June On-Line Classes at Writer U

June 1-24, 2011
Show Don't Tell: Say More With Less
by Kris Kennedy
$30 at WriterUniv.com

Every writer knows the importance of "Show, Don't Tell," but what's the best way to achieve that? One of Kris Kennedy's favorite techniques is replacing back story with implication, because writers don't need to spell everything out. "Trust the reader. She's smart. She'll pick things up." This class provides specific tools for saying more with less, such as focusing on here-and-now vs. there-and-then, specifics vs. generalizations, choosing the right details, and a variety of other techniques to create gripping books with a lively pace, deep characterization and compelling conflict. Concepts include:

* Creating tension on every page
* How conflict and pacing affect bestselling fiction
* Making readers ask questions, and making them worry
* How to imply back-story, viewpoint and more
* Using dialogue (or avoiding a conversation) to increase tension
* Intensifying the external world as a pacing tool
* The power of understatement, denial and emotion in the moment

After winning RWA's® Golden Heart Award for Best Historical Romance and landing a two-book contract with Kensington, Kris Kennedy realized that in order to balance her love of craft with publisher deadlines and family, she needed some highly efficient writing techniques. This course covers some of those strategies, which can help find the heart of a scene and a character using fewer words for more impact. Her latest release (DEFIANT, Pocket Books) received a starred Publishers Weekly review.

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June 6-17, 2011
MASTER CLASS: Magazine Writing In Depth
by Julie Rowe
$30 at WriterUniv.com

Prerequisite: Must have studied magazine writing basics.

For everyone who's looked at the basics of magazine writing in one of Julie's previous classes, this limited-enrollment group provides a never-before-offered opportunity for in-depth critiques of your articles and queries. Along with thoughtful suggestions and comments on how to enhance your material before it goes off to the right editor, as well as editing and organizational tips to maximize your writing time and your earning potential, Julie will offer advice on a variety of magazine writing topics. This two-week session will include:

* Choosing which magazines and editors to query
* The title, hook and angle most likely to sell
* Writing a knock-out query letter
* Slanting a topic for different magazines
* Highlighting text with sidebars and photography
* Creating a portfolio and finding your niche

Julie Rowe has been freelancing for magazines for over six years. She's an enthusiastic instructor who enjoys lively discussion and encourages questions. Her articles have appeared in numerous magazines such as Today's Parent magazine, Reader's Digest (Canada), The Canadian Writer's Journal, Writer's Digest, Canadian Living, What's Up Kids Magazine, the Romance Writer's Report, True Romance, and various RWA chapter newsletters.

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June 12-25, 2011
MASTER CLASS: Active Settings
by Mary Buckham
$55 at WriterUniv.com

Prerequisite: Must have a manuscript that you are actively working on.

Readers usually remember the plot and characters of a story, but setting is every bit as important in creating a memorable world. In this two-week class, Mary Buckham shows -- for the first time online -- how to give your setting an active role in your story. Use Deep POV to spin boring descriptions into engaging prose. Find out if you're writing passive or active setting and if you are maximizing the setting possibilities in YOUR story. You'll learn:

* How does setting impact your story?
* What is the difference between active and passive setting?
* How can setting show conflict or emotion?
* How can setting show characterization?
* How can setting impact your conflict...both internal and external?
* What do readers need and not need from a setting?

Mary Buckham is co-author of BREAK INTO FICTION: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells and an award-winning Romantic Suspense author. She has hundreds of free-lance articles to her credit, a non-fiction book and is a former magazine editor. Currently she presents writing workshops online and around the country. Mary encourages you to visit her website at www.MaryBuckham.com for more information about her and her current writing projects.