Writers on the Rise Fall Classes Begin October 8th

Only one more week before these classes start. There’s still room!

This summer everyone raised their prices…everyone except me. I am still committed to keeping my class prices as low as possible to make them accessible to as many writers as possible. I only have two increases slated that were advertised as being for classes at reduced prices in 2008, and they won’t happen until 2009.
Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)!
Next Class Begins on October 8th
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you’re ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $199.00. [This class fills fast.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Personal Essays that Get Published with Abigail Green
Next Class Begins on October 8th
Prerequisites: None
The popularity of reality shows, blogs, and tell-all books proves that it pays to get personal these days. Whether you want to write introspective essays, short humor pieces, or first-person reported stories, your life is a goldmine of rich material that all kinds of publications are pining for. Personal Essays that Get Published will teach you how to get your personal experiences down on the page and get them published. Students will learn how to find ideas, hone their voice, craft solid leads and endings, reslant their work for different markets, and submit their essays for publication.
Cost: $199.00 [This class fills fast.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Platform Building 102: Platform Building Basics for Writers
Next Class Begins on October 8th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff is recommended, as well as Platform 101: Discover Your Specialty or Permission from Instructor
Be the first to sign up for the companion class to my forthcoming book, Get Known Before the Book Deal. Picking up where Targeting Your Best Writing Markets left off. This class helps you go position yourself as a seasoned professional, who isn’t afraid to let the world know what you have to offer. This is an advanced class, for people who have taken classes with Christina Katz and who are ready to take their writing career to a more professional level with a blog, Web site and newsletter. By the end of our six weeks, you will have a clear vision of your platform, and a plan for first and future steps. You will be ready to anchor your book proposal to that all-important online and in-person presence, agents and editors are looking for.
Cost: $199.00. [Priority to returning students.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

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The Write Attitude: Setting Up a Reward System

By Jennifer Applin

There are many steps involved in becoming a successful writer and each should be rewarded. Rewards are tangible expressions of gratitude, but also great motivational tools. You don’t have to wait until you have your name in print or a book deal to give yourself a pat on the back. Set up a reward system that considers ever the little accomplishments important. Here are a few suggestions:

• Include variety. In a life that’s filled with routine, nothing is worse than your reward system becoming mundane. Keep an incentive list that includes categories for no-cost rewards and those that involve spending some of your hard-earned money. Examples in the “free” category include reading a book, watching television, or going for a run. These are great for meeting your smaller daily goals. Those with an attached expense can vary from fairly inexpensive such as downloading a few songs from iTunes or a Vanilla Latte; or more expensive such as a new wardrobe or a small vacation. These are fitting for meeting your larger, long-term writing goals.
• Make it meaningful. When it’s time for a reward really consider what would pack the greatest punch at that moment. Although you planned on soaking in the tub after you finished that query, maybe your body is screaming for a nap instead. You hoped to get a pedicure once you finished that article, but if treating the family to a movie sounds better, go for it. This is your reward. Make sure it’s meaningful and has a great impact.
• Think of others. Your reward system should also include those who help you meet your writing goals. Have your children been taking over the cooking? Has your spouse been picking up the slack at home? Although the entire family will benefit when you become a successful writer, they should be rewarded throughout the process as well. Again, it’s doesn’t mean spending a lot of money. Just simple expressions of thanks will go a long way in showing your appreciation and keeping them motivated to help.

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Jennifer Applin is a freelance writer living in Ohio with her husband and four young children. Aside from writing for many regional publications, she is regular contributor to eLearners.com and Projectworkingmom.com. She spends her days cooking, cleaning and caring for little ones, and her nights writing about pregnancy, parenting, and the quest for peace (as in peace and quiet). You can also find her at Managing the MotherLoad.
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Winter 2009 Classes Through Writers on the Rise

I’m planning ahead! If you missed the classes that start in October. Here’s a summary.

