Category Archives: Classes
the-writer-writing-3647594-640-428

Plot Intensive is Back. August 19-Oct.14, 2013

Busy writers don’t always have time to sit in a classroom to improve their fiction.

Jordan’s Writing Intensives are a unique, online blend of personal feedback, student interaction, and tailored lessons for the writer who is committed to the next level of craft.

These courses blend coaching and writing, as students receive direct feedback from Jordan as well as benefit from interaction with each other, video chat, and more.

*All students receive a free copy of the book of their choice upon registering for Jordan’s classes.! $30 discount for all returning students! (*one-week intensives excluded).

The Plot Intensive is back! 8 weeks. August 19-October 14, 2013.

Over-plotter, under-plotter? Struggles with plot are common among writers at all levels. This online intensive will change the way you approach plotting altogether, and thus your writing. A good plot is a journey of transformation for your character. Every memorable novel is both one of action and event, as well as emotional transformation. We tell and read stories to learn, explore, escape, and discover. This class will teach you how to write characters who transform, and refocus your story on compelling action, appropriate drama, and strong scenes.

You’ll learn (and apply to either a work in progress or a new project):

  • The basics of plotting: what it is, and what it’s not, as well as how you relate to it
  • A strong, successful plot structure that will not fail you, and how to work your story goals into it
  • Your characters’ fears, flaws, and motivations
  • How to keep a plot tense and memorable
  • The significance of the hero’s journey and how it can help you write a character readers won’t soon forget

You can participate to your own level in online discussion and the assignments are weekly and self-paced for busy, working people.

Register by July 15th, and receive the earlybird discount of $20 off.

REGISTER HERE

Plot the Path to Transformation

“In the midst of life’s journey I found myself in a dark wood, for the right path was lost.”—Dante, the Inferno

We have all felt as Dante expresses above at one, or many points, in our lives.

Those of us who write might, in fact, be doing so as a way of finding the right path again, or carving out a new path, constructing a protagonist to walk it, and creating a journey that will help us make meaning out Life with a capital L, or our own individual lives.

There’s a marvelous symmetry to the path it takes to become a writer and the “hero’s journey” that turns up in all great mythology (and yes, the hero is often a woman). And the process of learning how to plot a story reveals surprising mysteries about not only our characters and the worlds they inhabit but ourselves and our rich lives.

I began teaching my Plot Intensive as a way to get a solid handle on my own writing, and over time I’ve come to see that the writer who masters plot, finds entry into her own heart, his own soul. Plot is the scaffolding, the structure at the core of any great story. And what is a great story? A communication full of deep feeling, important thoughts, flawed but human characters reaching toward the light of wholeness.

If you’re ready to transform your writing and your self through the medium of plot, it’s not too late to register for the Plot Intensive, 8 weeks online, beginning May 7th. Classes are small, and fill fast:

www.jordanrosenfeld.net/online-classes/

Deepen Your Characters

When we write fictional characters, they begin as relative strangers. Sure, he may dictate a tale to you in a “voice” so vivid you would swear you had met him before; or you may know what she looks like and where she comes from, but for most writers, the characters only become real to you over time, the deeper you write your way into them.

All of our characters begin as shards of ourselves-even the villains and the magicians. In order to mold these paper golems into people of their own, to fledge them away from our own likeness, we have to dig very deeply, which takes time.

Yet what if you could drop sooner into the emotional world of your characters, so that by the time you finish your novel or story, you feel as though you are saying goodbye to someone so dear to you it hurts? Someone you know intimately, whose experiences, though you may not personally share them, you have felt. And whom the reader will also feel connected to?

You can.

Today and tomorrow are the last days to register for Method Writing, this 1-week intensive journey into the depths of your characters, a fantastic way to hide out from holiday gloom, or celebrate holiday cheer!

You’ll learn over 10 different strategies for direct access to intense emotions–without need for back-story.

Join us!

