A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!
How does it work? Once a session starts, two lessons will be released each week, for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.
Keep in mind that the interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes 2 weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
The Final Exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the Final Exam has been released, you will have 2 weeks plus 10 days to complete the Final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.
Week One
Lesson 01 - Getting in Gear to Write
Wednesday
Where do great ideas come from? How do best-selling authors get to be that way? What makes writing so very scary, intimidating, delicious, and wickedly wonderful? How are words pulled from nothingness and zapped to the screen or printed page? What makes writing nearly addictive to one group of humanity and yet an overwhelming task for others? Are there born writers? Can anyone learn to write? Why do some people get published and others fail? In this lesson, you'll start learning the answers to those questions and begin the journey to becoming a better writer.
Lesson 02 - The Writing Life
Friday
Have you ever heard that to be a writer, you only need a pen and paper? That's true. Yet, too many writers throw in other requirements—from a year of unfettered time, to a trust fund that will keep them in caviar until the royalties come flooding in. This lesson will delve more deeply into the writing life as it exposes some myths about writing.
Week Two
Lesson 03 - Self-Editing and Researching
Wednesday
This lesson will discuss self-editing and researching. Self-editing and researching are both skills you'll want to learn so that you can sell your work. It's highly unlikely that you'll ever sell a first draft, and it's equally as unlikely that you'll sell something you didn't research. This lesson will teach you some simple tricks to make your work shine!
Lesson 04 - Writing for Magazines
Friday
This lesson could be called Magazine Writing 101. If you've written for magazines before, then this lesson will be a refresher or a nudge. If you haven't written for magazines and would like to, then you'll find out indispensable information that will get you going. With this info, you could find your niche and begin making money as a freelancer, possibly while you're working on your novel.
Week Three
Lesson 05 - Writing and Selling Other Short Works
Wednesday
The previous lesson focused on writing nonfiction articles for popular magazines. But you won't find every magazine that uses freelance work in your grocery store or big super bookstore. There are magazines, publications, and periodicals with an otherwise large distribution that never even get to these places. Those magazines are always looking for new short works such as short stories, columns, essays, and poetry. This lesson will talk about how you can sell your short works to magazines and newspapers.
Lesson 06 - Writing Novels
Friday
Some writers just love to write long fiction and have a story that is burning to get out. If you fit into this group, or just wonder how one goes about writing a novel, then this lesson should speak to you. You'll find out why some people need to get that book out and what it takes to do so. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a working knowledge of the genre possibilities and what it takes to write a novel. You'll learn how stories are found, how some famous novelists were discovered, how to stay motivated, and what has stopped a few hopeful writers from writing.
Week Four
Lesson 07 - Writing Nonfiction Books
Wednesday
Now it's time to give the nonfiction genres a turn. Adults are infatuated with nonfiction and it sells better than any other type of book. There are scads of different genres in nonfiction books. In this lesson, you'll focus on the types of nonfiction writing and how to get a project started, written, and noticed by publishers and agents. Nonfiction books concern real people, places, events, information, or situations. Whether you're addicted to reading nonfiction, or just want to learn all you can about writing, this lesson will give you valuable information that will help you better understand the world of publishing.
Lesson 08 - Ghostwriting
Friday
What does it mean to be a ghost in the literary world? This lesson will give you the scoop on this lucrative business. If you have a talent for emulating peoples' voices, and if you're fast, efficient, and good with people, this might be the field for you. This lesson will talk about how to advertise and find clients, how to select appropriate clients, and how to maintain a good working relationship so that you can produce the best book possible.
Week Five
Lesson 09 - The Roles of Editors and Agents
Wednesday
This lesson will talk about the roles of editors and agents. Specifically, you'll find out what each of their jobs includes and why you need to know this information. If you're currently writing a novel or a nonfiction book, gathering a collection of poetry or short stories, or maybe just dabbling in the idea, you'll want to read this lesson carefully. Find out how agents interact with editors at publishing houses and how you can interact with agents and editors.
Lesson 10 - Self-Publishing and E-Publishing
Friday
Attend any writing conference or sit with a group of published writers, and you're bound to hear words like: self-publishing, POD, copublishing and e-publishing. This lesson will discuss the options that are often called alternative publishing. If you're serious about joining the world as a writer, you should be aware of these options. They're not for everyone, but the information you'll receive will help you make sound career and financial decisions.
Week Six
Lesson 11 - The Business Side of Writing
Wednesday
This lesson is all about the legal side of writing. You'll learn about sample agreements and contracts that will help keep you in good stead as you become the writer of your dreams. The lesson will also talk about royalties, advances, and the scoop on that lovely green stuff that pays the bills.
Lesson 12 - Time Management and Marketing for All Writers
Friday
Saturday comes, finally. The house looks like a disaster hit. The kids need shoes, the dog has a vet's appointment, and you swear that the health department might condemn the car. Unlike Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, you can't seem to click your heels hard enough to make it all disappear. You've got a yearning, a deep burning to write, but the clutter, the mess, the hours spent doing things for others (okay, and procrastination) are eating at your heart. What does all of this have to do with creativity? Check the clock, because it's all about time management, and that's what you'll learn in this vital lesson.