I'm happy to share this list of Laurie's upcoming classes.
I'm a huge Laurie fan and love her method of teaching.
And she has some early 2018 classes listed. WOW.
live in Columbus: ALL-DAY WORKSHOP
(July 15, 9-4, optional $10 donation) cofwevents.org/meetings
Alpha Males, Building Characters, Plotting Via Motivation and From Plot To Finish
live in Cincinnati: INFORMAL AFTERNOON
(July 16, 1:15-3:30, free) midpointelibrary.org/page/westchester A casual get-together over Description & Dialogue, followed by The Personality Ladder
blog: READ A LITTLE, READ A LOT
(August 2) romanceuniversity.org If anyone reads just the first few words of your book, what happens?
online: BLURBING YOUR BOOK
(August 7-Sept. 1)
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BookBlurb/info
You've seen online listings that made you buy immediately, knowing you wanted that book for sure. You've seen others that told you "don't want this one" and others that left you lukewarm. While nobody can (or should) write listings that attract readers looking for a whole different type of book, writing blurbs that turn browsers into buyers is easy to do...with the hands-on techniques from this filled-with-feedback class.
live in Phoenix: PLOTTING VIA MOTIVATION
(August 8, 7:30pm) valleyofthesunrw.com
See the description for March
live in Tucson: PLOTTING VIA MOTIVATION
(September 9, 12:30pm) arizonamysterywriters.com/?p=1938
blog: WHAT ROAD CAN'T SHE TRAVEL?
(August 18) writersinthestormblog.com
Your heroine has to transcend limits, but what can those limits be?
online: THE HERO'S JOURNEY, FOR HEROINES
(Sept. 4-29)
writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes
Christopher Vogler identified 12 steps for daredevil heroes who explore the outside world and return with the elixir. But a character whose emotional journey leads to flowering change instead of physical adventure, as described in Kim Hudson's 13 steps, will embark on a journey filled with other -- more internal -- challenges. For writers whose heroine faces her own less traveled road to discovery, this class offers a fascinating map.
online: GROWING YOUR HEROINE
(Oct. 9-20)
writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes
This limited-enrollment master class picks up where September's leaves off, focusing on the heroine's journey through everything she needs to overcome from beginning to end. With a choice of homework commentary delivered one-on-one or to the entire class, chart the route she'll use for transcending her weak points -- as well as those of people she cares about -- while avoiding both the false triumph and false disaster of her own story.
online: DIALOGUE TO DIE FOR
(Nov. 5-18)
oirwa.com/forum/campus/
What makes great dialogue? How can yours become better with each book you write? Writers who've never thought about such questions, because they're naturally skilled with dialogue, won't need to bother with this class. But anyone who's occasionally thought "I wish I could make my dialogue stronger / punchier / more entertaining / more subtle / more revealing" will appreciate the five key tools of dynamic dialogue.
live in Houston: MORNING/AFTERNOON WORKSHOP
(Nov. 11, 10:30-2) whrwa.com
Not yet sure what this day will include, but will know by Nov. 10!
(As always, there's no class in December.)
2018
online: NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
(Jan. 2-26, 2018)
tucsonrwa.org
Whether it's the first rejection, the 50th-book slump, or just not getting the story you want, frustration is part of every writer's life. For some, it's a nuisance; for others, it's the end of a career. For anyone determined to make 2018 a Better Writing Year, this class offers both practical and psychological techniques for dealing with rejection, writer's block, frustration, motivation, and other issues that keep writers from loving their craft.
online: WRITING A SERIES
(Feb. 5-23, 2018)https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WritingSeries/info
It's one thing to write a stand-alone novel. It's another to write a sequel, a trilogy, a box set or an open-ended series that'll continue for as long as you want. While great storytelling is great storytelling no matter what the format, there are techniques to keep in mind when writing a series that will not only keep your readers on board through every story, but keep you from burning out while they're still waiting for more.
online: PLOTTING VIA MOTIVATION
(March 5-30)writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes
Any of us could write a book in which characters get shipwrecked on an uncharted desert isle. We've seen what seven such characters would do…over and over and over again. But what would YOURS do? If you nail down any character's motivation, it doesn't matter whether the ship capsizes or lands safely three hours later. Your characters will create a plot from whatEVER happens, because you've got their motivation built in from the very beginning...and here's how to do it.
online: FROM PLOT TO FINISH(April 9-20)
writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes
A continuation of the March process open solely to people who've taken PVM online or in person at some point, this no-more-than-30-people group gets you plotting a brand new or already-begun book (using your completed 14-point worksheet) from start to finish. No need to prepare a new story idea, character bios, goal charts or anything else, because you'll see how to plot an entire book -- and actually have it ready to type -- by the end of this hands-on workshop.
online: ARISTOTLE ON RELATIONSHIPS(May 7-18)
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AriRel/info Relationships haven’t changed much since the days of ancient Greece. Aristotle identified personality types for different types of people who, even though their descriptive names have changed, still embody those who wind up in your novel. Naturally, each type has intriguing and attractive elements that make readers want to know this person, as well as some problematic issues that’ll keep the conflict coming…and going…and coming…
online: PERFECTING YOUR PITCH(June 7-14)
writeruniv.wordpress.com/classes
Are you pitching your work at a conference? In an email? By phone, by letter, by chance if you run into someone browsing for a good book? The techniques will be slightly different for each situation — and while writers tend to feel more anxiety when pitching face-to-face, it’s useful to have a plan of action for every possible scenario. Whether you’re pitching an agent, editor, interviewer, publisher or a regular reader, learn how to make it a good experience for you both!
Laurie Schnebly Campbell loves giving workshops for writer groups about "Psychology for Creating Characters," "Making Rejection WORK For You," "Building A Happy Relationship For Your Characters (And Yourself)" and other issues that draw on her background as a counseling therapist and romance writer.
In fact, she chose her website (www.BookLaurie.com) so people would find it easy to Book Laurie for programs.
But giving workshops -- for students from London and Los Angeles to New Zealand and New York -- is just one of her interests. During weekdays, she writes and produces videos, brochures and commercials (some of which feature her voice) for a Phoenix advertising agency. For several years she would turn off her computer every day at five o'clock, wait thirty seconds, turn it on again and start writing romance.
It finally paid off. Her first novel was nominated by Romantic Times as the year's "Best First Series Romance," and her second beat out Nora Roberts for "Best Special Edition of the Year." But between those two successes came a three-year dry spell, during which Laurie discovered that selling a first book doesn't guarantee ongoing success.
"What got me through that period," she says, "was realizing that the real fun of writing a romance is the actual writing. Selling is wonderful, sure, but nothing compares to the absolute, primal joy of sitting at the computer and making a scene unfold and thinking 'Wow! Yes! This is great!'"
After six books for Special Edition, she turned her attention to writing non-fiction -- using her research into the nine personality types to help writers create plausible, likable people with realistic flaws. Her other favorite activities include playing with her husband and son, recording for the blind, counseling at a mental health center, traveling to Sedona (the Arizona red-rock town named for her great-grandmother, Sedona Schnebly) and working with other writers.
"People ask how I find time to do all that," Laurie says, "and I tell them it's easy. I never clean my house!"
Laurie welcomes email from readers—send her a "Hello!"
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