On Ohio, and the novels, and the new class

By Holly Lisle

Just small news here. The new class is finished in first draft, and I’m now (and for the first time ever) doing the complete course bug-hunt and clean-up BEFORE I put the course on sale.

Yes, it will take longer. But it will also guarantee that the class will be less first-time-through splintery.

I’m still working on the Ohio novels every weekday. Read-throughs and clean-ups at the moment.

I bought a wood-burning kit to use so that I can make a real-world version of one of the magical artifacts in the novels. The kit finally arrived, so I can start putting that together.

So now, I’ll have a little fun making one of my main character’s best magical tools. (Well, in HER Ohio, it’s actually magical. In MY Ohio, it’s going to be cool, and attractive to look at, and possibly to some degree useful — but probably not to the degree my MC is finding it useful.)

And finally, I know it’s autumn (and heading hard toward winter) but I just wanted to show of Ohio’s state wildflower, the trillium. The hills are covered with them in spring, and it’s a gorgeous sight.

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And about the New Secret Writing Course…

By Holly Lisle

I discovered there were two essential lessons I left out.

So I wrote them.

And now THEY’RE done.

Now I’m contemplating some sort of bonus for the course, but in the meantime, I’m going to be setting up the new classroom with the lessons, and getting everything ready to make the course available to students.

The guitar-playing dogs are in one of the lessons, by the way.

And once this thing goes on sale, I am looking desperately forward to getting back to the Ohio novels, and getting those out into the world, too.


HollysWritingClasses.com Member Updates

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The Secret Writing Class is finished… except for bonus course…

By Holly Lisle

Yesterday I finished the final lesson on the new writing course.

So I’m taking today off, and relaxing. I’ll be thinking about the bonus course. I have several ideas, and I’ll be digging through the HollysWritingClasses.com forum for additional ideas.

I have a specific topic — Big Course… Bonus Brainstorming — and if you’re a member (membership is free), just log into the forum and let me know what’s on you wish list for a short course you’d like to get as the bonus for the NEW class when it goes live — something that would help YOU.

If you’re not a member yet, you get a free class when you join, and there is NO membership fee EVER.

You can buy classes, or you can just use the free one, and hang out in the forums and write fiction, and talk about writing fiction.


HollysWritingClasses.com Member Updates

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Finished through Lesson 20 on the new Secret Writing Class today

By Holly Lisle

Lesson AND worksheet — took a couple of days on this one, but this was one of those strange sideways-thinking lessons that lets you get at parts of your story that are going to be unexpected and exciting for readers, and that will give you fresh perspectives soon your characters and world.

Like what I got. Now on to other things.

Like watching the enormous Hurricane Idalia, which is coming ashore right where we have family living (and family in the hospital). AND one of my kids living in the after-path.

I didn’t have any idea this thing was even out there. A few years in Ohio, and it becomes really easy to stop watching the weather. You forget.

You shouldn’t… BUT YOU DO.

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Just 6 more lessons to build on the new Secret Writing Course

By Holly Lisle

Today went really, really well. Finished the lesson (did most of it yesterday), and built out the worksheet today.

I’ll be working light the rest of the week, because my best friend from high school is going to be in town for her reunion (she was a year ahead of me).

So I’ll be sort of around, but probably not a lot.

I’ll get back to the last six lessons of the class after her visit.

And then start considering possible bonus classes.

If you want to be invited to the class, the sign-up to be notified when the class goes LIVE is linked below. The actual URL starts with winning-innovator and a wacky letter-number combo, but it is a real and secure sign-up link provided by Convert Kit.

It’s just kinda fugly.

LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE CLASS WHEN IT GOES LIVE: https://winning-innovator-5948.ck.page/89150d4b07

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The Money-Grubbing Asshat from Berkeley

By Holly Lisle

I do email first thing, and then last thing.

And this morning, my first goddamn email was a notice from the Berkeley Humane Society telling me that August is National Make-A-Will Month, and offering me their Personal Estate Planning Kit so I could leave them all my money when I die.

Shitbags. Screenshot 2023 08 08 at 7 34 21 AM

This is pure spam — nothing I requested, nothing I signed up for. And Berkeley is hell and gone from Ohio, which is where my interests lie. (Well, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina, because I have kids.)

Whatever happened to “Think Globally, Act Locally?”

I guess if your job is “Professional Beggar,” you get to pretend everybody is your neighbor. Eh, Jeffrey?

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NEW SECRET BIG COURSE: Lesson 15 is Started. And finished.

By Holly Lisle

Sat down. Wrote. I knew what I wanted, I knew what I needed…

And I love it when a plan comes together.

Damn!

Granted, I’m out of bed at 6 AM, and hauling ass for five straight hours on just this one thing, so this project is NOT coming together out of magic and fairy dust.

This is butt in chair, hands on the keyboard, don’t-get-up-to-get-a-drink-or-go-to-the-bathroom work.

It’s focused, it’s intense, and when I’m done, I can feel the tired. Seriously.

But I LOVE what I got. I think writers are going to really enjoy the process in these lessons.

Now, however..?

Nap.

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And LESSON 14 is finished!

By Holly Lisle

This one was tough, requiring a lot of thought on my part… but it should be a pretty simple lesson for writers to get the hang of.

So tomorrow I’ll start on Lesson 15, which from the subject matter I’m betting is going to be a whole lotta fun, not just to write, but to take.

Onward!


HollysWritingClasses.com Member Updates

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Secret Course Lesson 13 now done, worksheet has to wait until tomorrow

By Holly Lisle

This particular lesson was tougher to break down into pieces — so it took me from 6 AM until just now just to lay out the lesson, and then write it out.

So now I have to stop, but I’ll come back in tomorrow, and do a read-through, and from that, figure out some ways to break the necessary tasks into simple worksheet steps.

Just cannot do anymore today.

1892 words for the day, one long writing session… BUT one lesson written from brainstorming through lesson start to lesson finish (excluding worksheets).

That counts as a good day.

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Finished Lesson 12 of the Secret Writing Course today…

By Holly Lisle

I have twenty-four lessons planned, and am still brainstorming possible bonuses — but the first half of the class is now DONE. Lessons and worksheets are in finished form, and the course is being tested LIVE as I write it.

And as always, writing a big course is helping me figure out things I need to do in my current novel (in this case, Ohio Four) from some different angles.

Lot of stuff going on over here… but if you want to get in on the new course when it goes live, use the form below to add yourself to the launch announcement list. I’m going release this class with a very good price on the launch when it goes live, but that price will be on a tight timer, and once that price is gone, it’s gone for good).

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