HOW TO THINK SIDEWAYS COURSE CIRRICULUM:

Would you like your writing to take off in directions that surprise even
you?

With this self-paced course, "How to Think Sideways", full-time author
Holly Lisle can help you whip your muse into shape with proven
techniques that will open the floodgates of your creativity.

Every writer has read a book and wondered how the author came up with
that plot twist, seemingly from left field. With this course, Holly is not only going to stimulate your idea generation, but will show you how to do it on a deadline. She will also show you how to effectively plan your projects as well as walk you through the beginning, middle, and ending sections of your novel.

Lee Masterson, an author from Australia, had this to say about the
course:

"Holly, I've been writing professionally for a living for the past 9
years and your Lesson 1, Break the Thinking Barriers, made me think long
and hard about what I've been doing all this time and what I'd rather be
doing - and why I haven't been doing it all this time. Thank you for the
wake up call - and thanks also for the brutal honesty."

This course, delivered in weekly lessons, includes:

- Monthly video that covers the month's main topic

- Weekly lessons with assignments

- Weekly technique demonstrations

- Monthly checklist of all steps to take

- A monthly Q&A made up of questions taken from the course forums

- Private workgroups (optional)

- Class discussion forum to interact with other students

Writers spend hundreds of dollars taking courses to learn more about
their craft. At $47 a month, "How to Think Sideways" goes above and
beyond, showing you how to make the most of your imagination.

This course is only open until Monday, September 8th, so enroll now



Here is a closer look at what you will be learning.



Sideways Thinking: Ideas

Week 1: How to Break the Four "Thinking" Barriers to Your Success

Week 2: How to Discover Your Writing "Sweet Spot"

Week 3: How to Generate Ideas On a Deadline

Week 4: How to Recognize and Build On Good Ideas



Sideways Thinking: Project Planning

Week 5: How to Define Your Project's Needs

Week 6: How to Discover (or Create) Your Project's Market

Week 7: How to Develop Your Personal Project System

Week 8: How to Plan Your Project While NOT Killing Your Story



Sideways Thinking: First Chapters

Week 9: How to Write From Inside Your Story

Week 10: How to "Plan" Surprises that Surprise Even You

Week 11: How to Design Compelling Queries, Proposals, and Sample
Chapters

Week 12: How to Create, Complicate, and Solve Problems



Sideways Thinking: Middles

Week 13: "Can't I Just Kill Them All?" How to Fall In Love With Your
Project A Second Time

Week 14: How to Find and Use Your "Planned" Surprises

Week 15: How to "Hire" Spies, and Why Your Project Needs Them

Week 16: How to Assess Your Progress and Make Mid-Course Corrections



Sideways Thinking: Endings

Week 17: How to Work With Editors, Agents, Marketing Departments, and
Artists, and Not Wreck Your Project.

Week 18: How to Find the RIGHT Ending

Week 19: How to Bend Your Plan Without Breaking It

Week 20: How to Write the Ending That Sells the Next Book



Sideways Thinking: Wrap Up/Start Again

Week 21: How to Plan Your Revision

Week 22: How to NOT Fix What Ain't Broken (While Still Fixing What Is)

Week 23v How to Deliver What You Promised and What They Want On Deadline


Week 24: How to NOT Be a One-Book Wonder---Learn to Produce Repeatable
Results


As you can see, this course packs quite a punch and is only available
for one week, so enroll now.

I've started this course only two weeks ago, and I have to say, it is
more than I expected it to be. I am learning more about myself, my
writing, and my relationship to writing. If you were thinking about it
before, and didn't get the opportunity to sign up...well now's the time.











Hope to see you there.

Summer is pretty much over. Yes, I know it is only the end of July, but
I live in the South. And school starts soon. I'm glad it's over too.
Back-to-school has always been my favorite time of year. Once you are
an adult, and no longer have the luxury of a summer off, it is easy to
forget the magic of September. When I was in school, August was a sort
of "hurry up and wait" kind of month. Aside from being almost unbearably
hot (this is from a time when air conditioning was a luxury, not a
right), much time was spent preparing for school. New school clothes and
supplies, just waiting to be used. Too hot to wear the school clothes,
and you risked getting into trouble if you dared "mess up" your new
school supplies. I wondered what classes I'd have, who my teachers were
going to be, how much homework we were going to be saddled with. The
possibilities that came with each year were endless. Each school year
started off with meticulously kept notebooks that somehow deteriorated
into barely legible scribbles by the time the holidays came around. The
cool pens I agonized over in the store, had teeth prints on the cap, if
in fact, they could still be found.

