Want to add mystery to your life? Then write one! USA TODAY Bestselling Author Traci Andrighetti is on the case to help you investigate how whodunits are done.

In her three-month mentoring course, you will develop your plot and cast of characters, outline your manuscript, and write the first act.

During the inquiry, Traci will teach you her super sleuthing tools and tips to add intrigue and heighten the tension. Once we’ve found the body, Traci will provide you with clues to finish your...

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Beginning writers are often told to: “Write the story you want to read, not what someone else might want to see.” This class, instead, deals with catering a short story specifically to a publisher’s request for submissions. Regularly, editors and publishers list upcoming anthologies and the types of stories they’re looking to include.

The course will explore current call-outs, and students will be encouraged to write specifically for one anthology and to submit the work at the end of the...

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Have you ever read your sex scenes and thought, eh? Do you pick up other author’s books and wish you could write those scorching hot love scenes? Maybe you just want to turn up the sexual heat a notch or two in your own writing? Then this is the class for you.

In Pumping Up The Sexual Volume multi-published erotic romance author, Sorcha Mowbray, reveals how to develop a sex scene step by step, provides tools to accomplish just that, and even answers some naughty questions along the way....

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If there is one thing writers bemoan, it's a lack of time. Of course, there is no such thing as a "lack of time." Everyone has the same amount. It's how we manage that time which makes the difference. It is easy to say, "If it really matters, you will find the time." However, most of us have several things that "really matter." This course takes a holistic Reality-Based time management approach, helping the writer learn how to integrate writing into a total life plan.

This course covers:...

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We’ve all done it. We read a book and set it aside. The writing didn’t capture us. Then there are those books that we can’t put down. Why? The plot, the characters, the writing captivated us. What are those authors’ “secrets?”

I will reveal them in my workshop on How to Make Your Writing Sparkle, whether you write fiction or nonfiction. I will focus on style, content, characterization, dialog, and more. This is not a workshop on dialog or characterization, but instead focuses on the...

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[bcolor=#ffffff][bcolor=transparent]Did you know that....[/bcolor][/bcolor]

• [bcolor=transparent][bcolor=transparent]Blog articles with images get 94% more views? [/bcolor][/bcolor]
• [bcolor=transparent][bcolor=transparent]Or that [/bcolor][bcolor=transparent]Including a Photo and a video in a product release [aka as your book release] increases views by over...

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What is “genre” and why is it important? Unless we are writing literary fiction, knowing our genre inside and out is how we target our audience and keep them riveted to our story from page one to the end. Each genre has its own specific elements that readers crave, like a drug, and it’s our job to satisfy that craving.

In Generating Gorgeous Genre, we’ll learn the tricks and tropes of writing genre that sells to our publishers and satisfies our audiences.

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Have you heard of Buffy Summers? How about Scarlett O'Harra? Or maybe you remember Jessica and Elizabeth, The Sweet Valley Twins. Maybe Rhett Butler sticks in your mind, or even Doctor Sheldon Cooper. The one thing these characters all have in common is that they're unforgettable. They're iconic, stand the test of time, and readers and viewers can't get enough of them.

So how do you bestow your characters with the same "unforgettableness"?
In this OWL, two experienced writing teachers will...

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Authors and publishers face a major obstacle in getting noticed among the tons of books released every day. While we’ve been told that “Content is king”, with the digital revolution, it’s beyond creating content to creating content that connects with readers. In fact, getting noticed in this information-deluged society is a continuing struggle.

In this strategic social media planning workshop based on the book by Bharat Anand, The Content Trap, Cassie will explore the three types of...

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My first rule of mentoring is to create a safe place for both the author and the work to go on a journey to help create the best version of the work. I stay in-tune to the author’s vision through the process.

I approach from a curious place. What is this work? What does it want to be? What is working extremely well? What would make it work even better to make the story the best it can be? I examine things such as the overall arc of the plot, characterization develop,...​

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Anne Frank… Virginia Woolf… Sylvia Plath… Thérèse de Lisieux… Franz Kafka… Ivan Turgenev… Samuel Pepys… Anais Nin… Susan Sontag… Henry David Thoreau.

It is no coincidence that the words “journey” and “journaling” derive from the same root. Journaling can be a journey or it can recount a journey. Over the centuries the above well-known writers have chronicled such journeys in their own journals, thus sharing their innermost thoughts, fears, doubts and hopes with the literary world-at-large....

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Are you seeking a coach and mentor who listens? Doesn't squash your writing style? And who provides positive, constructive feedback to meet your goals?

As a certified coach with a background in education and over a decade of working with writers, my goal is to offer you an individualized mentoring/coaching program to help guide you through the writing and publishing process. No part of your writing process is too small or too large for us to tackle together.

