How To Think Sideways: Career Survival School For Writers

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Discussions In Class

It’s not too early to start planning for NaNo.

August 31, 2010

For all those who get a kick in the pants out of screaming through the first draft of a novel in one month, it’s time to begin thinking NaNoWriMo.  The writers of Holly Lisle’s Writers’ Bootcamps participate in NaNo, each in his own way.  Pssst!  There’s no reason to go into it without a plan. [...]

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Fun with Promises

August 24, 2010

As more writers work through the revision process with HTRYN, more facets of the method appear. Check out the latest enjoyable take on the Week 2 lesson, Promises, Promises, chillingly subtitled Finding Your Biggest, Worst First-Draft Wrecks.

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Some assets never lose their value.

August 20, 2010

Sideways writers look forward to earning money from their writing, and yes, even to having fans.  Fans must be earned, too.  How is it done? First, take a long, cool look inward and discover your best asset. Read what others have written and add your own assessment.  Today is a good day.

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The Ten-Minute Refresher

August 11, 2010

Almost nobody can write a novel.  Correction:  Almost nobody can write a novel in one big whoosh.  Most writers need to stop, breathe, raise their eyes to some other landscape once in a while.  Timed writing can be a small holiday for the Muse, allowing her to take off in any direction she likes.  It’s [...]

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Pick a card, any card.

August 8, 2010

One of the grads of HTTS presented the forum with a neat idea: using the Sweet Spot Map as writing prompts.  She detailed her method, which was taken up by others with glee and enthusiasm.  A couple of members declared their own intentions to tweak. Look at that:  the birth of  a cool new game [...]

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What’s Your Writing Process?

August 5, 2010

How to Think Sideways offers a process that is detailed and structured but not constricting–a detailed map for the mind,  a theme park for the muse, and a secure haven for a long-term writing career. Through the course each student is able to master new pieces of process–but is free to adapt the process to [...]

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Target Creation

July 31, 2010

New members of HTRYN are settling in to complete the Week One worksheets.  The lesson guides the student to define the novel he set out to write and to discover the novel he did write.  This is hard, surprising, rewarding work that lays out the first road markers for the revision to come. Log in [...]

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If this is how Famous Author does it, shouldn’t I do it this way, too?

July 24, 2010

Writing is rewriting, quoth the sage.  How, exactly, do writing and revising share one writing brain?  Should all the writing be done before the revising begins?  One successful author revises as she writes, even going back to the beginning to change elements as new ideas come to her.  Some writers can work this way.  For [...]

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No, it’s not too early (or too hot) to be thinking about NaNo 2010.

July 20, 2010

Many of the students at HTRYN are revising the novels we wrote during National Novel Writing Month 2009. NaNoWriMo happens every November.  This is July.  The cliffhanger for many of us is: Will the NaNovel from 2009 be revised in time for us to do this crazy thing all over again in November 2010? Log [...]

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Who tells the story best?

July 5, 2010

Some battles must be fought on a story-by-story basis.  Selecting the POV or combination of POVs that reveals the finest detail but also illuminates the most sweeping theme, for instance, is one of those battles. Here students discuss their approaches to this particular element of storytelling.  Notice how each student expresses his opinion in first [...]

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