By Leeanne Vernon
In some ways, I feel like a fraud teaching this course – I’m yet to have a romance novel published, despite trying. That’s not very encouraging if you’re thinking about joining my How to Kick Start your Novel sessions but let me put your mind at ease. I’m an awesome writing coach. Several people I’ve coached have gone on to publish their books.
One young man wrote about his travelling adventures including ending up incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay detention centre. Tim left school in Year 10 and knew nothing about writing, but he was passionate about his story and dedicated. I provided the knowledge, encouragement and support to keep him on task.
For me, writing is like breathing. I can’t live without it. The seventh of nine children, I had a tough start in life, but reading and writing were my saviours. I loved Edith Blyton, especially the Malory Towers series. Nowadays, I read a vast array of books. I’ve just finished Miss Matilda Hayward and the Asylum Patient, by fellow RWA member, Helen Goltz. Her characters are well-rounded, and their interactions are wonderful. One can’t help but cheer them on.
That’s where we’ll commence the course – Characters & Plot. Clearly, you need a good idea to think, ‘I might write a book’. But beyond that wonderful inspiration sits your characters. To write convincingly, you need to know these individuals intimately. And that good idea, we’ll get it down on paper so when you falter, and you will, it’s like a roadmap to remind you of your intentions.
My coaching style is encouragement, focussing on your strengths, whilst sharing advice on how to fix problem areas. Writing a novel is a marathon, you hit the wall in the middle and feel like dropping out or starting a new project because you’ve run out of steam. This course runs over a few months, with four separate topics that I know will help along the way to keep you moving forward. Rest assured that over the next few months, I’ll have your back.
I mentioned I’m yet to have a romance book published. Fear not. After studying writing as a mature age student, I followed through with my great idea, a netball book incorporating netball training activities cumulating in the Netball Dreamz series.
Oh, what fun we had! Featured on kid’s TV programs, top five books, travelling around the country to netball associations and bookstores. But Covid for stopping all that!
My romantic elements novel is another fabulous idea! Last year I resurrected it to study online at UCLA, which require three assignments a week, and group discussions. It was full-on, but I loved it. I won’t expect that commitment from you, but I hope you can write a few chapters. Apart from continuing my education, I’ve run my own creative writing school for the past 9 years.
If you want to kick start your novel, join me. By June, you should be well on your way to writing your own romance.
RWA ACADEMY SHORT COURSE: Kick Start Your Novel Dream
Book here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=860597&
Kick Start Your Novel Dream - Short Course
Starting your novel dream is like going back to school. There's so much to learn and you need someone who knows the ropes. That's me. Spread over four months, on your first day, we’ll study your Plot and Characters, so by the end of the session, you’ll have a blueprint for your novel. Next month, we’ll focus on your Hero and Heroine’s Journey and the elements needed for a successful novel. The third class, we’ll discuss Where to Start and End a Chapter, and write some sizzling endings that’ll have your readers busting to turn the page. Finally, with your story well underway, we’ll tackle Dialogue. Let’s make your words sizzle! Having a great coach makes writing a novel simpler, but most importantly, more enjoyable. I’ve done this several times and my writers finish and publish their books. Why? Because I’m encouraging, knowledgeable, generous with my time and when you want to give up, because we all do some days, I’ll remind you of your dream, and push you into continuing. That’s what good coaches do, and I’m awesome!
Pre-course preparation
Aspiring authors. At each of the four classes, the tutor distribute material.
Course Type
Craft
Hours of Commitment
20 hours
Presenters Bio
Leeanne Vernon is the author of top selling children's series, Netball Dreamz www.netballdreamz.com Sold over 30,000 copies. Lenora Girls' School. The Scholarship Kid Writing coach since 2013. www.sentenceconstruction.com.au