WRITER’S BLOCK

Other than a few creative writing classes in high school and college, most of what I’ve learned as an author has come from the wisdom of other authors. Many years ago, I was able to attend a writer’s seminar taught by Terry Brooks and it changed my trajectory as an author.

I’ve always enjoyed teaching and developing classes and presentations. One of my bosses at Intel even nicknamed me “The X-Factor” because my presentations were different and I knew all the tricks in PowerPoint.

I regularly teach at writer’s conferences and have made some of the on-line versions of these classes available. To access them, you will need a login and account on my website. You pay for them a la carte.

Most of what I’ve learned as an author has come from the wisdom of other authors. Attending a writer’s seminar taught by Terry Brooks changed my trajectory as an author. I regularly teach at writer’s conferences and know many other authors who do the same. Very few people can actually get to our classes because of time and travel costs. So I’ve partnered with some amazing authors to offer on-line versions of our classes. To access these classes, you will need a login and account on my website. You pay for them a la carte with credits and the creators of the classes will be paid for each class ordered. Whether you are struggling with writer’s block or just want to learn more about the craft, I invite you to try some of our on-line classes.
–COMING FALL 2023–

EXPLORE THE COURSES

AllCharlie N. HolmbergFrank L. ColeJeff WheelerMaria V. Snyder

All That Glitters: Creating a Functional Magic System

  • Coming Soon
Do you tie down your magic with rules, or take it off the leash and let it roam free? Whether using a rule-based (limited) magic system or a free-roaming (unlimited) one, establishing the believability, originality, and world-building of magic is key to creating stories as methodical and real as Sanderson’s, or as sweeping and artistic as Tolkien’s. In this class, we’ll not only discuss the differing concepts and roles of magic systems, but factor the implications of a magic system into the world surrounding it.

Charlie N Holmberg

The Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction, writing contemporary romance under C.N. Holmberg.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

  • Coming Soon
The key to writing a novel from multiple points of view.

Frank L. Cole

Frank L. Cole was born into a family of southern storytellers and wrote his first book at age eight. Highly superstitious and gullible to a fault, Frank will believe in any creepy story you tell him, especially ones involving ghosts and Big Foot. Currently, along with his wife and three children, he resides in the shadow of a majestic western mountain range, which is most likely haunted. Frank is the author of 15 published books. Frank’s next novel, The Last Library, releases in fall 2024.

Creating Believable Villains

  • Coming Soon
Fictional villains like Professor Moriarty, Hannibal Lecter, and Darth Vader continue to stand the test of time. Their enduring legacy is due to their complexity as characters. This workshop will focus on how to turn your one dimensional villain into a full blown bad-a** that your readers will love to hate.

Maria V. Snyder

The New York Times bestselling author and faculty member of Seton Hill University's MFA program, Maria V. Snyder writes fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults.

Deep Worldbuilding

  • Coming Soon
Worldbuilding is the foundation of the fantasy genre. In this class, we’ll learn the macros and micros of creating a story-world and the many ways it influences plot and character. After touching on the basics, we’ll dive into magic systems, creature creation, history, punk genres, and more. Workshopping together and individually, we’ll ensure everyone has their fishing hooks ready for this can of worms.

Charlie N Holmberg

The Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction, writing contemporary romance under C.N. Holmberg.

Emotion is Not a Dirty Word

  • Coming Soon
No matter how complex your plot is or how beautiful your descriptions are, or how well you can use a metaphor, if your readers don't care about your characters, you've lost them. Many writers are reluctant to incorporate emotions and emotional reactions for their characters for fear of being called out on writing "purple prose," or for being "overly dramatic." This workshop will help guide you in adding in a layer of emotional complexity to your stories.

Maria V. Snyder

The New York Times bestselling author and faculty member of Seton Hill University's MFA program, Maria V. Snyder writes fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults.

Fantastic Fight Scenes

  • Coming Soon
Let’s face it, action scenes are difficult to write. Writers must find the perfect balance between description, dialogue, inner dialogue and character emotions. And we all know action scenes in movies and on TV shows are unrealistic at best and often impossible without the aid of special effects. This session will cover how to write thrilling and realistic fight scenes using those four elements.

Maria V. Snyder

The New York Times bestselling author and faculty member of Seton Hill University's MFA program, Maria V. Snyder writes fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults.

Great Ideas and Where to Find Them

  • Coming Soon
Are you stumped with what to work on next? Ever wondered how a favorite author came up with such an amazing premise? There’s a lot of frustration with the question, “Where do good ideas come from?” because nothing and everything is the answer. In this class, we’ll talk about where and how to mine great story ideas using a variety of strategies, and how to choose those that best resonate with readers.

Charlie N Holmberg

The Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction, writing contemporary romance under C.N. Holmberg.

Kicking the Trash Out of Your First Chapter

  • Coming Soon
Understanding the basics of what every first chapter needs to convince editors and agents to keep reading.

Frank L. Cole

Frank L. Cole was born into a family of southern storytellers and wrote his first book at age eight. Highly superstitious and gullible to a fault, Frank will believe in any creepy story you tell him, especially ones involving ghosts and Big Foot. Currently, along with his wife and three children, he resides in the shadow of a majestic western mountain range, which is most likely haunted. Frank is the author of 15 published books. Frank’s next novel, The Last Library, releases in fall 2024.

Mastering Your Book Signing

  • Coming Soon
Book signings. They’re mutually sought after and utterly dreaded. So how does one succeed behind the table? This class will cover the whole shebang, from setting up a book signing, to interacting with potential readers, to what to do if and when no one shows up. We’ll cover how to stock your book-signing armory online and off, as well as share stories from the pros.

