
this block. Writers take home new awareness of what works for them
and renewed inspiration for returning to the craft they love.
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Understanding Men
Instructor:
Dr. Debra Holland
Registration Deadline: 3/1/09
Do you wish you had a better
understanding of men? Now is your chance
to improve your real-life relationships with men and enhance
your male characters all through taking the same course.
In the month-long online class, you will learn how the male brain
and hormones
makes a man think, feel, and behave, especially in relationships.
We will also discuss how men are portrayed in romance novels
versus how men are in real life.
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April
4 weeks
4/6 - 5/1
$20/$25 |
What a Character!!! Jump from
Cookie Cutter to Great 3-Dimensional Characters in Your
Writing!
How many times have you heard how
important it is to have 3-dimensional characters? That the
publisher wants character-driven stories, not plot-driven? To
show, not tell? But how easy is it to really write characters
that come alive on the page? Some writers have a natural
ability to concoct terrific characters who are full of life.
Then there are the rest of us who need some help. In this
workshop, Terry Spear will show the difference between average
characterizations and those that will get noticed! In this
online class, which features lectures, discussion, practical
exercises, and handouts, she'll teach students how to captivate
readers with engaging characters.
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| May |
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June
2 weeks
6/5 - 6/19
$25/$30
June
4 weeks
6/1 - 6/26
$20/$25 |
Building
Cohesiveness IntoYour Novel
Instructor: Karen
Wiesner
Registration Deadline: 6/5/09
This workshop is a capsulated
version of many of the things talked about at length in Karen
Wiesner's newest Writer’s Digest Book release FROM FIRST DRAFT
TO FINISHED NOVEL {A Writer’s Guide to Cohesive Story Building.
The book and this workshop take
you through the process of using a Story Plan Checklist in order
to building cohesiveness into your novel. Additionally, this
Checklist can be used to easily create a synopsis! This workshop
will cover a month's worth of material in only two weeks.
At the end of the workshop, Karen
will provide attendees with a consolidated file containing all
the lessons and all the Q&A covered during the week. With this
file, attendees can have their own private workshop at their own
pace at any time that's convenient for them. Plus, the class
will remain open for an additional week in which Karen will
answer any final questions.
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Can This
Manuscript Be Saved?
Instructor:
Susan Meier
Registration Deadline: 6/1/09
Rejected? Can’t
get an agent? Can’t sell, even though your critique partners
LOVE your work? Susan Meier reviews the seven most common
rejection catch phrases and explains how determining whether
your problem is a story, scene or word problem is the first step
on the road to recovery, and shares tricks-of-the-trade to
finding and fixing your errors before you submit!
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| July |
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| August |
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| September |
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November
4 weeks
11/2 - 11/27
$20/$25 |
Journey
Steps, Taking the Train to Somewhere
Instructor: Susan
Meier
Registration Deadline: 11/2/09
Ever wonder
what you’re supposed to “put” in between those four or five
turning points of your story? Susan Meier’s Journey Steps,
Taking the Train to Somewhere provides quick, easy solutions for
any author who has ever wondered “now what?” Topics include the
“magic formula” for plotting, the list of five, explanation of
plot threads versus subplot and tricks for writing an
“edge-of-the-seat” read. Beginners, intermediate and experienced
authors will benefit from this workshop.
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| December |
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