Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

L is for Learn

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LHas anyone ever heard of Udemy? Since L is for Learn, I thought I’d tell you a little about this online learning community. Udemy offers thousands of classes priced between $20 and $50.  Some are even FREE. I discovered Udemy on Facebook. An ad kept popping up so I finally clicked on it. By now, you might know that I’m a “course-taking-addict.”

I’ve taken several writing courses from Udemy: poetry writing, brainstorming, and writing from the heart to name three. I’ve signed up for many others but haven’t completed them yet. This is a work at your own pace thing; handouts are available and there are assignments and teacher/student interaction if you want it. I seldom do. Some of these classes are good, some not so good, but all of them are interesting in one way or another. If you’d like to learn more about their history and the Udemy founders go to the Udemy Wikipedia site  .

Some exciting news is that there’s also opportunity for YOU to teach a class. Now don’t get nervous.  😉 For those of you who don’t yet call yourselves writers, you can teach anything: cake decorating, quilting, even crafting jewelry or braiding rag rugs. Udemy has free instruction on how to pull your class together.

Explore their user-friendly website to see what’s available for you. Remember, check out all the FREE classes. Did I mention that once you sign up for a class, you have life time access to it?

I’m curious… have any of you taken classes from Udemy?

So What’s the Point?

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My previous post was called Racing the Clock. For those of you wondering, the clock won. No problem. Deadlines are plentiful, aren’t they? We can always find another and another and another. Remember the song, I fought the law but the law won. That song keeps rolling through my mind. Here’s my version of it:

Writing deadline–thought it was fun.
I raced the clock but the clock won.
I raced the clock but the clock won.
I needed motivation ‘cause I had none
I raced the clock but the clock won.
I raced the clock but the clock won.

 I left my story, now it feels so bad
Guess my race is run
 It was the best story I think I ever had
 I raced the clock but the clock won
 I raced the clock but the clock won.

Sometimes I’m just a time-waster. How long do you think it took me to write that little ditty? And what was the point?

I’m over my head in online classes. I’m taking Self-Publishing taught by DebraHolland, Ph.D. Very informative with guest ‘speakers’ sharing their self-publishing journey too. Interesting thing is that no one’s self-publishing journey is the same. I guess there’s no way to truly prepare for self-publishing. We can expect anything and everything, right down to the good and bad reviews. Both will come.

I’m also taking a course called COVERING YOUR BASES: PROMOTIONAL AND PERSONAL USES FOR POD and KINDLE by Beth Daniels who currently writes as Beth Henderson and J.B. Dane. Beth has worked with editors at Berkley, Zebra, Leisure, Harlequin/Silhouette, and Simon and Schuster’s Aladdin Paperbacks. She ventured into self-publishing to keep her out-of-print backlist in print and leaped into the non-fiction book realm with WRITING STEAMPUNK. Visit her HERE.

Another course I’m taking is called In and Out: Putting Characters in Conflict, taught through RWA by Sherry Lewis. I always thought conflict was my weakness. Lately, I’ve been identifying more writing weaknesses. Makes me wonder how anyone ever comes to the conclusion that they’re good enough to self-publish. Any thoughts on that question?

Every time I sign up for online classes, I hear my friend and writing professor say (as he said so long ago), “It’s time to stop taking classes and write.” I guess I’m a perpetual student but I wonder if I’m really learning anything. How can I be if I’m still making the same mistakes over and over again? Not enough description. Too much dialogue. Talking heads. Not enough conflict. Unlikeable heroine. Unlikeable hero. Heroine too passive. Tense problems. POV problems. What’s their goal? What’s your point?

And that’s where I am today — in a What’s the Point frame of mind? Anyone have an answer?

W is for Woman’s World Magazine

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I have just completed Part II of a class called Selling to Woman’s World taught by Kate Willoughby and offered by the Colorado Romance Writers. These two classes were fantastic. I learned a lot and I also won a free critique from the instructor on my own WW Short Story. Kate will be teaching these classes again in the future so if you have any interest in writing short romance, check out the descriptions of the the classes and make a note to watch the Colorado Romance Writers website for dates.

Here’s Kate’s description of each class:

Part I: Woman’s World, one of the last remaining periodicals to publish short fiction, pays $800 for an 800 word romance story, and if you sell to them there’s a good chance over a million people will read your story. Nice work if you can get it, right? Well, you can. My class, “Selling to Woman’s World Magazine—Beyond the Basics, Part I,” will give you the tools you need to break into this tough market. Each week we’ll examine one or more key story elements that occur over and over in Woman’s World romantic fiction. These story elements enhance submissions and give them that certain something unique to the publication. Students will complete simple assignments designed to help pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in the stories they’ve been submitting and stories they have yet to write. We’ll also deconstruct three of the most popular plots. Then, I’ll guide you through the plotting process so that by the end of the month, you’ll be set with numerous plots and ideas, all ready to go. Industrious students may even have finished stories.

Part II: In this continuation of Selling to Woman’s World Magazine—Beyond the Basics I, we’ll examine eight more story elements and five plots in our quest to understand just what it takes to sell to Johnene Granger, the discerning fiction editor at Woman’s World.

Instructor Bio:

Kate Willoughby’s Woman’s World (WW) expertise comes from six years of analysis, writing, and submission to the magazine. In that time, she’s sold eight stories to them at a success rate of about 28%. Her blog, “Writing for Woman’s World,” is a resource for those who want to break into the WW market, and through the original “Secrets of Selling to Woman’s World Magazine” class she’s helped at least six writers sell to the magazine. (Click on testimonials below). She has also published eleven novellas, print and electronic, with Ellora’s Cave and Liquid Silver Books.
You can also learn a lot from Kate’s blog where she dissects and analyzes stories. It’s the one blog I’ve found that is truly PRICELESS!

Kate’s website is HERE (this site promotes her novels – content warning!) and check out some of the testimonials HERE.

Keep abreast of what’s happening with the Colorado Romance Writers Online Workshop Series!  They have a wonderful lineup of topics (craft, industry, inspirational, etc.) and speakers HERE.

BTW, men write for Woman’s World too under their own name. WW also publishes a short mystery piece in each issue. Don’t mistakenly believe these stories are easy to write. Short doesn’t mean easy.

 I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to READ THE MAGAZINE! That goes without saying, doesn’t it?