I meant to mention this here yesterday, but I’m swamped getting everything ready for the Think Sideways classes to start next Tuesday.
Last night, after uncountable (and unspeakable) attempts to explain the course, I FINALLY figured out the right name for it, the name that describes what Thinking Sideways actually is.
How to Think Sideways: Career Survival School for Writers
The cutoff date for pre-registering is Sunday night at 7 PM.
Registration will start (for pre-registered members ONLY) on Tuesday, July 22, at NOON EDT.
Pre-registering will make you eligible the Charter Student benefits, and folks who are pre-registered for the course also get a 24-hour head start on getting in.
I hugely expanded my seating limit (from the 50 seats planned) to 300 seats per class. And I decided to allow 600 folks to pre-register (guaranteeing them the charter student price as well as head-start registration for both the first and eventual second classes).
So this all sounds nice and leisurely and roomy, right?
Not so much. I just checked a second ago, and there are now 549 folks pre-registered. That means I have 51 pre-registration spots left. I’m pretty sure that when registration opens, I’ll have a full 600 people in line for the first class’s 300 seats. Now, any of those 600 people who don’t get into the first class will get a full day’s head start to get into the second class. This means in theory there won’t be any seats available publicly until the third class. It does suggest in fact that there won’t be very many.
Furthermore, the course itself runs six-months, and I’m not sure how often I’ll offer it—I do have books to write, and I have no idea yet how much time running the course will take. Right now it’s all-consuming, because I’m writing and creating lessons, setting up boards, hunting bugs, getting the website and classroom all put together, and a laundry list of other things that boggles my mind. I’ve woken up between 3 and 4 a.m. every day for a week now (without an alarm) and started work, just because there’s so much I have to be sure is ready.
I keep reminding myself that it isn’t always going to be this hectic. The first class won’t be a true test, either, because I’ll still be putting together later lessons while students are taking earlier ones. At least I’ll have some idea, though.
Anyway.
51 pre-registration slots remain. No. Just checked. An even 50 now.
If you would like to see exactly what the course is (it’s much meatier than I’d originally planned), and if you’d perhaps get one of those last fifty spaces, here’s the link to the last-chance pre-registration page.
I’m one of those that’s going to be waiting to see the price to decide whether it’s now, or keep saving for later. I may have to decide to be a few minutes late to work just to find out and make my decision… my teeny breaks barely give me time to drive to my house, run in and run out, and I’ve yet to manage to grab a wifi signal at work.
Shawna—I’m not anticipating the course selling out in minutes. I know there are at least a few folks who have decided to wait for the second course, and I know a lot of folks like sleep, so I’m thinking you should have time to get in. Lunch break, maybe?
Wolverine—I was only going to keep the charter bonuses for the first class, but since I don’t dare expand the class size any further, for fear of being completely swamped, and since so very many people (we hit the 600 mark and pre-registration has now closed) DID pre-register, I wanted to give the ones who didn’t make it in the first time something good for waiting. Pre-registered students are guaranteed the charter price. Pretty sure they’ll get the charter bonuses, too.
I’m a little confused here, sorry. I got the impression earlier that the charter price and graduate bonuses was for the first class only. Actually, I don’t think it was stated anywhere, but that’s what I understood. Above, you mention charter price is for both the first and second classes, but are all the charter goodies for both as well? I’m not sure I can convince my parents to pay up on such as short notice, but I think the second class would be viable for me.
Sorry, I realise you’re busy, but I thought I’d ask anyway and see.
Thanks heaps!
Wolverine
🙁 I have to be at work at 9am (noon EDT) Tuesday.