51 Topic by Anita Mumm

(2 replies, posted in Crafting the Strongest Start (Online Class))

Hello Everyone!
Now that we've finished our first week of class, I'd like to add some clarification based on questions that have come up.

HOMEWORK EXERCISES: Each week, there will be two or more exercises for you to work on after reading the lesson. The first is a reflection exercise which asks you to think about your own writing or that of a favorite author. You can either use this exercise for personal reflection, or you can post your response to share it with the group. The other exercise(s) ask you to critique a sample passage, or to begin critiquing each other's work. For the sample passages, you can post your response through either a Regular Review or an In-Line Review, just as you do when you critique someone's pages on this site. The In-Line tool is helpful because it allows you to comment on specific phrases or sentences, but either method is fine. I suggest posting your response before reading your classmates' work to avoid bias.

Homework is of course optional and I won't kick you out of the class for not doing every exercise. smile Please do try to complete the classmate critiquing exercises each week, as this interaction is one of the main benefits of the class.

CRITIQUING: Lesson 2 is now available in the Content area, and you will see that the second homework exercise asks you to post your first five pages (around 1200-1500 words), if you haven't already. Please include a short summary blurb at the beginning. In the homework exercise there are some questions to help you give a targeted critique based on the topics covered this week (characters, voice, and setting). While it's great to include a few general comments about your classmates' writing, as we go forward please keep most of your feedback focused on that week's particular topics. This will help us build the critiques in a systematic way. Near the end of the week, I'll add my own critique, but I'd like to give everyone a chance to work through the exercise first.

Thanks again for your patience as we work on making the class as user-friendly as possible! If you have questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to send them.

~Anita

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52 Reply by Anita Mumm

(8 replies, posted in Crafting the Strongest Start (Online Class))

Welcome, Stefanie!
Thank you for the good laugh--at least something good came of your parking lot misadventure! Great story.

Also, don't beat yourself up for sending your story off to agents too early. It happens, even to seasoned writers. Here is a story I read recently about the very same thing, from multi-published author and successful editor, Victoria Mixon: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/delia-llo … 85301.html

It's all a learning process, and I'm sure your next submission will be a much stronger one. Best wishes and thanks for chiming in!

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53 Reply by Anita Mumm

(3 replies, posted in Crafting the Strongest Start (Online Class))

Thanks, Pamela. Let's not worry about it. You can take it down if you like, but I'm perfectly fine with people critiquing each other's work early. What makes the class different from regular critique groups is that each week we'll do targeted critiquing based on the topics covered in the lessons. Next week we start zooming in on characters, settings, and voice.

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54 Topic by Anita Mumm

(0 replies, posted in Crafting the Strongest Start (Online Class))

[I thought it would be a good idea to post the content of the welcome email I sent yesterday, just in case it got caught in any spam filters. It can also act as a quick reference for general information about the class.]

Dear Crafting the Strongest Start Group,

Welcome! My name is Anita Mumm and I'll be your instructor for this class (you can read about me in the class description or on my website: http://www.anitamumm.com/about-me). I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your writing.

Our 4-week class begins January 19 and finishes February 15th. Tomorrow (Monday), I’ll post the first lesson, which you will be able to access within the “Content” tab in our Group.

In the meantime, this email will give you a bit of background information:

—Please start by posting your bio in the Forum section for our Group (just look for the post titled “Class Bios”).

—As soon as you get a chance, please email me the first five pages (or about 1250-1500 words) of your novel, either as a Word document or within the body of your email. Include a 1-2 paragraph summary blurb about your novel at the beginning. If you’re still putting the finishing touches on your pages, that’s okay—just be sure to have them ready by next week, when I’ll ask you to share them with the class for critiquing. The benefit of my having them early is that I’ll be able to tailor the class more closely to your specific needs, right off the bat.

—During the coming weeks, your classmates and I will give feedback on your work based on the topics covered. At the end of the course, I’ll ask you to email me your first 25 pages (about 6,000 words) for a more in-depth critique: 2-3 pages focusing on strengths and areas for improvement. I'll ask that you send them within two weeks of the last day of class. If circumstances prevent that, please contact me and we'll make other arrangements.

—Each week, there will be a short homework assignment, which you can post in response to the lesson. I’ll explain more about that once the class is under way.

—If you have questions related to the lesson, the homework, etc. you can email me at this address, or if it is pertinent for the whole group, you can post it in the Forum section (this is preferred since it will help us share information). My goal will be to respond within 24 hours. The best time to get a quick answer will be during my office hours, 10am-2pm MST, Monday-Friday.  If you experience technical  problems, please contact Sol via the site or his email: snasisi@thenextbigwriter.com.

