A New Year of Classes

The new year is just around the corner, and if one of your resolutions is to take a writing class, here are some online offerings in January.

Writers Online Classes has two courses starting in January. Both are getting underway a bit later than usual in order to give the instructors and students some time to recuperate from the holidays.

• "21 Steps to Fog-Free Writing," Don McNair, January 11-February 11, $30. A professional writer and editor with 40 years of experience has identified 21 problems that "fog up" a manuscript and lead to its rejection. In this course, he explains those problems and their solutions.
• "The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Writers," Adele San Miguel, January 15-February 28, $50. A Franklin Covey-certified coach interprets The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness for writers.

Writer University also has two classes lined up for January.

• "Defeating Self-Defeating Behavior: Allow Writing Productivity and Creativity to Soar," Margie Lawson, January 4-29, $30. This freshly expanded version of Margie's popular class includes five new topics--the power of sleep, stretch breaks, blasting writer's block, optimizing productivity, and simple self-hypnosis.
• "Mystery Makeovers," Stephen D. Rogers, January 11-22, $55. In this Master Class, a Derringer winner guides you in revising your mystery until all the puzzle pieces fall perfectly into place.

Rounding out the January two-fers are the pair of classes being offered by the RWA's Kiss of Death Chapter.

• "The Truth About Psychic Research: What It Is, Who Does It, and How to Use Psychic Research to Build Your Fictional Worlds and Distract Your Readers with Red Herrings," a "Murder One" class, Mary O'Gara, January 1-31, $15 for chapter members and $30 for nonmembers. A psychic, astrologer, life coach, and writer provides a fast-moving overview of psychic research.
• "Breaking Rules to Break In or Break Out," a "Killer Instinct" class, Allison Brennan, January 1-31, $15 for chapter members and $30 for nonmembers. A New York Times bestselling author of twelve romantic thrillers shows serious writers how to take their writing to the next level by shucking the rules that don't work and strengthening their voice.

For a quick intro to online writing classes, click here. For additional information on the above classes and to register, click on the names of the venues and follow the links.