 

Writing that Transforms

My altar is a sprawl of papers and books stacked precariously, pens that have lost their caps and odd flotsam that got put here in some moment while, busy chewing on story ideas, my fingers simply dropped an item.

There’s no incense or holy water here, and my priest is not one, but many voices, most of them speaking to me from the pages of dog-eared books on subjects ranging from plot structure to the journeys of heroes.

 I meet myself here every day, and some days there is a productive outpouring of words. Other days I revisit creative “failures,” try to re-imagine my way through muddled story, muddied characters who are still in the process of becoming.

 There was a time I believed this process was all about the end goal of being published. And now I realize that this daily, quiet, personal act is about transformation. Just like a character must undergo a noticeable, dramatic transformation of the self at the end of the journey we call plot, I am here, every day, little by little, to experience higher degrees of myself. Sameness, stagnancy, kills in real life and in fiction—it stifles the soul, and suffocates a good story. Writing cracks everything open.

 The act of seeing writing fiction as a vehicle for personal transformation as well as for telling stories that speak to universal truths has changed the way I write, and the way I live.

 Thus, when I teach writing, I am not meeting my students as instructor-on-high, but as a fellow traveler on a uniquely personal  but parallel road.

 If you’re interested in facilitating this process of transformation in your own writing, join me in February for an intensive 8-week online course on Plot that is like none I’ve ever taught before.  www.jordanrosenfeld.net/online-classes/  

Jordan

 

 

 

Call Me Coach

Despite the bad rap that comes with the title, as a kid I always wanted to be teacher’s pet. Not just for the praise; it seemed that to get more time with one’s teacher was to be closer to the source of learning itself—and I was a Hungry Learner.

It’s from this standpoint that I approach writing coaching. I’ve been doing it for years now, but calling it something else (editing). Fact is, the hungry learner inside me has an alter-ego known as the Eager Teacher. Each year that I edit more writers’ manuscripts I learn more about how hungry writers are, too, to write the best material they can write, to imbibe and learn the craft on a level that a writing guide can’t provide alone, or when a college course is too expensive.

I am not the kind of coach who will have you read affirmations or help you manage your time (both of which are wonderful and necessary, don’t get me wrong). What I am is your own individualized teacher—listening with rapt attention to your struggles with writing, and then turning around and crafting lessons and strategies specific to YOU and your individual needs as a writer. I’m a lifeline and a sounding board, too, for when your ideas are stuck or frustration has you caught.

My coaching is, essentially, your chance to be teacher’s pet, to be in the Master Class of You,  designed for you, shaped by you, and constantly open to alterations by you.

Think it’s right for you? Here are my packages (this info will soon go up on the Editor/Coach page):

Coaching Packages:

In general, each week of a coaching cycle consists of: 1 lesson, with 1-2 assignments applied to either a work-in-progress or new material, individualized review and critique of the work turned in, and a follow up coaching call by phone or skype. Schedule can be modified to meet your personal needs.

Coaching Package #1: The Starter
4 hours, $250
1-2 lessons
up to 5,000 words edited
2-30 minute coaching sessions (or 1 hour)

Coaching Package #2: Getting Serious
8 hours, $425
3 individualized lessons
up to 10,000 words edited
4-30 minute coaching sessions (or 2 hours)

Coaching Package #3: The Next Level
12 hours, $650
5 lessons
up to 20,000 words edited
8-30 minute coaching sessions (or 4 hours)

Coaching Package #4: The Commitment
24 hours, $1225
8 lessons
up to 40,000 words edited
16-30 minute sessions (or 8 hours)

Coaching by the hour is another option.

Please use the “contact” form at top to inquire about getting started!

Fight Overwhelm: Make Magic

*Register for Fiction’s Magic Ingredient today, receive a FREE 1-week intensive in December–your choice of 4.

Ok, try a little experiment with me now: attempt to hold the entire world, plot, characters and landscape of your novel in your mind ALL AT ONCE. That’s right–can you see it all–every plot point and character nuance, every hint and image of foreshadowing, the visual and the thematic, the small and the large?

