Course Premiere Promo: I will assess your story engine and discuss it with you in a thirty minutes one-on-one call. 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? The Writing Jungle […]

Lackluster, one-size-fits-all charactersaren’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. In this month-long class, the Constellation lessons will guide you through: Internal and External Character Development Character Relationships Contrasts, […]

Self-editing is hard, even on a good day when you have all your spoons and are ready to jump into your manuscript with a handful of highlighters and a prayer. Using some Author Alchemy you can make the tools you use every single day work for you. Macros, or written command built into Word to […]

Have you ever imagined how history could have turned out differently? What would the world have looked like if the Nazis had won the Second World War, the South had won the American Civil War, or the US had lost the Cold War? Alternate histories challenge and inspire us to think about what might have […]

Where is the road to a New York Times bestseller? Let me point you in the right direction—write a fantasy! Different sources of fantasy have inspired a torrent of novels and films. I’m sure you’re familiar with Rowling’s Harry Potter novels or G.R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. Or perhaps you’ve read Guy Gavriel Kay’s The […]

Writers have to keep track of so much information! Overflowing inboxes, lost maps, and what color were my hero's eyes anyway? Enter the modern age with digital tools to help organize everything from scraps of paper, future story ideas, world-building details, or the best reviews you've ever received! What we'll cover How to reach Inbox […]

Recognize and write the POV that suits your story Choose and use the right Point of View to showcase the emotional drama and intrigue in your story. Industry professionals are quickly put off by head-hopping borne of poor POV mastery, or POV that doesn’t make the most of the story structure.  The voice of the […]

Course description coming soon... Tags Level Advanced | Intermediate Topic Business | Craft Duration month Teacher Nancy Warren

Despite ghostwriting’s deep historical roots and thriving modern practice in the publishing industry, ghostwriting is still largely cloaked in secrecy. Writers often weigh the allure of additional income, creative freedom, and a chance to grow their craft in a risk-free environment against what literary purists believe is an exercise in deception. Art may be a […]

There is nothing worse than an awkward sex scene. Many authors, who want to write romance feel pressured to include sex scenes in their stories, even if they aren't well suited to write Tab A into Slot B. That's why they should take this class, so they can write on the "sweet side." This class […]

This power-packed class provides writers with hands-on tools for making character descriptions fresh and deep and powerful. We’ll cover: What to avoid What’s smart to include Using Deep Editing techniques Making your characters unforgettable How to be strategic with style and structure Descriptions for main characters and supporting characters Using description to share the POV […]

What you’ll learn: Think of this course as Self-publishing with training wheels! In this course you will learn the ins and outs of the self-publishing world. How to take your book from written to published and all the things in between. And take a guided tour via zoom through the KDP jungle and other publishing […]

The Future of Novel Writing! Stay ahead of the curve. Join Kathleen Baldwin for a frank discussion about the changing literary marketplace.   ★Streaming video is radically changing storytelling. Even old people are turning to video streaming. How will it impact what they want to read? How does it change what you should be writing and why?    ★Let’s […]

Celebrate your writing passion this December with a month-long low-stress class designed to: inspire a daily writing habit recharge your writing spirit bring a sense of play into your writing This course will provide a month’s worth of playful exercises intended to feed your writer’s soul without overwhelming you. As with most LWA classes, this […]

Comic books and graphic novels are nothing new but, in today's publishing world, they've become a fantastic way to get your story out there. In fact, graphic novels have seen phenomenal growth – a sales surge of up to 15% -- in the last four or five years. Even better? You can write a graphic […]

What makes a novel young adult? Is it just the age of the protagonist? It’s so much more! This course will demystify the teen world and help you write believable characters—one your young readers can relate to and root for. Learn the keys to crafting a novel solidly in YA, which goes far beyond the […]

Want to make your writing soar? Do you want to add airplanes and aviation to your writing, but can’t tell the difference between a Cessna 172 and a Boeing 747? Do you want to learn about classic aviation stories and their plots, characters, and settings? Come join historian and airplane geek Hugh Gordon as he […]

Want to write a novel set in Scotland? A New York Times bestseller?? How about a series? Scottish stories are wildly popular after the successful novels of Diana Gabaldon: Outlander, Fly in Amber, Voyager, followed by six more huge books which tell the adventures and trials of Jamie Fraser and Claire.   Gabaldon placed her […]

The ancient Celts believed that all things, animate and inanimate, possessed a spirit. Mountains, hills and trees were manly; rivers and meadows were feminine. The Celts knew that spirits watched their every move. So any action was carefully considered because of the effect it might have on their destiny. Ogham, the first Gaelic alphabet, was […]

Scotland and Ireland loved their heroes in the Early Middle Ages. On many a winter night people sat round a central fire listening to stories from myths and legends--the mini series of the era. They battled their enemies and dodged wicked spells. They wooed and won fair maids. The greatest Gaelic epic celebrates a cattle […]