Feeling stuck? Whether you’re working on your first book or your 5th, any writer can falter mid-way on a developing project.

Perhaps personal distractions have damaged your confidence or put up a road block to your progress. Or the project is running out steam: you’ve run into blah characters, a sagging middle, hit a dead end in the plot, or have simply run out of motivation. What you need is a serious hit of motivation, energy, and actionable strategies of this tough-love course to get your project to the finish line.

“The best books are done books.” Thea Sutton

In this eight-week course, whether you start out with thirty pages or two hundred, new and seasoned writers will learn and apply a proven structure, strategy and tactics that help you finish your book. With the support of your peers, and insights of an instructor who has been there- for each of her seven books!- and interactive online sessions, you will see immediate results.

Topics include:

1. Learn how to get unstuck and get going;
2. Find and fix what’s wrong and keep what’s right;
3. Develop the writing habit based on current research on habit formation;
4. Make an effective last-minute outline (whether or not you’re a planner);
5. Create an action plan for writing and finishing vs editing that works for you;
6. Discover how to keep yourself accountable, motivated and free from distractions to maintain the momentum;
7. Know when you need help and where to find it.

Course Structure

Each week you will receive materials to download such as templates, motivational exercises, a customizable action, and accountability plan, all of which are supported by discussion, sharing, conversation – and doing. The video conversation meets once a week (and is recorded if you can’t make it in real time), and the online classroom is open and active 24/7 making it easy to learn, write and get support anytime, from anywhere.

Details

[ezcol_1quarter]Dates:[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_3quarter_end]Next session: TBA[/ezcol_3quarter_end]

[ezcol_1quarter]Length:[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_3quarter_end]8 weeks[/ezcol_3quarter_end]

[ezcol_1quarter]Where:[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_3quarter_end]Online in a secure One Lit Place classroom[/ezcol_3quarter_end]

[ezcol_1quarter]Format:[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_3quarter_end]Weekly LIVE Video meeting plus 24/7 classroom engagement and access for conversation, assignment posting, and discussion about readings and lecture [/ezcol_3quarter_end]

[ezcol_1quarter]Format:[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_3quarter_end]Live Video Meeting: Mondays, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. EST [/ezcol_3quarter_end]

[ezcol_1quarter]Instructor:[/ezcol_1quarter] [ezcol_3quarter_end]Thea Sutton [/ezcol_3quarter_end]

How the Online Workshop Works

• After enrolling, you will receive an email with some information about your workshop. A few days before the workshop is to begin, you will receive your username and log in information for our secure online classroom.
• Once the course begins, you will have unlimited access to your secure online classroom. Log in any time to enjoy ongoing conversation, post work and feedback, and download materials from the instructor and fellow students 24/7.
• The class takes place according to a weekly structure: each Monday, the instructor posts lecture and conversation notes, readings, and other pertinent information. You can take the full week to engage with the materials and enjoy the ongoing connection and chat any time.

“I really enjoyed the ‘How to Finish’ online class because of its methodical approach. Thea had a detailed agenda for each week and for our live chat, taking us step by step through the necessary actions to propel our our novels forward.  She was incredible at working us through issues and getting us to the end.  She used multiple sources for readings and techniques to teach us areas of craft that were refreshing and insightful.  I’d recommend this online course to any author who needs some external momentum to power them to finish a first draft.”

– Brian Liddy

Instructor: Thea Sutton

Thea holds a Ph.D from the University of Toronto in English Literature. In addition to her non-fiction book, A Passion for Consumption: The Gothic Novel in America, she has published six novels under a pseudonym with Kensington Publishing in New York. She also has numerous newspaper, magazine and academic articles to her credit. She has taught at the university and college levels as well as taking on a coaching role as marketing and communications branding and change management consultant for financial and IT organizations. Fluent in French and German, Thea divides her time between Toronto and Southern California.