Of course you can’t.

(If you can: go get your brain studied)

The writers I work with seem to share one common stumbling block, which trips them up before they finally master it: overwhelm. This overwhelm stems from a belief that a novel is written all at once–like a big ribbon unfurling from your  mind, perfectly constructed and smooth, laid down in a single stroke.

It is not.

Novels are written bit by bit. More specifically, scene by scene.  I’ve come to regard the scene as a kind of magic–because by learning its tricks and then laying them down, suddenly that overwhelming concept of the novel becomes a realizable goal.

The scene is so beautifully simple it amazes me every time. But like anything simple, sometimes, until we learn the nuances, it feels complex.

I assure you it is not.

If you want to master this magic ingredient, the building block of good fiction, with me, join me for the ever-popular Fiction’s Magic Ingredient, now beginning October 10th (disregard the start date of 10/3 on the website). It’s not too late to learn a little magic.

Register for Fiction’s Magic Ingredient here.
8 weeks
Online/Self-paced with optional live drop-in chat (all you need is an Internet connection)

 

Make Me Tense…please

One of many things I find so marvelous about writing fiction is that what works in real life might never fly on the fictional page, and often vice versa. Fiction is a simulacrum (oh how I love pulling that word out) of reality, or even more so in the case of fantasy and science-fiction, a simulated reality. As such, most of us would not hold up under the level of tension necessary to make a novel compelling and impossible to put down. The greater the tension in fiction, the more rapt readers are; while the greater the tension in your real life, the more glasses of wine or hot lavender baths it takes to soothe away the headache (or whatever your thing is for de-stressing).

But often writers struggle to create the exact right level of tension in their fiction. Is it enough to give your character a few hassles and obstacles, make sure the language is serviceable, and hope that a few good action scenes make for a tense plot?

Nope.

Tension is a marriage of elements, of gripping conflict and powerful emotions, of high stakes and razor-sharp language. It’s making sure that in every scene, on every page, and in every line, there is something to keep the reader reading. For lack of a better word, you might also call it “electricity.” When tension is present, the writing crackles, the story unfolds as if by its own magic.

Want to take your tension up to a whole new level? Page-Turning Tension starts September 5th. Click HERE for the class catalogue and registration.

Fighting Writing Overwhelm

The other day I stopped in a brand name, big-box bookstore to meet a friend on an out of town trip.  (As a rule I try to buy my books and magazines from my local Independent bookstore, www.mybooksmart.com but I often glean ideas to order by visiting the biggies). Like a snake to a hot, flat rock I found my way by instinct to the writing craft section whereby, just like Garp in John Irving’s novel The World According to Garp nearly flatlines at the choices in an American grocery store aisle, my brain immediately began screaming “TILT. TILT.”  There are so many books on the craft of writing; on how to be a Breakout novelist; a bestseller; how to write plots and plot mysteries and kill your darlings and write about killing and in just thirty days plot your way to a million dollars and a yacht.

In a word, the writing section can be downright OVERWHELMING.

And it got me to thinking about what is really the most crucial advice that a new writer needs to know. As I have written two of these books of instruction, (Make a Scene, and with Rebecca Lawton, Write Free) so I feel somewhat responsible for contributing to this top-heavy field of information. As someone who coaches writers, and edits manuscripts and teaches writing, I know that if you let a new writer read “all the right books” what you’ll have is a writer who might just want to give up before she begins.

That’s why I keep teaching my favorite class: Fiction’s Magic Ingredient, which is–no surprise–all about the golden nugget of fiction writing, the scene, part of my personal writing mission. That’s it. I’m just teaching you one thing–but I’m teaching it to you from every angle. So if you want to cut through the overwhelm and learn about the one essential magic piece of writing that will honestly and truly change your writing forever, there are still a few spaces left at: www.jordanrosenfeld.net/events-classes.html . It is a wonderful gift to give to a writer in your life as well, and before December 20th, I’m offering a $40 discount.

