By any Index, the Novel Writing Courses are Great
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They are also great big–and growing.

Ever wish there were an index to the school?  You could just zip right to a word or phrase and find the exact bit of help you’re looking for?

So have lots of other students.

Now’s your chance to team up to produce the index you’ve wished for.  Go here and read all about it.  Chime in and pitch in, wiki-wiki.  (Yes, Grasshopper, this is exactly how wishes come true.)

 

Her novel has a publisher!
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A few days ago, HTTS author Josephine Myles signed a contract with a dream publisher in her genre.  She reports:

I’m thrilled to bits as they’re a publisher I’ve had recommended to me by many other writers – their reputation for editing, sales and author support are superlative, and in this end of the romance genre it’s not common to find all three qualities in one publisher.

She concludes:

Thanks to Holly for the course – it really helped me through some of the sticky patches in that first draft – I had the confidence to just keep going and come back to fix it later!

There’s a sweet little zinger to this story, as well as a link to her FaceBook page.  Find out about it all, and offer your congrats, too.  The discussion is here.


 

Friends + Family + WIP?
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When is a good time to start sharing your work with your nearest and dearest?

 

The writer’s life can be a lonely one, except for the few dozen extra people who populate his head at any given time.  Loved ones who have to tiptoe past the vacant gaze of a writer-in-flow might wonder just what is going on.  Hey–how about letting the spouse, parent, sibling or BFF read that long-awaited WIP?

 

Good idea?  Bad idea?  What about timing?  Rough draft, during revision, after revision, or let them borrow it from the library two or three years from now?

 

The time is right for you to join this discussion.

Early benefits of the Walkthrough
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Holly has posted a new game to help beat back writer paralysis.  This, aside from being some exercise for your muse, is a cool way to figure out what’s stopping you from writing.  Let your muse sail over the top with a Fosbury flop and come to a soft landing with a new understanding of the fears that try to silence you.

If you’re Tom Clancy, you’re on your own with this one.

Log in and share.

Who are all these people?
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How many new members have joined the forum since you last looked?

 

If you haven’t checked the new members list in a while, this would be a good time to do so.  You might find a new friend, mentor, beta reader, spy, or telemachus.

 

And if you are new to the forums, please do drop by and tell us about yourself.  We are happy to welcome you in.

 

To welcome new members or introduce yourself, go here for HTTS and here for HTRYN.  Hey, it’s free, easy, and fun.

 

Big, Giant Attagirl!
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Everyone at the Novel Writing Schools and Holly Lisle’s community, not to mention the gang at Forward Motion for Writers, is tickled fuchsia over the news that Anne Lyle has sold her HTRYN manuscript in a three-book deal.  It will be published in both the UK and the US.

Grab your fluffiest boa and your glitteriest confetti and drop in here to shout out some well-earned congratulations.  (You bet we’ll be reminding everyone when it’s time to pre-order the first volume.)

Woo Hoo!

Which Process Comes First?
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Here’s an interesting dilemma.  Should this new writer develop her first book, which she sees as a stand-alone, through HTTS and HTRYN, or should she go right to HTWAS and start designing a series, knowing it could take years to complete?

This writer seems to have found her answer, but what about you?  Log in and join this discussion to work this out for your particular stage in the writing process.  Many good ideas are offered here, but more good ideas are always welcome.