Hi
folks,
As
most of you know, I run an online novel writing class that runs for ten weeks
at a time and is in operation year-round. We’re coming up to the end of the
current session this week, and then will take a couple of weeks off and then begin
the next session on October 29. Most times, we don’t have openings for new
class members, but it looks as if we’re going to have a couple of openings this
time, so I just want to let folks know in case anyone’s interested. If you are,
please send me an email at butchedgerton@comcast.net
and let me know. Below, I’ll give an outline of how it works. When new openings
occur, first chance to join is given to the adjuncts and after that it’s a
first-come, first-served basis. To be able to devote the proper time to each
student, the class will be limited to twelve people. An unlimited number of
adjuncts are taken.
Me and Joe Lansdale in Indy after a meal...
Auditors
Those
interested in auditing the class—which would allow the auditing person to
receive and view everything the rest of the class does, but not be able to
participate actively, solely as an observer. The fee is substantially less for
auditors than participating students at $50. Basically, auditors will sit in on
the class as an observer. There can be an unlimited number of auditors. Some in
class are uncomfortable with very many observing their work and our exchanges
as, to be honest, many of our comments are brutally frank. Students know and
welcome this, but to someone not directly participating can see it another way.
There won’t be any interaction at all with auditors—they’ll be there simply to
use the knowledge they might pick up for their own writing or even their own
teaching.
Pertinent info
for active class members:
This
class will be conducted in a workshop format. What that means is each week
participants will send a designated number of pages to both me and the other
members of the class. When I receive each person’s work, I’ll provide
comments/criticism/suggestions to improve for each student on their work and
then send it back to them and the others in class. Each person in class does
the same for each other—reading and providing comments on each other’s work and
sending that back to the class and me. The class is divided into two groups so
each person will need to read and comment on 5-6 people’s work. That doesn’t
mean they can’t read work from those in the other group—anyone can read anyone
else’s work. This is just to keep each member’s work down to a reasonable
level. It’s exactly like being in an “on-ground” workshop. I’ve found over a
lifetime of teaching classes—beginning with the UCLA Writer’s Program—that this
is the single best method of learning. There is a synergy at work with this
model. Many writing classes consist of the student sending work in and the
instructor commenting. That’s okay, in a limited way, but when you have ten
others plus the instructor or workshop leader commenting, the value of the
class increases almost exponentially.
I
believe in road maps when embarking on the lengthy journey a novel entails;
therefore, I ask each student to submit a 15-20 word outline of their proposed novel. I don’t have the space here
to explain how that works, but I send a handout on how to create such an
outline before the class begins, and it serves to keep the writer focused on
their novel throughout its creation and also helps the workshop leader and his/her
classmates see instantly if the writer is focused or meandering. I’m a firm
believer in beginning a novel in the proper place and once that is achieved,
the remainder of the novel becomes infinitely easier to create. We’ll spend the
most time on a writer’s novel beginning than any other part of their novel.
This
class will be composed of students who’ve previously taken classes with me
along with newcomers. To be able to serve each level of student fairly,
students who are well along into their novel and have taken previous classes,
will be able to submit up to eight pages per week. New students who haven’t
taken my class, will be allowed to submit up to four pages per week until
they’ve achieved a publishable opening, and, once they’ve achieved a proper
beginning, will then be able to send eight pages each week thereafter. Please
know that this may sound like favoritism, but it’s not at all. The beginning of
a novel is the single most crucial part of writing a novel, imo, and I spend
more time on that than anything else. I’ve learned over many years, that a
great many writers have a poor understanding of a novel’s structure and it’s
crucial that a sound knowledge of novel structure (particularly beginnings) be
achieved before devoting much time to the rest of the novel. I’ll spend as much
time on the newer student’s four pages than I will on the more experienced
writer’s. Please feel free to query those in class who’ve been with me before
as to their opinion and I feel certain they’ll agree with me. I’ll be happy to
furnish names and email addresses for those writers should you wish to ask
their opinion.
Periodically,
I also send handouts to the class on some element of writing, as well as other
pertinent info that’s useful.
Be
forewarned that this workshop isn’t for the faint of heart! Some have termed it
“Les Edgerton’s Bootcamp for Writers.” In “real life” I’m not a mean person,
but with writing I’m not going to hold hands nor hand out false praise. That’s
what writing groups are for and they do it well. I expect each person to
participate fully and comment on each other’s work just as they would want
others to do the same for theirs. I don’t tolerate very well, those who keep
making the same mistakes week after week. For example, the proper and
professional format is explained at the beginning and each class there are
always one or two newcomers who keep making the same, easily-fixed mistake.
Here’s a common example: One of the format rules is that there is only one
space between sentences in computer-generated material. Many older writers, in
the typewriter days of yore, were taught to use two spaces. The kernaling in
computers is different than typewriters and using two spaces is a sure sign of
an amateur who hasn’t kept up with current usages and just another red flag a
writer ought to avoid. I understand it’s a hard habit to overcome—I had to do
the same myself—but there is an easy way to relearn this which we give, and
even if it takes awhile to relearn this, a writer can at least do a final edit
before sending work in and correct this. To not do so, indicates to me a writer
who doesn’t respect either themselves or their fellow writers or the teacher.
Frankly, I don’t want to waste time with this type of writer. I’m not speaking
of the writer who makes occasional mistakes, but of the one who continually
keeps making the same mistake after it’s been pointed out.
Writing
well isn’t easy. It’s hard. If someone has told you that writing is easy,
they’ve lied to you. Typing is easy; writing is hard. Our aim in our class is
to help writers create publishable work. By reputable publishers, not vanity
presses.