Now that I'm a grownup, with kids, I'm back to thinking in terms of the
school calendar. Back-to-school now means the kids won't be at home
eating all the food, lowering the A/c to a frigid 60 degrees, and I
don't have to worry about them getting into mischief.

As a writer, when September comes around I contemplate what I want to
write next. Never mind whether or not I am in the midst of a project or
not. This, to me, is the best time to start something new. So far this
year, I've had several 'false starts" with stories that weren't quite
ready for prime time. I have some ideas marinating, and I'm hoping one
of them ripens into something I can work with. My goal is to get
something prepared for NaNoWrimo in November.

[url=http://www.quiztron.com/tests/goddess_lurks_in_sou_quiz_22388.htm]Which Goddess lurks in your soul?[/url]

My Results:


[url=http://www.quiztron.com/tests/goddess_lurks_in_sou_quiz_22388.htm][img]http://www.make-a-quiz.com/quiz_images/full_474851335.jpg[/img][/url]


Eris

You are a sly one who enjoys watching others squirm! Eris is the Greek Goddess of strife and discord whose single purpose was to create chaos amongst ordered man. According to legend, it was an apple from Eris which started the Trojan War when she tossed it towards three other Goddesses (Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera) claiming it belonged to the most beautiful and wise of all Goddesses. Like Eris, you enjoy laying devil’s advocate and stirring up a bit of trouble when things get wrong. Often, you are like a chess player, moving pieces into place and then sitting back to watch the explosions! Careful, Eris, or you may wind up at the blunt of one of your own created problems!

I met my son almost 30 years ago. I was around 15, and my son came to me in a dream. His face war a little vague, but I knew he was mine. I knew I'd have a son ever since that day. While I was pregnant, friends and family insisted that I was having a girl. I knew better.

Fast forward three years. My son told me, "I'm glad I chose you to be my mom." Startled, I asked him what he meant. We'd already had conversations about baby heaven. He said that in baby heaven he got to choose his mom, and he chose me. Wow.

Fast forward, about a year later. I had another dream. I was driving a red car, approaching the toll on the Triboro bridge in NYC to visit my cousins in the Bronx. In the rearview mirror I saw a carseat in the backseat. At the time I didn't think anything of it. I assumed it was my boy in the car seat. Hmmmm....

Once more, fast forward two more years. I am driving a red car. There is a car seat in the back, and yes, I am approaching the Triboro tollbooth, having one hell of a deja vu moment. It really freaked me out. The child in the carseat was my infant daughter. Holy crap.

My dreams are not always clear to me in the morning. However one thing I DO know. I am meant to be a writer. I have visualized it in my mind, and in my dreams. And its a little scary. Can I live up to those dreams? Are they in fact, a premonition? I don't know, but I feel like I am on the right path.

I'm afraid one of my favorite authors has jumped the shark
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jumping_the_shark> .



I don't want to out her, but she is a world famous author with a new
book in her series out now.



First off, she does a lot of "As you know, Bob" with backstory
infodumps. As hard as I am trying not to read as a writer, it is like
needles stabbing me in the eyes. Second, some of her word choices are
grating on my nerves. Her character is 29 years old, and at times, talks
like she's 12. And this [character] is a kick-ass woman with lots of
machismo And finally, well there is just not much plot going on here.
I'm afraid this particular series has run its course. That's not to say
I won't read this author again, because I will, but it's time to bring
this one to a finale.

I went to a RWA meeting this past weekend. There was a workshop on
Goal, Motivation & Conflict. I enjoyed the workshop, but am unsure if I
want to join the chapter. On the one hand, it will be good for me to
network with other writers, but on the other hand, I don't do much with
romance. Stuff I write has elements of romance, maybe even romance as a
subplot, but I am not a Romance Writer. Something to think about.

The writing is coming along in drips and drabs. My MC is coming
together. I still have to hit the right conflict that will rock her
world, but I believe I am close. Now I've drifted off to worldbuilding.
Contemplating the magic in my world. This will be fun.

So, I've been going to the gym. Not as much as I would like, but it's
an sure improvement over the past. To that end, I've started
walking/jogging on the treadmill, in the hopes of becoming a runner.
Bought a pair of running shoes-the most expensive sneakers I have ever
owned.

This past Saturday, I did an 8K race, which is just under 5 miles. I
wasn't sure if I was ready to do it, but I was determined to finish.



Mile 1 - This was cool, I was in the middle of the pack, feeling good.

Mile 2 - Well a lot of runners are passing me, but that's okay, I'm
trying to pace myself.

