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Essentials Of Writing To Inspire
Are you inspired to inspire others? The market is ready, even eager, for newcomers who write short and long, fiction and nonfiction, aiming at Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, nondenominational and New Age markets. You provide the content, and this class will help you mold your ideas with an eye to sell. While inspirational or religious writing brings to bear all the basic principles of secular writing, authors who enter this arena also shoulder a special responsibility in what they convey.
In this course you will:
- Decide between writing fiction and non-fiction
- Learn how to stay in touch with your initial motivation
- Reach deep within yourself to write the articles, stories, and books that will help your readers live inspired lives
- Write 2,500 words of your spiritual/religious novel, story, or article
Course Structure
This workshop will consist of six one-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures and associated textbook reading assignments, along with a writing assignment that will be submitted to the instructor for private review. Student work will also be posted for group review and feedback. Throughout the workshop you will be able to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion and encouraged to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and posted self-directed writing exercises. (1.2 CEUs)
| Workshop length: |
6 weeks |
| Textbook(s) to purchase: |
Writing for the Soul by Jerry B. Jenkins, Writer’s Digest Books |
| Course Developer: |
G. Miki Hayden |
| Tuition: |
$250.00 |
Select a class below and click "ADD" to add the course to your registration.
* Late fees may apply to registrations submitted after class start date
Workshop Outline
Session One: Motivate Yourself to Motivate Others
Why write? How do you decide what to write? What kinds of inspirational/spiritual/religious writing forms are there? What are the markets for religious/spiritual writing of every kind? How to stay motivated to write. How to stay inspired.
Writing Assignment: Option A: If you’re already working on an inspirational piece and you want to continue with it, summarize it in 500 words or fewer OR give us no more than 500 words of a scene. Option B: If you don’t have an inspirational piece started, think of up to three ideas and summarize them for a total of no more than 500 words OR give us one plot idea and a brief scene for a 500 word total.
Session Two: Person Plus Objective Equals Drama
Create characters or write about real people with an eye to the drama of their situations or use dramatic techniques in producing the essay or how-to.
Writing Assignment: Option A: In 250 words or fewer, tell about your hero/heroine, the person you hope to interview, the theme of your essay, or the objective of your book. What do you hope to accomplish or explain to the reader? What do you see in the person’s life or the character’s existence that shows the type of struggle we all go through and how the person or character might come or does come to an inspiring conclusion? Another 250 words for an assignment total of 500. Option B: You can choose, instead, to simply continue the work you have started, while trying to incorporate the ideas delivered in this lesson—500 words.
Session Three: Set the “Scene” With Research and Firm Details
Investigate any background or topic you intend to include. When you sit down to write, do a setup early on for everything you say. Let readers understand what they're about to read so they can be in a receptive mindset.
Writing Assignment: Write the next 500 words of your piece or the first 500 if you’re just starting now. You can rewrite the prior piece you’ve submitted, if you feel the piece needs revision. Show how you would carefully incorporate some of your research.
Session Four: Pacing and Arc in Fiction and Nonfiction
Everything in life has a natural rhythm, including stories and articles, novels and other types of books. How do you know if your pacing is right on, or if you need to improve the work’s structure? What about plot, or the insertion and development of ideas in nonfiction?
Writing Assignment: Take 750 words and continue your piece or write a new piece, perhaps part of an interview or a scene. Pay attention to the pacing of the piece and how you will keep the reader with you throughout the written journey.
Session Five: Take a Page From the Writings of Established Inspirational Authors
Writers who manage to inspire in both fiction and nonfiction avoid preaching but rather demonstrate what sets them on fire. They write with honesty about their doubts as well as their moments of clarity and show a careful respect for the intelligence and integrity of their audience. The lesson will cite a number of front-line inspirational authors and their writing, explaining how what they say to readers or in their stories works.
Writing Assignment: Write another 750-word scene, another 750-word essay, or 750 words of an interview or a how-to point. Write a scene if a novel is your end goal and show the characters as being just as human as the rest of us, not superhuman because of their religion or spiritual path.
Session Six: Polish and Redraft and Seek Publication
In any writing, redrafting is key. Always put your best foot forward. Get feedback from more than your friends, if you can. Find a critique partner, perhaps, or a group. Maybe have a spiritual mentor read your work. Research markets. Write a query letter. Format the manuscript properly and, finally, send out the piece.
Writing Assignment: This assignment can total 2,500 words. If your chapter, story, or essay is shorter than that, also include a query letter with your assignment. A query that interests the agent or editor is essential.
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