These are the classes slated for the New Year:

Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)!
Winter Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you’re ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $199.00. [This Class Fills Fast.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Personal Essays that Get Published with Abigail Green
Winter Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: None
The popularity of reality shows, blogs, and tell-all books proves that it pays to get personal these days. Whether you want to write introspective essays, short humor pieces, or first-person reported stories, your life is a goldmine of rich material that all kinds of publications are pining for. Personal Essays that Get Published will teach you how to get your personal experiences down on the page and get them published. Students will learn how to find ideas, hone their voice, craft solid leads and endings, reslant their work for different markets, and submit their essays for publication.
Cost: $199.00 [This class fills fast.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Platform Building 101: Discover your Specialty
Winter Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff is recommended or Permission from Instructor
Identifying your writing specialty is one of the trickiest and most necessary steps in launching a writing career today. This class will help you find your best audiences, cultivate your expertise, manage your ideas, develop marketing skills, claim your path, serve editors and become portfolio-minded. You’ll learn how to become the professional you’ve always wanted to be and, most importantly, how to take your writing career more seriously. This class is discounted so that anyone who wants to take Platform Development 102 in October will take advantage of this important preparation stage.
Cost: $199.00. [Priority to former students]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Craft A Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal
Winter Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: Permission from Instructor
Most writers underestimate the comprehensiveness needed in a book proposal that will garner the interest of agents and editors. They also mistake the definition of platform and importance of alining their proposal to a solid track record. A two-time author, Christina has helped hundreds of nonfiction writers succeed over the past seven years. Now she’s making her proposal-writing advice available in a six-week e-mail course to aspiring authors who want to nail the proposal the first time around. The best way to have a short, tight proposal that will impress agents and editors is to start now!
Cost: $299.00 [Priority to former students]
Register at Writers on the Rise

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Always Responding to What You Ask For In Classes

Take All Five of Christina’s Classes:

• Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff
• Targeting Your Best Writing Markets
• Pitching Practice: Write Six Queries in Six Weeks
• Platform Building Basics for Writers
• Craft a Saleable Nonfiction Proposal
• Transform Your Specialty Into an E-course [NEW!]

Two Live Classes Meeting at the Wilsonville Public Library:

• The Empowered Non-fiction Writer, One-day Intensive [NEW!]
• Three-hour Book Promotion Strategy Session For First-time Authors [NEW!]

For details (thought not complete details on the last three, I’m still working them out), visit: Writers on the Rise

Early Fall Classes Recap: Only a little space left!

The August 20th Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff class is full.

The August 20th Platform 101: Discover Your Speciality class is full.

The August 20th Personal Essays that Get Published class has only a couple spaces left.

But hurry, if you are interested. Class starts on Wednesday.

Learn more and register at: http://writersontherise.com/classes.html#Essays

The next round of classes begins on October 8th.

Stay tuned to hear about a new class coming in 2009. Plus the addition twice a year of two new live intensive classes with Christina Katz…oh wait, that’s me.

Craft a Saleable Nonfiction Proposal Begins in Two Weeks

Prerequisites: Permission from Instructor
Most writers underestimate the comprehensiveness needed in a book proposal that will garner the interest of agents and editors. They also mistake the definition of platform and importance of alining their proposal to a solid track record. A two-time author, Christina has helped hundreds of nonfiction writers succeed over the past seven years. Now she’s making her proposal-writing advice available in a six-week e-mail course to aspiring authors who want to nail the proposal the first time around. The best way to have a short, tight proposal that will impress agents and editors is to start now!

Class Begins: Only class this year begins June 4, 2008
Space is limited!
Cost: $199.00
Register here: http://writersontherise.com/classes.html#Proposal

FALL 2008 Writing Classes Through Writers on the Rise

Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)!
Next Class Begins on August 20th
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you’re ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $199.00.
Register at Writers on the Rise

Targeting Your Best Writing Markets
Next Class Begins on August 20th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff is strongly recommended or Permission from Instructor
Learning to sift through and analyze markets is one of the biggest challenges of launching a writing career. This class will help you tackle the markets head on while covering: idea management, how to discover your best audiences, how to allow those audiences to lead you to fresh ideas, how to break a magazine down into the key areas that matter most to freelancers, and how to start specializing right away so your career will achieve lift-off faster. And how to determine your speciality or specialties so you can earn more.
Cost: $175.00. [Last time at this price!!!]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Platform Building Basics for Writers
Next Class Begins on October 8th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff, Targeting Your Best Writing Markets, and Pitching Practice all strongly recommended or Permission from Instructor
Be the first to sign up for the companion class to my forthcoming book, Get Known Before the Book Deal. Picking up where Targeting Your Best Writing Markets left off. This class helps you go position yourself as a seasoned professional, who isn’t afraid to let the world know what you have to offer. This is an advanced class, for people who have taken classes with Christina Katz and who are ready to take their writing career to a more professional level with a blog, Web site and newsletter. By the end of our six weeks, you will have a clear vision of your platform, and a plan for first and future steps. You will be ready to anchor your book proposal to that all-important online and in-person presence, agents and editors are looking for.
Cost: $199.00
Register at Writers on the Rise

