Holly Lisle's Blog, page 2

Finished Lesson 12 of the Secret Writing Course today…

I have twenty-four lessons planned, and am still brainstorming possible bonuses — but the first half of the class is now DONE. Lessons and worksheets are in finished form, and the course is being tested LIVE as I write it.

And as always, writing a big course is helping me figure out things I need to do in my current novel (in this case, Ohio Four) from some different angles.

Lot of stuff going on over here… but if you want to get in on the new course when it goes live, use the form below to add yourself to the launch announcement list. I’m going release this class with a very good price on the launch when it goes live, but that price will be on a tight timer, and once that price is gone, it’s gone for good).

Update on the new Big Writing Course

I’m STILL in the middle of building my new Secret Big Class. Just finished Lesson 11 — a pretty big lesson. I’m currently looking an about twenty lessons total, so I’m making really good headway. And…

I’m excited about the way this class is coming together.

Had no idea what I was going to offer as the bonus class, though…

And when I mentioned worrying about this to a dear friend who just lost his wife, he came up with the perfect bonus… and told me he was passing it on from her.

It was a good moment. And the bonus for the class when it goes live?

Wonderful!

HollysWritingClasses.com Member Updates

And wrapped the new Big Course Lesson 9

Very happy with what I got today on the SECRET TOPIC Fiction-Writing Big Course.

I’m moving steadily through the lessons and worksheets. Finished Lesson NINE of twenty-three planned, so I’m not to the halfway point yet (that will be when I FINISH lesson 12), but I’m making very good progress.

Won’t put it on sale until it’s done, but the folks on the list below will be invited the day before I take it live, and will have the opportunity to get it at the introductory price, which is usually about 30% to 40% below the final price.

HollysWritingClasses.com Member Updates

Finished Lesson 8 of the new (name withheld) Fiction Writing Course

Got over 2000 words today. I am pushing hard on this class, and looking forward to:

A) Finishing all the lessons… andB) Putting the class on sale

I needed to get some distance from the Ohio novels, so I can read back through the books I already have, and take a look at a couple of conflicting story ideas that I realized I was pursuing simultaneously.

Writing nonfiction moves me out of that world for a while, lets me get cold on the writing, and allows me to see where I’ve made mistakes or pursued wrong (or spectacularly right) directions.

Since I’ve done at least two takes on most of the five planned novels (and possible sixth)… I very much want to have the necessary distance when I read through what I have this time.

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Get Holly’s Free Fiction Sampler, plus Weekly-ISH Fiction Updates, and when these books go on sale, get invited to the launch.

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Lesson 7 on the new writing course done

So I now have seven full Big Course lessons and worksheets built. And my course tester is working through them as I finish each one.

I’m not giving any hints on what this course is or when it’s going to be available until I have the whole thing built.

I will note, however, that I’m now officially one third of the way through the PLANNED lessons.

And I’ll add that I have in the past noticed the occasional important concept or process I’ve left out of my outline while building the lessons, and created extra lessons to cover those concepts and processes… so I cannot say that the number of lessons planned will be the number I end up with. There may be more.

There won’t be fewer.

Writing-wise, though, today was a GOOD day.

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YESTERDAY’s work… finished Lesson 5 of the new Big Writing Course…

Got my fiction first TODAY — had to toss a bit of the most recent scene, came in with new words, and even came out a bit ahead. Came out with a net gain of 148 words. Not what I’d hoped for, but I’m glad to be getting fiction. And the RETHINK part of the scene was essential.

I’m going to also include what I got yesterday, which was nonfiction for the new Big Class.

I’m happy with the way the processes I’m demonstrating are coming together.

And while today’s is a subject that I’ve had to cover in every single writing class I’ve done, I’ve had to do that because it’s useful to every writer (fiction and nonfiction), and it isn’t a one-time process. You do it in some for with every single piece of fiction you write.

Every writing project benefits from this, and how you do it is different for every kind of fiction you write.

So… The lesson is done. Five out of twenty-three planned. Still no idea on what the Bonus will be. Just that there will be one.