We will work as a team on the...

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The judicious use of secrets and revelations can be a difficult skill for new writers to learn. Jeffe Kennedy, known for her slow reveal of deeply held secrets, worldbuilding details and using secrets to amplify sexual tension will teach skills to approaching this delicate task.

She’ll discuss when to withhold information and how that functions to build tension, even in books that aren’t technically mysteries. She’ll also give pointers on how to know when NOT to withhold information and...

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You don’t have to write an epic tome to get published! Romance novellas are extremely popular in all subgenres of romance. They fit perfectly into readers’ schedules, providing them with a satisfying, heartfelt story they can enjoy while dealing with this crazy, hectic life. And they are tremendously fun to write!

But you’ve never tried to write a novella? No worries. This class is brief introduction to writing the Romance Novella so you can decide if this great form works for you.

Join...

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Between family, kids, pets, a day job, and the rest of life, how is it possible to be as productive as you need to be to get that novel or story finished? Together we’ll explore some tools and techniques to help you have what you want in your life—a balance between having the time and energy to write and the rest of your life. While there are similarities in how this might be accomplished, we’ll also explore ways to come up with a plan that will work for you and your unique...

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Third person, first person, multiple viewpoints, single—all of it can be confusing. What works? When to change viewpoint? And how do you take POV so deep a reader feels everything a character feels? This workshop covers some basic elements of POV control, including how to make better choices for which character's viewpoint to use and how to write deep POV that compels a reader's attention. Exercises will be offered to sharpen POV control, one of the most fundamental, and strongest...

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Whether you prefer to create a detailed plot outline, jot down just a few notes, or just sit down and begin writing, you cannot ignore story structure. You might perfect it before you begin to write or during the editing process. Most often, you will need to do so both in planning and revision.

This course explores key concepts in building a story line that will keep your reader engaged. We make no judgments about whether detailed plotting or a more improvised approach is best. That's your...

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Gender Bender. Are you a male writer and your female characters sound manly? Are you a female writer and your male characters sound effeminate? Men tend to speak in terms of objects and women tend to speak in terms of relationships. We will dive into what words to use and what words to take out.

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Have you ever started a book by a ‘new to you’ author and settled right into the story? You just know you’re going to love it. You’re relaxed and trusting the author from the first page. You're hooked and you know you will be there for awhile.

How do they do that?

You have less than five pages to hook a reader. Probably less, if your reader is an agent. A compelling beginning can adhere readers to your writing and your voice as well as your story.

Sound impossible? It’s not.

Join Laura...

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Typically writers start out by learning to plot and/or build compelling characters along with studying the nature of conflict. Of necessity, if their goal is to sell, they learn how to define their story through the synopsis or story outline.

Then, still typically, they begin to write. Along the way, the most successful of them learn to manage the words on the page — often they don’t know how they do it—but many flounder, wondering why their books don’t stand out.

It’s because they...

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It can be hard for writers to be successful. However, I believe that we can all take concrete steps to be more successful by being more efficient, regardless if we are beginning writers or more seasoned writers.

In other words, I believe that the ticket to success for a writer occurs by taking efficient actions every day. In this workshop, I will show writers of all levels how to be successful, content, and in control of their writing careers.

Yes, you can have the writing life that you...

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The Christmas season is almost upon us. Every year, the holidays seem to approach faster and faster. Because of the hustle and bustle of the season, the holidays can be a time that writer’s dread.

The media portrays the holidays as a time when family and friends get together in a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of light and color. We are encouraged to buy and shop and usually the mayhem starts a good month before Christmas even begins.

There’s no denying it: the holidays are a stressful time...

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Many writers want to take part in NaNoWriMo each year in November. There is no better way of getting into the later fall months than to delve into writing a brand new book that we can then revise in December and January.

I have participated in 20 years of NaNoWriMo’s so far. This will be my 21st year. Over the years, I have learned a lot of tricks to make sure that I have the best writing month and succeed at writing 50,000 words.

For the first few years, I didn’t complete my whole...

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You’ve written a great book. You’ve gone through multiple rounds of edits and now your baby is ready to go! Ready to be published. But how? In this new age of publication there are nearly too many options. Join best selling author L. C. Hayden as she discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of publishing options. And how you can arrive at the choice that is best for your story. She will discuss:

• All the flavors of self-publication and indie publishing...

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Editing is one of the most difficult tasks a writer faces and even seasoned authors often have difficultly detecting errors in their own work. When writers proofread their own work, it’s not unusual for them to overlook errors because their mind knows how the text should read and automatically corrects it.

Whether you’re polishing your manuscript for a contest, preparing to submit to an agent or editor, or planning to self-publish, knowing how to effectively proofread your work is an...

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