Fiction’s Magic Ingredient is 8 weeks long and begins January 10th. It is online and self-paced, using yahoo groups. Regularly $249, you can register for $209 until December 20th.

Let me help you cut through the noise!

Jordan

Scene Writing Workshop and Feedback Session

With Jordan E. Rosenfeld and Amy McElroy

Friday, October 29, 2010

10:30a.m.-2:30p.m.

BookSmart. 80 E 2nd Street. Morgan Hill.

Cost: $85

 In this workshop we’ll explore the crucial key to captivating readers—the scene and all its facets—to build a vivid, engaging piece of writing, whether fiction or non-fiction.  Students will also workshop a piece of writing in class. Come prepared to do some brief in-class writing, as well as to read your work for group feedback. We will take a working lunch, so either bring lunch or purchase it from BookSmart’s tasty deli counter, serving soups, hot dogs and chili.

 Participants may bring any piece of their own writing, but will only read 2 pages in-class for feedback from the group, including the instructors.

 ***

 Jordan E. Rosenfeld is author of the writing guides Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time, and Write Free: Attracting the Creative Life, with Rebecca Lawton. She freelance writes, edits and teaches. Learn more at: www.jordanrosenfeld.net.

Amy McElroy is a freelance writer, editor, and writing coach.  Most recently, she aired a series of personal essays on the NPR-affiliate KUSP in Santa Cruz.  Her formal training and experience as a writing coach began more than 20 years ago at Hollins University.  After some years as a practicing attorney, Amy is now continuing her work as a writing coach at Gavilan College.

 Workshop Tentative Schedule:

10:30-10:45 Introductions

10:45 to 11:30- Instruction

12:00-12:15 Break to get lunch

12:30-2:15  Workshop with feedback.

2:15-2:30 Questions, class survey

For questions or registration, email:

jordanwritelife (at) gmail (dot) com or amyjmcelroy( at) verizon (dot) net

To Convince you…

Next week, July 30, is the last date to get the early registration discount of $30 for my class, Revise for Publication, which begins August 16th for 6 weeks. In case you’re uncertain about this class, here are some recent testimonials:

“I was so overwhelmed I contemplating throwing all 400 pages [of my novel] into a locked trunk and burying the key. REVISE FOR PUBLICATION is Jordan Rosenfeld’s answer — and my salvation…. Jordan’s “Story Matrix” tool beats index cards, storyboarding, complex excel tables, and other methods I’ve used to keep my story, characters, and timelines straight, and was what made me recognize all the holes in my story — and how to plug them in. Best of all, Jordan provides real and honest feedback on the weekly assignments — no sugar-coating from her. If you have a heap of words waiting for better than a spit-shine polish, take Jordan’s REVISE FOR PUBLICATION course. I ended up with a vastly improved novel and an indispensible set of writing tools to apply to every story I write.”
–Linda Wastila-Simoni

“I highly recommend Revise for Publication for writers of any level who want to refine their work. The course lessons and individualized feedback helped me identify areas of improvement within my manuscript, challenged my writing skills, and encouraged me to think outside the box. Jordan Rosenfeld’s editorial advice is honest, constructive and insightful–and she makes the editing process FUN! Revise for Publication has helped transform my manuscript and I’m certain I will continue to use the tools I’ve learned in this course throughout my writing career.”
–Jeanette Marie (www.jeanettemariebooks.com)

About Jordan


Author of FORGED IN GRACE, Jordan E. Rosenfeld learned early on that people prefer a storyteller to a know-it-all. She channeled any Hermione-esque tendencies into a career as a writing coach, editor and freelance journalist and saves the Tall Tales for her novels. She lives in Northern California with her superhero-obsessed son, Psychologist husband and their tuxedo cat, Elvert.

Buy Great Books!