SUMMER 2008 Classes Through Writers on the Rise

SUMMER 2008

Craft a Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal
Next Class Begins on June 4th
Most writers grossly underestimate the comprehensiveness inherent in a book proposal that will garner the interest of agents and editors. They also mistake the definition and importance of alining their proposal to a solid platform. Christina has been informally helping former writing students succeed at landing a book deal for years and now she’s making that information available to aspiring authors who want to nail the proposal the first time around. Only one class offerred each year.
Cost: $199.00.
Register at Writers on the Rise

Poetry For the People with Sage Cohen
Next Class Begins on June 4th
Prerequisites: None
Have you always wanted to write a poem but didn’t know how to begin? Maybe you’re already writing poetry and want to connect with your muse more often, or brush up on your poetic prowess? Poetry for the People takes poetry off of its academic pedestal, making it accessible to and enjoyable for everyone. Six lessons with six assignments completed in six weeks.
Cost: $199
Register at Writers on the Rise

Personal Essays that Get Published with Sage Cohen
Next Class Begins on June 4th
Prerequisites: None
Everyone has a story to tell. Would you like to tell yours exceptionally well–and then share it with a wider audience? Personal Essays that Get Published equips you with the basic knowledge you need to write personal essays that connect-and the market know-how to get them published. Six lessons with six assignments completed in six weeks will take you from writing magnetic leads to cultivating meaningful and memorable narratives to researching markets and sending out your work. Plus, each week’s lesson will include two recommended publications for placing your essays.
Cost: $199
Register at Writers on the Rise

2008 CLASSES THROUGH WRITERS ON THE RISE—NEXT ROUND STARTS APRIL 16TH

The Recommended Order for Taking All Five of Christina’s Classes:

• Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff
• Targeting Your Best Writing Markets
• Pitching Practice: Write Six Queries in Six Weeks
• Platform Building Basics for Writers
• Craft a Saleable Nonfiction Proposal

Coming Soon & Filling Up Fast:

SPRING 2008

Pitching Practice: Write Six Queries in Six Weeks
Next Class Begins on April 16th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff and/or Targeting Your Best Writing Markets are strongly recommended or Permission from Instructor
In this class, pitching is all we do. Over the course of six weeks, we crank out six queries. Exactly the kind of practice you need if you want to get in the habit of landing better-paying assignments. After you write and send six queries, you will never again ask, “What makes a strong query?” You will have developed your own and style into prototypes that you can use over and over to obtain future assignments. And that’s what query writing is about. Not someone else’s formula, but finding your own.
Cost: $175.00 [Last time at this price.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Last Chance To Take Pitching Practice at This Price

Pitching Practice: Write Six Queries in Six Weeks
Next Class Begins on April 16th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff and/or Targeting Your Best Writing Markets are  recommended or Permission from Instructor. Contact Christina at writer mama at earthlink dot net.
In this class, pitching is all we do. Over the course of six weeks, we crank out six queries. Exactly the kind of practice you need if you want to get in the habit of landing better-paying assignments. After you write and send six queries, you will never again ask, “What makes a strong query?” You will have developed your own and style into prototypes that you can use over and over to obtain future assignments. And that’s what query writing is about. Not someone else’s formula, but finding your own.
Cost: $175.00 [Last time at this price.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Fall Classes with Christina Katz

Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)!
Next Class Begins on August 20th
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you’re ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $199.00
Register at Writers on the Rise

