March 1st 2010 · Read More · No Comments
Guest blog by multi-published romance author Sheila Roberts.
When we’re talking with friends about books we love don’t we often wind up discussing the characters? “That heroine was too stupid to live!” “My gosh, wouldn’t you love one night with him?” “I don’t care what her childhood trauma was, that woman had no excuse to treat her sister like that!” Why is it that we often get so caught up in the adventures of imaginary people?
I think it’s because we see our hearts and souls reflected in their stories. Their stories tell of our dreams, our hopes, and our fears. Characters give us adventure (from the safety of our homes), they let us relive the thrill of falling in love. They often say things we wish we had the nerve to say, and do things we want to do. They inspire us. They remind us why we care about each other and how we’re connected.
At the center of every great story is a memorable character. Think about the ones who have captured our imaginations: Bella Swan and Edward, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Stephanie Plum, Anne of Greene Gables. And the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew! Anyone remember reading the Nancy Drew mysteries as a girl? I do! I devoured those books. And, I must confess, I was shocked when I learned that Carolyn Keene wasn’t the author of my favorite childhood heroine, that what I had always believed to be a real woman was instead a pseudonym for a whole gaggle of authors toiling away for the Stratemeyer syndicate. Let me tell you, I felt cheated. I just want you to know, I’ve gotten over that. Now, to every author who worked so hard to keep my childhood heroine alive, I say, “God bless you! I loved Nancy Drew. And so did my daughter!” I’m betting you have literary characters you love, too. And why shouldn’t we? All these characters pull us into a world of imagination and journey.
Is it any wonder that we writers work so hard on bringing to life our characters? They are the heart and soul of our stories, of all of us.
February 7th 2010 · Read More · No Comments
We’re up and running! We just posted our 2010 calendar in its entirety. We are very proud of our instructors here at WritersOnlineClasses.com. We’re bringing back some of our most popular instructors: Laura Baker, Mary Buckham, Shirley Jump, Margie Lawson and CJ Lyons — and our own Mary O’Gara. We’re also adding some new instructors that we think you’re going to really love!
We’ll begin adding complete class descriptions and author bios to tempt you even more. Start your wish list and start registering.
Thanks for making WritersOnlineClasses.com your place for online instruction on the craft of writing in many genres!
Diana & Mary
January 4th 2010 · Read More · No Comments
Happy New Year! We at WritersOnlineClasses.com are pleased and proud to announce an amazing line-up for 2010. Take a look at the first quarter (January-February-March) classes and instructors! We think you’ll be as impressed as we are!
2010 WritersOnlineClasses.com Calendar
Check back often as this page will be updated frequently.
January 2010
21 Steps to Fog-Free Writing
Instructor: multi-published author Don McNair
4-week class: January 11-February 11 COST: $30
Registration ends January 10, 2010
The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Writers
Instructor: Franklin Covey certified coach Adele San Miguel
6-week class: January 15-Feb 28 COST: $50
Registration ends January 10, 2010
February 1-28, 2010
Query Letters that Sell, Cover Letters that Wow, and Submission Packages that Shout “Buy Me!”
Instructor: Julie Rowe
4-week class: February 1-28 COST: $30
Registration ends January 31, 2010
Purposeful Writer
Instructor: Laura Baker
4-week class: February 1-28 COST: $30
Registration ends January 31, 2010
March Classes 2010
Show Up Naked: Writing from the Man’s POV
INSTRUCTOR: Chris Redding
4-week class: March 1-31 COST: $30
Registration ends February 28, 2010
CLASS: Crafting Creative Habits
Instructor: Mary O’Gara, Ph.D.
3-month class $60 Begins March 1, 2010
Registration ends February 28, 2010
Late registrations accepted through March 15, with instructor’s permission.
December 13th 2009 · Read More · No Comments
Where has the year gone? Mary and I are still hard at work updating our 2010 line-up of classes and instructors. We’re both on a learning curve to create a better website that we can both update more quickly than in the past.
We’ve posted the first quarter of 2010’s WritersOnlineClasses.com. We’re beginning our January classes just a bit later than usual, on January 11 and January 15 (respectively) to give our students and instructors more time with their families this holiday season.
Bear with us as we find the best format to deliver you the details of our classes and instructors in 2010. Meanwhile, you can click here to learn more about the classes and instructors on our 2010 calendar.
Remember to check back often as we will be updating nearly daily over the next few weeks. As always, if you have any questions, shoot us an email at info@WritersOnlineClasses.com.
Diana & Mary
WritersOnlineClasses.com
November 27th 2009 · Read More · Comment(1)
Diana and I are remodeling 
We’ve been burning the phone lines and lining up an exciting new year of workshops for you. And we’ve also been working with website improvements so that we can both keep you up to date no matter what continent Diana finds herself visiting in her travel writer role.
Please keep an eye on the site as we make almost daily changes and improvements in December.
Mary is our December instructor, offering a new workshop with quick and easy ways for anyone to tap the power of tarot, astrology and numerology for strategic planning and pacing in 2010.
In 2010, we”ll have all new workshops by Laura Baker along with stellar Go reading