Mile 3 - Okay now I'm at the back of the pack, pretty much all by
myself. At this point, I'm determined to not be the LAST person crossing
the finish line.

Mile 4 - Um yeah, this is a lot further than I thought it was. Where is
the finish line anyway? Oh well, can't quit now, that would be stupid at
this point.

Mile 5 - I DID IT! Yay me! Ready for the next one!

One thing I learned....running/walking on the treadmill is NOTHING like
being on pavement. I need to start training on pavement.



It occurs to me that my experiences in this race relate directly to my
writing, or lack thereof. You see, I've started races before, but I've
never finished. Somewhere between mile 3 & 4 I lose focus and drop out.
So its back to taking baby steps and pacing myself, and better
preparation so that I can finish the race. And the next one, and the
next one.

Hello.

My name is Deb, and I'm a packrat.

I admit it. I am a packrat. I don't like being a packrat, but I've
descended from [at least] two generations of packrats, so I guess it was
inevitable.

My dear departed grandmother passed away at age 96. In her attic, she
still had my mother's baby clothes and crib, if you can believe that.

Through the years, I've struggled with the urge to hold onto things that
I don't really need. I was good for a while, but lately I see myself
sliding back into that whole packrat lifestyle. Lately it's been paper.
Articles, news items, anything that interests me, I find myself printing
out "to read later". But, later never comes. And the piles grow. I
have enough reading material to last me until 2011. And still the piles
grow.

I am taking a timeout. No books, no writing, no tv. I will cull down
these piles. (I swear they multiply when I fall asleep). I will be
heartless, feeding it all to the shredder to be recycled. And if you
don't hear from me for a while, the piles have gotten me. Send a rescue
party!

I'd like to ask favor of the two or three readers I have.

This is a character that has been hanging out in my head. If she were
sitting with you right now, what would you ask her?

================================================

Serena is 29 y.o. only child. She recently decided to go back to
college, and is working as a teacher's assistant at a preschool. She
hasn't decided what she wants to major in, but she knows that her career
will involve children. She lives with two of her best college friends,
Kyle and Matthew.

Serena comes from a sheltered childhood, and the fact that she is living
with two men has disgraced her mother. She has hardly spoken to Serena
in nearly a year. On the other hand, Serena has managed to win over her
father, due to the fact that the guys are just as protective over her as
her father is. In fact, she thinks they are worse. He doesn't like it,
but he has accepted them and charged them with the task of watching out
for his babygirl.

Serena is enjoying finally being out on her own. If it wasn't for her
roommates she'd probably still be living at home, and not in the
townhouse that they were lucky to find, just outside of the city.

She maintains a close (and secret) relationship with her maternal
grandmother, Aurelia. Her father suspects, but has never confronted her
with it. Her mother has no idea that Serena has any contact with "that
crazy woman". A devout Christian, she insists that her mother will
roast in hell because of her belief in Santeria. This has been a
constant source of conflict between Serena's mother and grandmother,
with Serena in the middle. Not only that, but Serena finds that the
magic is calling her and she is eager to learn more.

And now, it seems that Serena's grandmother is missing.

I just discovered the site for Evan Marshall at
http://www.marshall-plan.com <http://www.marshall-plan.com/> . I'd
skimmed through the book quite some time ago, but never really got into
it. Anyway, looking over the website, there is a story generator tool.
I plugged in the basic elements of the novel I have "marinating" and
this is what it came up with.

Story Idea

As the story opens, Serena, the novel's lead character, discovers that
her Grandmother (and magical mentor) is missing. Serena feels as if the
world has been turned upside down and is distraught and scared.

Serena weighs all possible courses of action. Finally, after much
careful consideration, Serena decides to find her grandmother without
revealing her powers to the wrong people..

This is the only way Serena believes it will be possible to find her
grandmother who can help her control her emerging powers, the only
course to take.

It is this goal that Serena will aggressively pursue, all the way to the
end of the story.

It is a really basic plot, but seeing it in this form is helping clarify
what I want to do with these characters, and this novel. It is an urban
fantasy, and it will be set in the Northeast. I am still working on my
outline and characters, but at least I have something to look refer back
to. In the middle of all the notes and brainstorming, I never took a
step back to take a look at what the story is at the core. If nothing
else the four simple paragraphs above will remind me what belongs and
does not belong in my story. Maybe I will have to take another look at
the book.



