If 2023 is symbolic of anything, it’s the year that I’m actively working towards my goals and my writing career. For a long time, I’ve waited until I was perfectly ready to accomplish something. When I had more time. Or more space in my life. Or more money. But the thing is, there is no perfect timing, and there won’t ever be time for your goals unless you make time for it.
That’s why I’m imperfectly announcing that I’m creating an online writing program! You. Won’t. Believe. How. Excited. I. Am.
Though, I won’t get ahead of myself. I’m still putting it together, but I wanted to share so you can all hold me accountable to pull through on this idea. It’s an 8-week program that will teach people the essentials of writing. We would meet for roughly one hour over zoom, where I would teach everything that I know about writing.
It’s a beginner program that definitely packs a punch with lots of information about storytelling technique. I’d even argue that this is a good class for people who have been writing for a couple of years, since some of the materials are things that I’ve learned in the years after my college writing degree. Read all the way to the bottom to see what topics I will cover!
There is a multitude of reasons that I wanted to start this program now, but I realize that it truly boils down to just three reasons such as sharing knowledge, the joy of teaching and to build a passionate community.
Sharing Knowledge
One thing I’ve noticed in media, is that writing is seen as this ephemeral and spiritual outlet for people (which it definitely can be!). However, because of that, a lot of people think that writers possess this innate gift for creativity that cannot be honed.
In reality, writing is a hugely technical art form. It can take years to learn and even more to master it. Yet, there’s a lack of resources on how to achieve these technique. For example, if you take a look on Google for ‘The Best Writing Tips,’ you come across generic pieces of advice that everyone tends to know, i.e. write every day, read a lot, and don’t give up.
These are valid pieces of advice, but don’t really get to the heart of the craft. It doesn’t challenge us to be the best kind of writer that we can be. For myself, as I was growing up, I would wonder, what makes good dialogue? Or why is this character more interesting than the other? Or even, this premise was so promising, why did the ending fall flat?
It took me a lot of trial and error to answer those questions for myself. Many years too, as well as student loans (yikes). I want to speed the process up for anyone that wants to become a writer, and make it a lot cheaper than what I paid for for my college degree. That way, you don’t have to spend years figuring things out. You can just concentrate on doing what you’re meant to do: share your voice.
Plainly, I Like Teaching
I never realized this, but when I look back on my 26 years, I found that I’ve somehow always been drawn to teaching positions. Whether that was being a basketball coach or teaching college classes on video production, it’s been a natural outlet for fulfillment for me. I haven’t given it enough credit in the past, but I do find myself touched to help somebody learn a knew skill or watch them grow in front of my eyes. It is immensely satisfying to support people in their dreams and connect with people in that way.
Community Building
This is also something I never realized that I loved doing until recently (thank you online career aptitude test!). However, I’ve always loved to gather people who are passionate about a topic and organize events or resources to help people connect with one another. I should have known, most of my friends have described me as having a ‘camp counselor’ personality 😂.
As most of you know, I’m a huge believer that a community builds you up and lifts you to your goals. No great art is formed in a vaccuum. You need others to hold you accountable, bring you inspiration, and open your mind to possibilities in your own craft.
I remember walking into my first writing conference a couple weeks ago. I was astounded with the amount of knowledge that was poured into me even in the first few minutes of arrival. I had met two lovely writers who were just chit chatting about resources they had come across. Simply by being in their proximity, I had gained so much knowledge and saved myself months of trying to figure it out on my own. I want to create that same experience of other people. I want to create community for writers who are serious about their writing career.
I don’t know how big this this writing program could be. It could just simply be an online course. Yet, I can also see it growing into a Discord server, where people can connect online and share resources. ONE GIANT WRITING COMMUNITY 😃. That’s my personal dream for this, but even if people walk away making one writing friend from this writing program, I would be more than happy.
Updates on the Program
I’m working hard on this writing program. I’m writing content and organizing it into 8-week topics. Soon, I’ll be creating slidedecks to be presented over zoom during the program. As of right now, the topics are (though might be subject to change):
- How to Write Compelling Characters
- The Elements of Plot – Pt. 1
- The Elements of Plot pt. 2
- Utilizing the Subplot
- How to Write Killer Dialogue
- World-Build for Your Novel
- Themes, Symbolism, and Other Literary Devices
- Taking this Program into Every Day Life + 10 Page Review
I’ll keep you updated as I get closer to publishing this program, but wanted to chronicle where I’m at in the process. I really hope that you join this program and that we can connect over zoom!
If you’re interested in the writing program, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter! You’ll be the first to be notified for open registration before spots run out.