Upcoming Classes!
I got ambitious and planned the whole year! Here's what you can look forward to for the rest of 2024: creatures and editing and goal setting and more!
Here it is, guys—the list of courses for 2024. Barring unexpected events, the dates are set!
As usual, classes are $25/person, or $15 for CWG and LegendFiction members (with coupon code). All classes are at 8 PM Eastern:
Editing in 5 Steps (May 20)
Editing is a vital part of writing, whether you self-publish or are submitting to traditional publishers. Before you spend thousands of dollars on an editor, be sure you've done all you can. Karina takes you through five simple steps for clean copy that has earned her a great reputation with publishers, editors, and readers.
Scene Fixes (June 24)
Not every scene comes out the way we hope, and when a scene does not work, it can bring the whole book down--or worse yet, lose your reader. We'll cover the most common scene problems with suggestions on what to look for and how to fix them. We have real examples. If there's time, we might even crit a scene or two. Join Karina Fabian for this insightful look on scene fixes every author should know.
Building a Promotions Package (July 22)
Having a complete publicity package makes it easy to promote your book and yourself. It's an investment of time up-front that can save you hours of work, even years down the road. We'll cover the basics for your promotion package, talk about some shortcuts for making one, and go over how to use it.
Loading Your Book on Amazon (class and demo using Gapman) (July 29)
Sometimes, the most intimidating part of self-publishing is simply dealing with the nuts and bolts of getting your book into Amazon. When I first started, I'd have loved to have had someone walk me through the process, in real-time, and while publishing a book.
That's what this webinar is all about. I'll take you step by step through the how-to of working with KDP, from what to prepare ahead of time to how to adjust prices before publication. We'll be using an actual book of mine that will go live immediately following the webinar (as soon as Amazon approves, at any rate.:) )
The focus is purely practical--it's like the lab class for self-publishing! I'll provide everyone with a worksheet so you can have your own books ready as well.
Torture Your Characters for Fun and Plotfit (August 26)
Join this very lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek approach to plotting and creating conflict in a story. We'll discuss the types of conflict and the many devious ways to create hard times for your characters so that your readers get invested in your stories. Lots of dungeon metaphors make it easy to remember.
How to Use AI in Your Writing (Without AI Writing for You) (September 23)
Writers don’t need to avoid AI. Tools like ChatGPT, Jarvis, and even LeonardoAI can be used cleverly and ethically to help you improve your writing. Karina Fabian covers some of the common and some of the unusual ways AI can help you write without writing for you.
Creature Creation (October 28)
Zombies and monsters and aliens--Oh, my! Creatures are the backbone of any good fantasy, sci-fi, or horror story, but how do you keep them from sounding like something out of Tolkien or the DnD Monster Manual? We'll talk about ways to create fun and unique monsters that work for your story. It's the perfect writing class for Halloween!
Persevere in Your Writing (November 18)
Writers talk about writer’s block, as if it were some kind of outside barrier that gets in the way of your writing. However, writer’s “block” is really more of a dam—a barrier created in your mind that you can tear down. We’ll talk about the different obstacles that prevent us from preserving in our writing and about what we can do to overcome them.
Goal Setting (December 30)
What better way to ring in the new year than deciding your goals for 2025? We’ll look at goal setting: how to make achievable goals, how to break them into steps, and how to manage your time so that you can achieve those goals. Come prepared to plan your year!