Targeting Your Best Writing Markets
Next Class Begins on August 20th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff is strongly recommended or Permission from Instructor
Learning to sift through and analyze markets is one of the biggest challenges of launching a writing career. This class will help you tackle the markets head on while covering: idea management, how to discover your best audiences, how to allow those audiences to lead you to fresh ideas, how to break a magazine down into the key areas that matter most to freelancers, and how to start specializing right away so your career will achieve lift-off faster. And how to determine your speciality or specialties so you can earn more.
Cost: $175.00. [Last time at this price.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Platform Building Basics for Writers
Next Class Begins on October 8th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff, Targeting Your Best Writing Markets, and Pitching Practice all strongly recommended or Permission from Instructor
Be the first to sign up for the companion class to my forthcoming book, Get Known Before the Book Deal. Picking up where Targeting Your Best Writing Markets left off. This class helps you go position yourself as a seasoned professional, who isn’t afraid to let the world know what you have to offer. This is an advanced class, for people who have taken classes with Christina Katz and who are ready to take their writing career to a more professional level with a blog, Web site and newsletter. By the end of our six weeks, you will have a clear vision of your platform, and a plan for first and future steps. You will be ready to anchor your book proposal to that all-important online and in-person presence, agents and editors are looking for.
Cost: $199.00
Register at Writers on the Rise

Upcoming Classes this June

Dates have changed. Please check for each class.

Craft a Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal
Next Class Begins on June 4th
Most writers grossly underestimate the comprehensiveness inherent in a book proposal that will garner the interest of agents and editors. They also mistake the definition and importance of alining their proposal to a solid platform. Christina has been informally helping former writing students succeed at landing a book deal for years and now she’s making that information available to aspiring authors who want to nail the proposal the first time around. Only one class offerred each year.
Cost: $199.00. [Only time at this price.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Poetry For the People with Sage Cohen
Next Class Begins on June 4th
Prerequisites: None
Have you always wanted to write a poem but didn’t know how to begin? Maybe you’re already writing poetry and want to connect with your muse more often, or brush up on your poetic prowess? Poetry for the People takes poetry off of its academic pedestal, making it accessible to and enjoyable for everyone. Six lessons with six assignments completed in six weeks.
Cost: $199
Register at Writers on the Rise

April Classes with Christina Katz Through Writers on the Rise

2008 CLASSES THROUGH WRITERS ON THE RISE
NEXT ROUND STARTS APRIL 16TH

Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)!
Next Class Begins on April 16th
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you’re ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $175.00. [This Class Almost Full! Last time at this price.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Pitching Practice: Write Six Queries in Six Weeks
Next Class Begins on April 16th
Prerequisites: Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff and/or Targeting Your Best Writing Markets are strongly recommended or Permission from Instructor
In this class, pitching is all we do. Over the course of six weeks, we crank out six queries. Exactly the kind of practice you need if you want to get in the habit of landing better-paying assignments. After you write and send six queries, you will never again ask, “What makes a strong query?” You will have developed your own and style into prototypes that you can use over and over to obtain future assignments. And that’s what query writing is about. Not someone else’s formula, but finding your own.
Cost: $175.00 [Last time at this price.]
Register at Writers on the Rise

Quick Updates From One Busy Mama

Happy Friday, mamas!

My daughter, Samantha, turns six a week from tomorrow. How did that happen?

Seems like just yesterday I could carry her around like a rugby ball tucked into my arm.

Amidst party-planning for my little social butterfly, I am still playing administrative catch-up from my deadline a couple weeks ago, so here’s a couple quick updates:

1. There are only four three two more spaces left in the April WPSS class for non-scholarship applicants. Sorry to talk about this stuff so much, but I thought you might want to know. Here’s the classes page, which has recently been updated.

2. I will post the April The Writer Mama Scholarship info tomorrow. You may not pay for the class after applying for the scholarship because the scholarship is ONLY for moms who cannot afford the class. (Besides, it will be full by then.)

3. The next WPSS classes start in August and October. Hope to see you in one of them, if not this time around. (The price will go up to $199.00 for WPSS starting in August 2008. I have been advised to charge $225, but I want as many moms as possible to benefit from the newly updated class with markets, so I’m dragging my feet on that.)

4. The Writer Mama zine will go out TODAY come h–l or high water. This is what I’m telling myself anyway.

5. Almost forgot! Today is the last day to sign up to get on my blogroll and earn a chance to win Kelly James-Enger’s Ready, Aim, Specialize! (Comment to this post until midnight tonight.)

Have a great weekend!

New Targeting Your Best Markets Class Going Better Than I’d Hoped

The new “missing piece” class in my series of five classes that I launched this winter, Targeting Your Best Markets” is going better than I ever could have hoped. (!!!)

Let’s just say that this class is turning out to be a great pre-requisite class to both Pitching Practice and Platform Building for Writers, which follow it in the series.

See what participant Tiffani Hill-Patterson has to say about it in her blog.