This course is for all writers, although, if you are very new to writing, this isn’t the course I would start with. The content assumes you have a foundational understanding of both character development and plot structure.

While many of you know me from the children’s literature world, this course is for writers of all formats and genres. (This course is also suitable for illustrators focused on storytelling.) It will be best suited for those who have character at the heart of what they are writing (even if that character is a real-life person).

This class will be a mix of asynchronous learning with live weekly meetings, and ongoing interaction within an online forum.

Each Friday, the new week’s content will be delivered in a password-protected classroom space for you to view in your own time and work on the exercises. And throughout, you’ll be encouraged to interact in the forum by sharing experiences, thoughts, ah-has, and frustrations. Then each Thursday, we will meet live via Zoom, where I might (depending on the week) share a few more thoughts, interact and share about the week’s work, and I will answer any questions that have come up during the week.

Not a problem. Every live will be recorded and available to view in the classroom space (within 24 hours). You will still have the online forum to engage with your peers (and me), as well as to ask any questions that you might want addressed during the live meeting.

A quick breakdown per week:

Content and Exercises – estimated 75 to 90 minutes

Forum interaction – optional but encouraged, with time depending on your engagement

Live meetings – 60 minutes (you are not required to attend live)

The course is a mix of watching the content and then working through the exercises. The time that it takes will vary for each person, depending on how much time you spend doing the exercises.

Each week’s content includes a graphic with the total time for videos and exercises, showing the minimum suggested amount of time the exercises should take. For instance, Week 3 is 37 minutes of content with a suggested 38 minutes to work on exercises.

Also, within each week, the content is broken into sections, so for one you might listen to 4 minutes of video and then work through an exercise for 5 minutes (these further breakdowns of estimates are also shown). You can work through the week all at once, or a bit at a time.

Each week’s live meeting will last one hour, and you’ll likely want to engage with your peers (and me) in the forum. Note: live meetings and forum interaction is not required, but encouraged.

You will have access for nearly 6 months, until the end of June. A pdf guide will also be provided (downloadable each week) with all the exercises. This will allow you to turn back to the exercises long after the class has ended.

If you don’t have current work-in-progress, it will likely allow you the space to develop one. It will certainly allow you strengthen your personal and creative mindset. This can be an ideal time to focus on character/story development and personal growth as a writer.

There are many craft books and courses that address the writer mindset (it is part of the process). But this course asks you to take a personal deep dive into your mindset, while looking at character in much the same way. It allows you to identify your challenges, to highlight the big things you really want to do, and to come up with a plan for yourself in the process. All of this, while looking at character through a similar lens, which will allow you to have a deeper connection and understanding of character and therefore story.

I truly believe it will, if you commit, not just to the course, but to yourself. Whether you are stuck with process, mindset, and/or story, we will be taking a look in one way or another. But this course is designed to take you inward, finding your unique issues, as well as solutions, whether that’s overcoming writer’s block, or gaining clarity on a character’s arc.

I’m also a true believer that in a course (or within each week’s content) there will be at least one thing you are meant to hear. One thing that can undo a knot. One thing that opens up a door.

This isn’t a course on “how-to” write. This is who am I as a human, who is also a writer, who also wants to be working on story, while working on personal mindset.

While I hope that the content meets you in a very personal way, there is no individual feedback included. That said, there will always be opportunities to ask questions in the forum, which will be addressed during the live meetings. You’ll have the chance to learn and grow through interactions with peers and shared discussions.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. You can email me at jolie@joliestekly.com