* * *
Congratulations on being part of the inaugural class offered through The Next Big Writer! (Isn't the new website fabulous?) I do ask that you bear with me as I get used to the site and learn what works best in terms of format and process; there may need to be a few modifications along the way. I’ll be sure to keep you posted if that is the case.

I hope you’ll find the class useful and encouraging. Every writer is at a different point in his or her journey, and a different skill level. Our aim will be to provide constructive feedback to help you hone your craft and build on your unique strengths.

Happy writing, and see you soon in class!

Anita Mumm
Instructor/Freelance Editor

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55 Reply by Anita Mumm

(8 replies, posted in Crafting the Strongest Start (Online Class))

MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SHARED A BIO SO FAR. What an awesome group for this class! There is a lot of diversity in terms of genres and backgrounds, which should make for a rich experience in the class. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of your writing journey, and I can't wait to read your work.

I'm noticing that many group members are more interested in self-publishing than traditional publishing. As I mentioned in Lesson 1, most of the advice I'll be giving applies to both tracks, but I'll tone down the "agent-speak" a bit in the future lessons. In my view, authors should never feel pressured to go one way or the other; it's an individual choice and what works best for one author doesn't necessarily work for another. What DOES matter is that the quality of your writing is the very best it can be, whichever path you choose. I'll try to strike a good balance between the two paths in this class.

COBBER: Congratulations on those Patriots. It didn't break my heart to see the Colts lose, since they took out our Broncos a couple weeks ago. I am also a nerd who liked Interstellar. Great that you are branching into new territory with your current project--sounds intriguing!

PAMELA: I love your movie popcorn and B&W movie confession! Sounds delightful. Also, how wonderful that your daughter has followed the ESL/editor path. Sounds like someone I would get along with very well! And living in Korea must be quite an adventure. Congratulations on the poetry win!

TERRI: Thank you for sharing your experience about the hard road to publishing (even after getting an agent). I'm sure you'll have a lot of great insight for us along the way, and we'll look forward to helping you get this new novel off to a good start. Your dog sounds pretty darn cool--wish I could train my cat to do that!

DENISE: Sounds like you have some great experience to draw from! I agree that the best stories are built around those kernels of truth from real life. And what a stellar list of favorite authors. You're learning suspense from the masters.

MARIA: I'm excited too! Thank you for your energy and enthusiasm. It can be so hard to stay focused on writing, with all of the life events that get in the way. But it sounds like you are on the right track, giving yourself the chance to explore different writing forms: short stories, articles, and now a novel. I look forward to being part of your journey!
--

If you haven't already, please email me your first five pages (or approx. 1500 words). Next week, I'll ask you to post them to the Group, and we'll begin critiquing.

Have a great week!

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56 Reply by Anita Mumm

(3 replies, posted in Crafting the Strongest Start (Online Class))

Hello Pamela! Thanks for asking this, and sorry it wasn't clear. I'm actually going to ask everyone to post their sample pages next week, and that's when we'll start the critiquing. This week's lesson focuses on giving some "big picture" information to set the stage for the coming lessons. There are also a couple of homework exercises to help everyone digest what they read and get ready to post their work.

In the meantime, hopefully you saw in my "welcome" email that I'm requesting you send me your first five pages (to anitaedits (at) gmail.com). That way I can get a better idea of everyone's genres and writing styles and can tweak the lessons, forum posts, and homework assignments to reflect your needs.

Oh, and no problem on the exact length--just your first few pages is fine.

Lesson 1 is now up, so you are welcome to start working through that at your own pace. Please let me know if you have additional questions. Thanks!

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57 Topic by Anita Mumm

(8 replies, posted in Crafting the Strongest Start (Online Class))

To help us get to know you and your writing background, please reply to this post with your answers to the following questions. If there are any you prefer to skip, that's perfectly fine.

(1) In which genre(s) do you write?
(2) How long have you been writing?
(3) Is your primary goal to find a traditional publisher or to self-publish, or both (and have you published before)?
(4) Have you submitted your current work to agents or publishers, and if so, any feedback you’d like to share?
(5) Who are a couple of your favorite authors?
(6) What's a fun, quirky, or interesting fact about you?
--
You probably saw my bio in the class description, but I think I left out the fun or quirky fact. Let's see...in my previous career I was an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, and I lived in India, France, China, and several U.S. States. I still get frequent bouts of wanderlust. Luckily for me, being an editor allows me to work from almost anywhere!

I look forward to hearing about you.

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