So often that happens. I will read a writing how-to book and struggle
with the concepts presented. Later on, maybe a month later, a year
later...all of a sudden, I will pick up that book again and skim through
it, and have an "A-HA" moment where it all clicks. Does this happen to
you? Sometimes I think my brain is not willing or ready to digest
"Concept A", and somehow at a later date, the concept becomes crystal
clear. My brain works in mysterious ways, I guess.

Can I say it? SEVEN episodes was certainly NOT enough for Jericho. I really hope someone picks up this show somewhere.

I've been keeping up with my workouts. Only missed 2 last week. Believe me, that is an improvement. 4 days a week versus 1-2 days. Still, I am getting a little faster, a little stronger, and a little smaller.

I've got a lot of things marinating at the moment. Just downloaded Liquid Story Binder. Unfortunately, I do not have a Mac, and therefore, I am barred from the goodness that is Scrivener. However, I've heard that LSB is the PC-man's equivalent. We shall see.

Ok, it is hurting to type. I will keep this short, and post again later.

Just finished E by Matt Beaumont. An epistolary novel about life at a
London advertising agency. It was pretty good, and a fast read.



Today I just started The Devil Inside by Jenna Black. I'm 40 pages in,
and if I wasn't at work, I don't think I would have put it down. I'm
almost tempted to blow off my PT appointment to continue reading. I'm
loving this book so far, and happy to see that it is the first in a
series.



Only 48 more books go to. LOL

As much as I've tried, I cannot write from plot



I HAVE to start with character. I get so involved in creating
characters that often I don't know what to do with them afterwards. OK
Ms. X...you have had this childhood, you're doing this now, what's next?
The fault lies with me. I cannot bear to make my character's lives
miserable. I need to distance myself from them in order to be utterly
heartless and mean. In fact I have a character I'm working with right
now. Serena. I don't know what to do with her, other than she is trying
to find her missing grandmother, and one of her friends is a potential
stalker. The stalker-dude is fun, because I don't particularly like him
so it's easy to do bad stuff to him. In the end, I know what I need to
do. I need to take Serena on a plane trip and push her out without a
parachute. But I'll feel soooo bad doing it.

On March 8th, I did my first 5K race. I did not run, but rather walked
the course. I finished at 54:28. I am really proud of myself. It was
such an ego boost to cross the finish line. And I like that feeling.
I'm planning on 2, maybe 3 more races in the next several weeks. I
probably won't run, but I'm working my way up to that. Is there such a
thing as "walkers high"? I'm sure that was what I was feeling as I
crossed the finish line.

I've always loved to read. And lately, I fear that it is reaching to
addiction levels. My local library allows for 50 books to be checked
out, and I consistently stay near that number.

Right now I'm reading Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn. This is the first
in a series about the half-human, half-Fae sisters. One's a Witch,
one's a werecat, and one is a vampire. It was slow going for me at
first, only because I sorta-kinda remembered reading it before, or
something rather similar. Anyway, after I got past that dj vu moment,
the book became really good. I am looking forward to continuing the
series with Changeling and Darkling.

This is really similar to the kind of book I'd like to write. I love
urban fantasy, and lucky (or maybe unlucky) for me, there are really a
lot of great new books out there that I want to read. And being the
poor starving artist that I am, I more often than not take them out from
the library. I am fortunate to live in a county with an awesome library
system that purchases books rather quickly after their release, and not
just from the best seller list.

So for the time being, I'm doing more reading than writing. Call it a
distraction, or call it an obsession. I prefer to think of it as
research.

Next on the list is the new Stephen King.

Follow me on twitter and I'll follow you.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

I wonder if anyone reads this journal anymore. I haven't allowed myself to retun to LJ because...well, just because.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

I realize I've spent way too long playing around with characters, world
building and back story. I need to get writing. I know there are a lot
of holes left to fill, but I'm anxious to get this stuff out of my head
and onto paper. I've committed to NaNoWriMo <http://nanowrimo.org/> ,
and I can't wait until November 1st. It's been a long time since I've
been excited about writing.



I want this novel out of my head so I can continue. The ideas are
marinating right now, but there is SO much OTHER stuff I want to work
on. I've got an urban fantasy marinating. The NaNo novel from 2001
that I'm afraid to finish <--tons of editing there, and a couple of
short story ideas. So, between now and Nov. 1st I'm pretty much all
over the place, and the ideas are flowing. I bet it's because la bruja
knows that I won't have time to play when Nano starts.



Ciao for now.

This is my first time posting to LJ since losing my friend. I realized that I was hiding, and not dealing. And so I am here, and I know she is watching me, and really wanting to kick my ass. So I'm going to try to open up here, mostly about my writing, with a lot more of me to share.