You know the feeling – when you start a book and immediately suspend disbelief to fall into the story world. As authors, we know that this isn’t easy to do. It takes more than a good scene. It takes a maestro of craft to pull it off.
This is a writing master class. If you’re past problems with POV, character development and stage direction, this class will help you understand the subtle nuances that can be the difference between a ‘good writer’ and a popular author.
Writing is work. You’ve heard the saying, “You have to learn the rules to break them.” Cliché or not, good writers understand the basics. They know how to write tight. They know how to write strong. They know how to write compelling, powerful stories.
In this class, dig deep into realistic and driven dialogue. Discover the impact of a clearly written setting. Explore character, conflict, and story arc. Learn how to use plot, placing, and tension to propel your story forward.
Writing is work. But writing can also be fun. Join me in Battling the Basics and take the first step toward seeing your name on the bestseller list.
Sheila Currie will provide information about the names of the clans, their locations, and their feuds and fights. You’ll also gain insights about daily life: making a living, keeping families strong and how to marry. Marriage was different in the Highlands. Very different.
How do you know you’re in Scotland when you read a Scottish novel? How much background should you include? Will you sprinkle a little magic in your story? Writing a great Scottish story means more than a list of dates. Blah. What are the sources for learning all this? Yes, you need history, but also folklore, a few words of Scottish Gaelic, customs, and insights into the society of the Scottish Highlands—the clans.
This hands-on class helps writers understand how POV works, from the basics of knowing which POV you are in, to the more in-depth technique of using POV to build stronger reader/character relationships and create intense emotion. Hands-on homework will have students diving deep into their scenes to create more memorable moments in their character’s head.
The goal of this class through lessons, assignments, and plenty of feedback is for you to come away with a sizzling, scintillating synopsis. A synopsis that will get the attention of an agent, editor, or contest judge and prove you’re a professional and talented story teller.
This class is for anyone who would like a surefire way to plot your novel with all the necessary beats, characters arc, relationship arc, and the added bonus of a finished synopsis.
In many lands people believe it's not wise to go about your business in a manner which offends them--they are touchy. Dead scary in fact. J.K. Rowling introduced her readers to bogles, ashwinders, chimaeras, and, of course, elves. Tricky folk. In Fairies: The Old Gods, you will have information about kelpies, selkies, the washer woman of the ford and many other supernatural entities.
In Lights! Camera! TENSION! we’ll drill deep to find exactly what creates tension in a scene or a character and we’ll learn dozens of ways to make sure you’ll use Margie’s orange highlighter at all the right moments.
Do you want a structured overview of the writing craft(s)? Are you interested in learning the psychology of storytelling? What about getting a storytelling edge by learning the secrets of reader engagement? In this Master Course, learn the eight crafts of writing (the map): Big Idea, Genre, Narrative, Story Outline, Characterization, World Building, Scene & Chapter Structure, and Prose.
In this two-week intensive, we’ll discover ways to get your readers caring about your characters, your story and every single page until the very end. Full of easy-to-read lectures, hands-on assignments, and plenty of opportunities for class and instructor interaction, Stack the Stakes will take a languishing story from plodding to powerful.
Do you want to kick your book’s impact into high gear by writing action scenes? Grab your reader’s attention and never let it go? Create a pace for your story that thrills your reader to the end and has them one-clicking the next book? Create great action scenes!
This month long course, applicable to writers at any stage in their career, will focus on how to create action scenes that fit with your story and voice.
Learn how to write body language and dialogue cues from a kinesics specialist. Writers will learn how to write fresh:
Lackluster, one-size-fits-all characters aren’t enough to keep readers turning those pages and anticipating future books. You need a well-rounded cast of complex, riveting characters to inhabit your story—a constellation of supporting characters to showcase the protagonist Star.
Anthologies are the "hot" item lately, giving authors a chance to collaborate and create amazing themed books. The writing side is usually pretty easy for an author, but what about all the details? A partnership can be a real problem if the business side isn't addressed.
This class, taught by an author/editor who has published numerous anthologies and collections, will go into the nitty-gritty of the "back side" of publishing anthologies,
Well, sadly, murder doesn’t make conflict/tension. Sadly, no matter how much you cry or your characters cry, it doesn’t necessarily mean tension fills the page. Not even a scroll out of Smokey and the Bandit car chase scenes across several state lines ensures a tension-filled manuscript.
“What? How? Why?” you say. “What can I possibly do?” Never fear, Killing it with Conflict is here.
In this one-month interactive course, we’ll not only tackle conflict on many levels but give writers a chance to develop conflict in their own stories.
So, you have an idea for a comedy screenplay? Are you in the middle of one? Have you completed several? Make ‘em Laugh is a class for both experienced and beginning writers. If you’d like to learn about nuances of feature-length comedy films and apply them to your own funny ideas, then you’ve found the right place. We’d love to have you join us.
Plot Your Reliable Story Compass is for fiction authors who want to find the true purpose of their story and write a compelling novel every time, so they can avoid getting lost in a plot-hole wilderness.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written a manuscript that needs fixing, have started and abandoned dozens of stories, or are planning the next book; by the end of this course, you will have a solid roadmap to keep your plot focused on its true north.
Now is the time to save your manuscript from the slush pile (or your recycle bin) and realize the book you dreamed of.
© 2023 Margie Lawson, all rights reserved.