Charlie N Holmberg

The Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction, writing contemporary romance under C.N. Holmberg.

Raising the Stakes: How to Keep Readers Hooked on a Series

  • Coming Soon
Editors like to repeat the mantra to "raise the stakes" after each book in a fantasy series. Tension is what drives readers to turn the pages/tap the screen well past a reasonable time for turning off the lights. In writing fantasy, creating peril is the key ingredient. This class will discuss how to increase the sense of jeopardy and conflict in a story that will make your characters more interesting, the plot more riveting, your villains more menacing, and the setting more intense—while influencing your readers to delay putting the book down in order to read just "one more chapter!"

Jeff Wheeler

Writer, husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sex Scenes for the Modest Author

  • Coming Soon
Sex happens. It can be the culmination of a love story or the beginning of a character arc. And while “sex sells,” it can be a tricky thing to tackle for conservative writers. In this class, we’ll discuss how to include intimacy in a story, and how to do it to both the author’s comfort level and the readers’ expectations.

Charlie N Holmberg

The Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction, writing contemporary romance under C.N. Holmberg.

The Five Questions (aka Wowing the Editorial Board)

  • Coming Soon
When my editor was trying to pitch one of my series, it ran into trouble at the editorial board. Let’s face it, publishing is a business, and you want to make it easy to say ‘yes’ to your ideas. We came up with five questions (and their answers) which not only won over the editorial board, but I’ve used them in every book and series and pitch since. The five questions can help you organize your thinking and make a single book, or a series, something they’ll want to snatch. Even if you are an indie author, knowing the answers to these questions can help improve the story before it’s even written. What are the five questions? Come and find out.

Jeff Wheeler

Writer, husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Flow of Writing

  • Coming Soon
A full-time writer must produce hundreds of thousands of words crafted to make a reader keep turning the pages. A brilliant researcher named Czikszentmihalyi figured out the optimal conditions that make this creative state possible and repeatable. Join me as we explore what a “FLOW” state is and how you can learn to get there faster and reliably, even when it’s crunch time. You’ll learn some new tips on how to eliminate distractions, tame your monkey mind, how to harness boredom, and why making your bed might be a secret ingredient to your success.

Jeff Wheeler

Writer, husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The How of Creativity

  • Coming Soon
Is creativity just a magical thing that happens randomly in some people and not at all in others? Or is it, like a muscle, something you can practice and develop into a consistent thing? Yes, it’s more like a muscle and yes, there are exercises you can do to develop it. In this class you’ll learn creativity tips from the author of the Hunger Games, Pixar Studios, Stephen King, Andrew Carnegie, and one of the most famous fighter pilots in history that you’ve never heard of before (no it’s not Tom Cruise—I said you’ve never heard of him before). And me, of course, a bestselling author who writes 3-4 books a year. Come learn the secrets of where creativity comes from.

Jeff Wheeler

Writer, husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Understanding Amazon

  • Coming Soon
How well do you understand the indie publishing market? Do you know the difference between Kindle Direct and Kindle Unlimited and how they pay royalties? What’s it like to work with one of the Amazon Publishing imprints (Montlake Romance, 47North, Skyscape, Thomas & Mercer)? Come learn about different resources Amazon has enabled to help indie writers get noticed in a crowded publishing market that is only getting more crowded.

Jeff Wheeler

Writer, husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Worldbuilding 505: Stop Living in your Head and Start Writing the First Chapter

  • Coming Soon
So exactly how much worldbuilding do you have to have figured out before you start writing the first chapter? How do you develop your world into settings that become characters in the story? Whether your book is set on Earth or something more like Middle Earth, we’ll have a lot of fun diving into all the deliciously difficult ingredients of a fantasy world (the magic, politics, culture, geography, economics, religion) and then figuring out how much to reveal, when to reveal what, and how to exploit the tension opportunities each one brings to the table.

Jeff Wheeler

Writer, husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Writing a Series

  • Coming Soon
Readers love them, publishers love them, writers love them...sometimes. This workshop will discuss writing a series from why write one to how to plan one (yes, even pantsers can plan a series). Also discussed will be the problems and pitfalls of writing a series from forgetting details to getting bored with your characters. Then I'll talk about how to write the dreaded second book, which has to remind readers of prior events without boring them--a difficult balance.

Maria V. Snyder

The New York Times bestselling author and faculty member of Seton Hill University's MFA program, Maria V. Snyder writes fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults.

Yeah, That’s What She Said

  • Coming Soon
The Art of Character Development through dialogue.

Frank L. Cole

Frank L. Cole was born into a family of southern storytellers and wrote his first book at age eight. Highly superstitious and gullible to a fault, Frank will believe in any creepy story you tell him, especially ones involving ghosts and Big Foot. Currently, along with his wife and three children, he resides in the shadow of a majestic western mountain range, which is most likely haunted. Frank is the author of 15 published books. Frank’s next novel, The Last Library, releases in fall 2024.

Your First Million Words

  • Coming Soon
It’s common to look at the overnight success stories of rare individuals who make it big on their first novel as the goal. But I’ve discovered on my journey that I had to write and toss my first million words before I’d practiced the craft enough to be successful at it. Come to this class for time management, writing advice from an author who worked fulltime at a high tech company, served as a bishop, and squeezed in writing one night a week for two hours…and is now well past his second million words. This class is about finding the will and the time to pursue the lonely road walked by writers.

Jeff Wheeler

Writer, husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.