Enrich your story with moments from your characters' past. Characters have a history just as real people do. A character’s past provides motivation, making them believable and emotionally sympathetic. By using backstory, we give readers valuable insight into their lives. But how do we write effective backstory and where in our stories do we put […]
Learn the critical elements you need in every scene you write and gain confidence in your writing. The building blocks of any short story, novel, memoir, or work of creative nonfiction are scenes. Each one has its own beginning, middle, and end and moves readers another step toward resolution. Elements discussed in this fast-paced, half-day […]
Learn to create a winning foundation for any story you write! You have a great idea for a story. Do you dive in and just begin writing, or start by drafting an outline? Are you a born planner or a writer who loves to discover stories organically (i.e., a pantser)? Understanding how to structure a […]
Get inspired and dive right into the novel of your dreams! Writing a novel takes commitment, but it doesn’t need to be daunting. Learn how to generate a handful of plots to choose from, methods for effectively planning your story, and simple hacks for fine tuning your basic fiction skills. Students will initiate a flexible […]
Every great story has conflict — grab yours! Strengthening the conflict in any type of fiction will bump up the tension and turn limp, ordinary fiction into an extraordinary tale that will keep readers turning pages. Whether you choose to write literary fiction, mysteries, family sagas, thrillers, historical fiction, sci-fi or fantasy—you can learn techniques […]
Create, track, and maximize your writing time to finish projects sooner and with less stress! You may think you don't have the time, energy, or inspiration to write because of your hectic lifestyle. Wrong! Learn what Kathryn Johnson's Extreme Novelists know about organizing their time, establishing a productive writing routine, and getting their stories written. […]
Learn to spot the red flags in your fiction that may cause your story to be rejected by literary agents or publishers! Revision is a dirty word to some writers. But you needn’t fear the challenges of polishing a manuscript before submission and publication. This fast-paced, half-day class focuses on the ten most common mistakes […]
