Writer's Coach

Creating Compelling Characters

Compelling characters are larger than life. They risk more, laugh often and love with passion. In this program you’ll learn how to invent both likable and loathsome characters, winners and losers, heroes and villains. You’ll learn how to build motivation, flaws, and feelings into your characters. You’ll see how conflict, crisis and consequences shape your characters. We’ll show you how to find the right character for your story, motivate your hero and heroin, how the off-beat and odd sidekick can provide comic relief.

Included in our Basic Writers Workshop

Making a scene is as easy as ABCD – Action, Background, Conflict & Decision. In this class you’ll learn how to frame each scene of your story.A good scene reveals information that moves the story forward (new goals, old secrets, hidden motives), shows conflict between characters (adds tension), deepens the character’s development, and creates suspense (introduces a new wrinkle that leaves the reader hanging). Learn the three keys to scene summary, how to create memorable moments in your story, what 4 questions you should ask of each scene, basic scene elements, why failure is good, 3 ways to open your scene, and much more!

Included in our Basic Writers Workshop

Plotting, Not Plodding

Yes, there is structure to a story and the elements are as old as mankind. In this program you'll learn how to map your story using the plot points that mark every journey. From introduction and motivation to the hero/heroine’s moment of maxim angst, you’ll see how easy it is to develop a story line and keep your characters on the path to a compelling climax.

Learn how to introduce the Great Disturbance, what 4 Questions you should ask of your plot, how to chart the 13 Passage Markers, manage your Plot Points, why James Scott Bell’s LOCK Structure works every time, the 7 Keys to every good plot, when Worry, Conflict and Disaster spells success for the writer, how to introduce your Major Dramatic Question, and much more.

Included in our Basic Writers Workshop

Dramatic Dialogue

Dialogue can breathe life into any fiction or non-fiction story. This course will focus on how to write “natural” sounding dialogue, plus help you avoid the common mistakes found in canned conversation. In this program we cover:
Scene & space – A scene is: Doing (Action) Thinking (Narrative) and Talking (Dialogue).
Tools– A writer has a number of tools for story building: narration, action, description, and dialogue
Stickiness – How dialogue sticks with us
Tags – When to tag, when to skip tags & where to place tags
Types - Direct, Reflective, Misdirected, Modulated, Descriptive, Breathless, & Compressed
Tips – When to circle back, go silent, & add gestures
Punctuation – Where to put those marks and quotes

Included in our Basic Writers Workshop

Seriously Funny Writing

If you’ve ever wanted to make your point with a punch line, then let us show you how. Yes, there is a formula to funny. In this program we’ll explain why we laugh, explore the basics of humor and lay the foundation for witty writing. You’ll learn how oddly-paired elements can lead to laughs, the power of play on words, how a well-turned reverse can deliver a surprising bite. This session covers the eight major theories of why we laugh, including surprise, superiority, ambivalence and release. With humor, a joke is a story and a surprise ending is always the final act.

Turning Personal Experiences into Parables - Writing Devotions for Impact

In this program, you will learn how to write devotions for church newsletters, periodicals, websites and books. A devotional ministry can complement the advancement of a building campaign, mission work and church projects. Learn how to draw readers in with the “Hook, Book, Look, Took” method of writing a devotion. For some, a devotion may be their only Bible for the day, so let us help you touch hearts, teach His Word and change lives.

SPEAK UP! Launch Your Own Radio Show

Are you looking to expand your platform? One of the fastest growing segments of marketing is web-based radio. It’s live, the shows are archived and best of all, it’s free! In this class we’ll show you how to set up your virtual studio, send out press releases, invite guests to be on your show and build your audience. Using our Blog Talk Radio Top Ten Secrets to Success, we can help build your brand through FREE RADIO!

Web-based radio gives you a voice among your peers, so SPEAK UP!

Writing Romantic Comedy

Romantic humor remains one of the most popular genres in fiction. If you can make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, and close with a “feel good” ending, then you're on your way to a best seller. Romance novels account for almost two thirds of all fiction sold in the U.S and romance writing remains recession proof. Editors and houses can't get enough.

In this program, you'll learn how to plot the three-act arch for romance, the Big W, how archetypes (Satan, Ferryman, Snow Maiden, Dark Lady, etc.) can strengthen the theme of your story. Romantic comedy touches the heart and funny bone because the story of laugher, loss and longing is as old as Creation. Let us show you how to write romance novels with a tilt toward the funny that will leave your readers laughing until they cry.

Powerful Paragraphs

Powerful paragraphs engage the reader's imagination creating what John Gardner called “the fictional dream.” In this course we’ll explain how to automate the process of creating a sense or reality using the five senses, internal thoughts, conflict and the energy of decision.