If you have a question about fiction writing (or writing in general) that I haven’t covered, just reply to this post, and ask. And I’ll read through any replies, and see if anyone asks something I haven’t covered before.

If I can figure out a one-to-three-lesson bonus class from YOUR question, you’ll receive a nice reward as thanks for the question.

FICTION WRITERS! Sign up for Holly’s Thursday Writing Tips

Finished Writing Lesson 4 of the new Big Course. 2168 words today

2168 words… and I just realized that I haven’t even stood up since about 6:30 AM, when I got out of the shower and got started.

I still have to put together the worksheet tomorrow.

But it was a very good day. I love the way lesson four came together.

Secret Big Class for writers: Lesson 2 and Worksheet 2 are now done.

I’m starting on Secret Big Class (SBC) Lesson THREE now.

When I finish Lesson Six (at the earliest), I’m going to invite writers to sign up for the SPLINTERS version.

Folks who have taken early versions of my other Big Courses will be familiar with splinters versions.

They’re not raw first draft, but they are speed-revised on a single-pass readthrough. This means that they’ve had the chance to sit overnight to cool down, because the next day I can at least see most of the errors.

But I don’t see them all, and as such these lessons will still have typos, spellos, and places where students haven’t yet had a chance to ask me for clarification about things I demonstrated, but not in fashions that worked for THEIR brains.

When this goes live, I’m going to point writers to the place where you can sign up to take the class. But not today. I want to have two full months of lessons finished before I EVEN set up the launch list.

At the point where I have that two-month buffer (so that I can be sure I’ll be able to write lessons and have folks get a new one every week) I’ll give you a list you can sign up for.

We’re not there today. So I’m not even hinting at what the class is.

But… soon.

So… Watch this space!

Secret Big Class: Day 2

Today’s objective was 1000 words on Ohio 4, and both starting and finishing Secret Writing Class Worksheet #1.

It always amazes me how much harder it is to build a worksheet than to write the actual lesson it supports.

It also amazes me that I forget this fact. I decided to do the worksheet before my fiction today, because “It’s just the worksheet, and I know what my writers have to be able to do… I can put that out in half an hour, maybe an hour tops…”

And I thought this because it’s been a while since I’ve built any worksheets… and I FORGOT how difficult it is to build a good worksheet that walks someone through a complex process a step at a time.

So… I did not finish the worksheet.

I’m maybe 25% through it.

Which meant that I did not get any words on the Ohio Novel today… because I did the worksheet first, and the worksheet is kicking my ass.

I made good progress on the worksheet.

I’m hoping to be able to finish it tomorrow.

BUT EVEN IF I DON’T, tomorrow I’m not working on it until AFTER I get my words on Ohio 4.

Live. Learn. REMEMBER what you learn.

My motto for the rest of this time when I’m writing a novel and building a class.

Today was a great WRITER writing day… 4769 words [pant, pant!]

I’m working on a new writing course, and am going to be alternating Fiction-Writing Days on the Ohio series with Lesson-Writing Days on my brand new, upcoming, still-a-secret BIG COURSE.

Got many words I’m happy with (for me, 4769 words is a LOT of words for one day — but I’m getting up way early to put some extra time into this while still keeping up with my fiction.

And… I’ll also be getting up way early on my fiction days to make sure I still hit my deadlines on that, in spite of the fact that the both fiction and non-fiction are only going to be getting three days a week.

I’ll be doing a six-day work week for a bit in order to finish both projects in a reasonable amount of time.

Not crazy about six-day weeks, but because I have both a fiction project and a nonfiction project that I want to get done, and because I’m excitement about both of them, pre-dawn hours and an extra work day a week is the way to get them done.

ANYWAY, I have most of the reading portion of SECRET PROJECT Lesson One done in first draft…

And 23 total lessons planned NOT including the course BONUS (which at the moment I have no idea for whatsoever).

I’ll get there.

But I have to build the bonus last anyway… and I have a long line of lessons to write and worksheets to build before I’m ready to do that.

Meanwhile, I’ll do the revision and bug-hunting of the lesson soon, probably after I get my fiction words tomorrow. And will start outlining and building the necessary worksheets and other course pieces.