Enroll For Your Next Course Here
What to Expect When You EnrollYou can stay current with Bootcamp activity by subscribing to our Bootcamp newsletter (see link below) and by checking into to the Bootcamp site on a regular basis.
- Bootcamps run four weeks, beginning on a Sunday and ending on the Saturday of the fourth week.
- Bootcamps are delivered by email through Yahoo groups. All course activity is delivered to your email box.
- Courses consist of one lesson and one exercise each week
- Students receive personal feedback.
- There is generally a one week break between courses.
For more information check out the frequently asked questions ... page
NOTICE: Course fees will increase to $28 on August 2. Current fees are good for any course until that date.
AUGUST 1 — AUGUST 28
with Connie Flynn
Without conflict there is no story. But what is conflict and how does it affect character and plot? It stems from the obstacles to the characters goal and from the consequences of character action. This course will focus on escalating obstacles and consequences until conflict sizzles on every page.
FEE: $25
with Linda Style
Pro writers know how to keep each scene simmering with expectation by highlighting external situations and internal conflict to create high drama. This course covers just that topic and you'll never again wonder what to do with that boring but necessary scene.
FEE: $25
RESCHEDULED
This course is being converted to a 6-week clinic to give authors adequate time to revise while they're learning the revision techniques. Watch for more information on the site and in the Bootcamp newsletter.
SEPTEMBER 5 TO OCTOBER 2
BOOTCAMP SPOTLIGHT: Cathy McDavid
Killer Synopses - How to Take the Bite Out of Writing Them . . .
. . . using the classic movie, JAWS, as an example
Whether plotter or pantser by nature and whether you write them before or after you've written the book, the darned synopsis is often the part of professional writing we hate the most. Yet, to be successful, we must do a passable job of constructing one.
Unfortunately, there’s no secret to writing a synopsis. However, in this workshop we'll cover basic and simple steps that will let you produce that passable, and possibly very good, synopsis. We’ll also debunk some common myths about synopses that may have been making the task more difficult than it needs to be.
If you haven't watched JAWS recently (or ever), you might want to view it before the course starts. For the romance plot, our example will be Cinderella.
FEE: $25 until August 1; $30 after August 1
Some of the most successful techniques used by bestselling authors are the judicious use of subplots and layering, both of which add depth, texture and interest to a story. But many writers don't make full use of their subplots and sometimes even mistake a secondary plot for a subplot. Many writers believe layering is simply adding more stuff to make it interesting. Not so. In this class, you'll learn the intricacies of subplot and layering and how to use them to your story's best advantage. We'll cover what the subplot can do for your story, the start, the finish and the why plus weaving, braiding, intersecting and all that jazz and a look at the secret ingredients of the subplot
FEE: $25
Dialogue is not hard to write. But neither is it like real conversations. Dialogue has a story purpose beyond showing that your characters have voice boxes. This course gives techniques on writing dialogue that reveal character and moves along the plot. We'll master using dialogue to move your story, learn why how he thinks is how he speaks, and cover techniques for dynamic dialogue and how to weave it smoothly into your narrative.
FEE: $25
October 3 to October 30
BOOTCAMP SPOTLIGHT: Denise Domning
Premise and Theme: Or How Socrates Can Help You Write a Romance
How may times have you picked up a book, become engrossed with well-drawn characters only to be disappointed by a plot that takes a ridiculous turn or even disappears altogether? What was needed was premise. With the help of Socrates, premise and theme can banish the "sagging middles" in your own plot. Through an objective and structured analysis you will learn how creating a simple three or four word premise will help you identify both plot events and the characters needed to create lightning-fast pacing. Mastery of this skill will forever prevent your plots from veering off in some unexpected direction and leaving you in a muddled middle.
FEE: $25 until August 1; $30 after August 1
5P INFUSING STORIES WITH EMOTION taught by Linda Style
Learning how to infuse your story with emotion is one of the most important techniques, yet most writers don't even think about it until they realize something is missing in their stories. As writers we must not only know how to build emotion in our stories and characters, but how to engage the reader emotionally. In this class you'll learn techniques to do both.
FEE: $25
You can have great characters, excellent plots,and zingy dialogue but if you don't write the story with brevity and clarity and evocative words you'll lose readers by page three. You'll learn how to stay in active voice, what excitement killers must be avoided and how to exploit sentence structure and punctuation to get the most out of your writing. engaging.
FEE: $25
2010 FALL COURSE LIST
These Course Are All Open for Registration.
Register by August 1 to avoid the fee increase!
These Course Are All Open for Registration.
Register by August 1 to avoid the fee increase!
Connie Flynn
The Basics
The Basics
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Surviving Rewrites & Revisions
Sparkling Dialogue
Punch up Your Prose
Surviving Rewrites &Revisions
Linda Style
The Polish
The Polish
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Escalating Consequences
Subplots and Layers
Infusing Stories with Emotion
Scene & Sequel Dynamics