MASTER CLASS: Writing Your Book from Square One to "The End"
MASTER CLASS: Writing Your Book from Square One to "The End"
Our incisive master class comes with four recorded lectures and worksheet packets to help you feel CONFIDENT in your writing practice.
Drawing on her experience in trade publishing and the freelance sector, professional book editor Jessica Hatch guides you through the writing process — from outline to draft, from revision to publication.
"Your classes were really inspiring and helpful. The info you provided is helping me create and organize my work. Thanks for lighting the fire under my ass because it's finally in motion and coming together." — Melynda S.
Part 1 - Personal Identity and the Power of Words
Find the story you were born to tell, then learn some dynamic research and prewriting strategies to help you tell that story.
- Create a successful outline for your book, one that raises the stakes and engages the reader effectively.
- Learn the difference between "plotting" and "pantsting."
- Use a 3-step thought exercise to develop a compelling outline focused on three-dimensional storytelling.
- Plan a writing schedule that works for you.
Part 2 - Building a Productive Daily Writing Practice
Warm up your creative mind, and get tips for a writing practice you can be proud of.
- Add free writing to your regular writing practice.
- Explore scheduling and anti-distraction resources.
- Discover cures for the common writer’s block.
- Try out Jessica's Madlib Literary Device Challenge.
- Review 3 pages of U.S. writers’ residency listings… plus, learn about budget-friendly alternatives to them!
Part 3 - Editing Strategies to Make Your Work Shine
Sometimes, it's hard to see the forest for the trees — especially if it's a forest you're really passionate about. This lesson is all about opening up that inner editing eye, taking your completed manuscript from rough draft to polished prose.
- Learn which are the Top 5 editorial mistakes Jessica sees… and how to fix them.
- Keep your cool with management tools for your own revisionary to-do list.
- Download two editing checklists:
- #1: Questions to Help Identify Problem Areas in Your Manuscript
- #2: Your Individualized Plan of Attack for Revision
Part 4 - 'I've Written a Book... Now What?'
Drawing on her experience in trade publishing and the freelance sector, Ms. Hatch discusses traditional and self-publishing options for writers that have a draft ready to "shop around."
- Read up on traditional and self-publishing options.
- Dissect the anatomy of a query letter.
- Travel down a traditional publishing timeline.
- Crunch the numbers with a sample budgeting worksheet for self-published authors.