In addition to my conference classes, books, blog series and PDFs on writing craft, I’m now offering online courses in writing craft!
Structural Self-Editing: GPS for Your Story
28 September – 25 October 2015
taught at SavvyAuthors.com
Sign up today!
After a first draft, do you have a solid story or . . . not quite? A structural edit enables you to refine your individual scenes and guide your work on the highest level. Discover how to build strong narrative structure, create a resonant theme, and craft an unputdownable story through the structural self-editing process.
This hands-on class will give you the tools and guidance necessary to understand good story structure and apply it to your story. Before you start polishing your prose, tap into the power of these vital editing tools to get your whole novel on the right course.
Stats
Level: Mixed/Beginning/Intermediate/Advanced
Where: The Savvy Forums
Cost: Premium Savvy Author Members $30 / Basic Members $40
Syllabus
Week 1: Crafting your character arc & thinking about theme
Week 2: Strong story structure & solid scene structure
Week 3: Common pitfalls of story and scene structure
Week 4: The Scene Chart–find weak spots & craft your revision plan
Previous Courses
Deepen Your Characters, Deepen Your Fiction
12 January–6 February 2015 (may extend if needed)
Learn how to create a truly immersive, addictive experience for your readers by creating deeper characters and deeper stories. Topics include creating fully rounded characters, digging into deep POV, enhancing conflict, and deepening your fiction with everything from high-level structure to line editing for flow.
Course format: The course will be offered over four weeks starting January 12, 2015 through an online classroom. Each week will include presentation-style lessons and exercises. The instructor and other students will interact and work to improve and refine exercises with participants. And we’re going to have fun doing it!
Requirements: A WIP that is anywhere from the planning stage to the early editing stage (where you’re still willing & able to make large changes if necessary), Internet connection (high speed is recommended, as lessons will include video presentations), browser that accepts cookies (necessary for login).
The class is very hands-on, so class size is limited.
Gesture Crutches Webinar
JULY 7, 2015, 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT
Presentation followed by a live chat Q&A!
Smiling, nodding, laughing, sighing, frowning–they’re all the little gestures we use every day to convey meaning, and they can creep into every page of our writing. These overused actions quickly become flat clichés, sapping your story’s power. Come learn how to find these common “gesture crutches,” discover new strategies to fix them, and use the smallest gestures to personalize your characters.
This is an expanded version of the course I taught at LDStorymakers 2014. Registering for the course includes access to the webinar with audio, a guide to the software used and a transcript of the Q&A if you can’t attend real time.
Cost: $10. Yep.
Class size: Unlimited.
Requirements: Internet connection (high speed is recommended, as the presentation and chat will perform best), browser that accepts cookies (necessary for login). Bring examples, bring questions and bring your best notetaking skills! Yep, that’s it!
To sign up
(Click on images to enlarge.)
- Visit http://jordanmccollum.com/classes/ and click on Log in.
- If you have an account, login and skip to step 5. If you haven’t taken any courses before, click on the Create new account button.
- Fill out the form to create an account. (Only lowercase letters are allowed in the username!)
- Confirm your account with the link in the authentication email.
- From the front page or the courses page, click on the name of the course.
- Click on the Send payment via Paypal button to pay for and enroll in the course. You do not need a Paypal account already!
(And yes, the site is using the Commonwealth spelling of enrol(l). I’ll fix it eventually.) - Login to Paypal or supply your information to create an account and process payment.
- Bam! You’re in! You should be able to return to the site and view the welcome message inside the course.