If
I haven’t scared you off, here are the particulars:
1.
Fee is $400, payable in advance and nonrefundable. Auditor’s fee is $50 and is
also nonrefundable.
2.
Each week, you’ll send to the entire group and me, your pages. You’ll also
receive work from your classmates to read and provide comments on. The comments
aren’t intended to be scholarly or exhibit some high degree of technical
knowledge. We just want to know what worked for you in the writing and what
didn’t and why you think it did or didn’t.
3.
To help make the class run smoothly, there will be deadlines each week. For
instance, if the class begins on a Sunday each week, you’ll send in your work
by the following Wednesday. Then, starting on Thursday, you’ll send in your
comments on each other’s work. I’ll send my comments to each of you by Saturday
night. Then, the next week begins on the following Sunday.
4.
Often, the class and I kind of hit a wall. It’s pretty intense. To account for
that event, we may take a week hiatus and return the following week. In fact,
you can pretty well count on that.
5.
We don’t expect a student to be a professional writer at all. It’s a class, not
an advanced degree program. Our aim is to help each writer become better at
their craft as a result of the class, and to learn how to professionally submit
material, and to hopefully end up creating work that is publishable
legitimately.
6.
While I would never say I would recommend students to agents or publishers,
very often I do. The people who finish the class almost always have progressed
to the point where their work is, indeed, publishable, and when that happens
I’m eager to introduce them and their work to gatekeepers.
7.
Required reading will be my book, HOOKED, and Jack Bickham’s book, SCENES &
STRUCTURE. Recommended reading will be Janet Burroway’s WRITING FICTION.
Thank
you,
Les
P.S.
Some additional info…
We’ll have a couple of new students
this time—most writers keep re-upping each time but occasionally one or two
will drop out for various reasons: demands of a new job not allowing them to
commit the considerable time that is required to participate, needing time off
to address the notes their new agent just gave them for the novel he signed, and
so on. Most just keep on, even after they’ve gotten an agent and/or sold their
novel, and begin writing a new one. Almost all who stick out the entire session
come back. The ones who quit usually quit fairly soon into the class. It’s not
for everyone. Nobody holds anybody’s hand and every single one of us is focused
on but one thing—helping each other write a novel that’s publishable. It’s a
tough game and not for everyone.
I try to warn people who are
thinking of joining us, how tough the class is, but I know from past experience
that even so forewarned, at least some are going to be in for a shock when they
see that we really don’t hold hands, pat people on the back for minimum
efforts, or overlook writing that doesn’t work. I’m not cruel (at least I don’t
think so) nor are any of the oldtimers in class, but most new folks haven’t
been exposed to a class like ours. The truth is, most writers who haven’t had a
class like ours has been praised in other classes or most likely, has been in
classes that use the “sandwich” method of teaching. You know—that deal where
the teach applies a bit of praise, then a bit of criticism, and then a bit of
praise. Well, that ain’t our shtick. Not even close. The comments we all
provide on everyone’s work fit one definition only. They’re honest.
This isn’t to be mean or to act like
we’re the only folks around who know what good writing is. Except… we do. I’m
not aware of any other class out there with the kind of track record ours
enjoys. Virtually every writer who stays the course with us ends up with a top
agent and/or a book deal. That doesn’t happen in a single ten-week session.
About the earliest anyone has earned an agent or book deal in our class has
been about a year. And, that’s reasonable.
The thing is, our writers don’t
expect things to be easy.
Here are a few comments by students:
Hi ________. Since Les opened the
floor for comments from the "class veterans" I'm chipping in with my
two cents. I have a file cabinet filled with stuff I sent Les and then needed
asbestos gloves to take the paper off the printer. When I started this journey,
I'd never taken an English class past high school. (I was pre-med in college) I
figured I love to read, so how hard can it be? Okay, quit laughing at me.
Clearly, when I wrote my first version of my first novel, I had no idea about
story structure, POV, any of that. I figured I'm pretty articulate and
therefore I can write?
Les quickly set me straight. All of
this is to point out that we've all been on the receiving end of Les' brutal
honesty. I will find some of the comments he made on my work and post them but
phrases like "throwing up in my mouth now" and "bury this so
deep in the yard no one ever finds it" are seared into my brain and I
don't have to look to find those!!! The point is, I took other classes before I
met Les and the teachers were kind and gentle and never told me I sucked. If it
weren't for Les, I'd still be churning out awful drivel that makes people want
to throw up instead of trying not to throw up while I wait to see if my agent
is able to sell my book. I would never have gotten an agent without Les. So
hang in there. Listen to everything he says and if it doesn't make sense, ask
away.
The novel that I am currently trying
to sell has been a work in progress since 2009. The first time Les saw it he
sent it back and told me to re-write the WHOLE thing!!! My character was a
wimp. She sat back and let things happen to her. I argued a little, rewrote a
little and then moved on to another book. After a year, I went back and reread
it and saw the truth. It was awful. So I took a deep breath and started over.
Page one. First sentence. Re-wrote the entire thing. It took a full year and
then I revised it again. It's definitely a process. But once you get the
Inciting incident and the outline steps down pat, it's a whole lot easier.
Trust me!!! And you'll never graduate completely. A few months ago, Les and I
went head-to-head on one single passage. I was trying to be lazy and take the
easy way out. He called me on it and I resubmitted three or four weeks in a
row, revisions on the same passage. I was sure my classmates were so sick of it
they were going to stick needles in their eyes rather than read it again! But
in the end, the passage rocked!! So hang in there!!!! It'll get better.
That’s all, folks…
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