Can anyone give examples of the kinds of things you've learned in your advanced course? I'm assuming the cost is comparable, or maybe a bit more costly. I'm struggling to pay for this one as it is.
Thanks
First, the cost of the advanced course was the same as the beginning, I think it was $650 -675. Like a lot of writers, I really couldn't pay for it all at once, so it was a $75 down payment and $50 a month. The only thing is, you have to put the payments on a credit card and they automatically deduct it. But it was the only way for me.
Second, what I learned: it depends upon what you want out of the advanced course. You can write a novel, a short chapter book or a non-fiction book. All three genres are taught in the advanced course ( NOT the advanced magazine story course, that is separate.) I wrote a middle-grade novel...at least, I consider it middle grade, because the characters are 13 and in 8th grade, but I guess some publishers would still call that YA.
Once you've decided upon the type of book you'll write, you start learning how to plot your story, how to write a synopsis, how to create a chapter outline ( hard for me, as I don't outline when I write), and then on to POV, characterization, emphasis on each chapter having a beginning, middle and end, what your voice is, chronology, and so on. Some of it is what you've also learned in the first course, but with a great deal more emphasis. You also learn how to select the publishers that will be most suitable for your book, how to revise, how to polish your manuscript, how to write a query for a full manuscript and what to do when you submit it to a publisher.
I learned a lot from my first course, but I've learned even more in this one. It sounds like repetition, and a lot of it is, but the emphais is more definitive and directed towards producing a marketable full manuscript.
Personally, I think the advanced course has been well worth my money. I've worked harder and longer on each section ( you get a longer period of time between assignments because you are required to do more) but it has been a great learning experience.
I hope I've answered some of your questions.
Mikki
That is the best description of an advanced course that I've ever seen. Thank you for writing it.
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