Online Writing Class: "Conflict and Pacing"

The details for a few more online KOD courses found their way into my inbox, so I'm posting the information for them here, too.

The deadline to sign up is the 27th of this month, so if you're interested in either class... probably shouldn't wait too long. :)

Hope you're all doing well and your writing is going smoothly!

Take Care,

Michele

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RWA's Mystery/Suspense Chapter is pleased to announce our COFFIN College of Felony and Intrigue KILLER INSTINCT online workshop for the month of August 2009.

WORKSHOP: Conflict and Pacing

Using the character's internal motivation to create conflict. Finding the right level of conflict for your story. Organize the plot to create rising conflict. Modifying conflict to individualize scenes and characters. Designing scenes for greater conflict. Heating up pacing with conflict turning points. If you're looking for an in-depth exploration of conflict in fiction, this course is for you!

INSTRUCTOR: Alicia Rasley

Alicia Rasley is a nationally known writing teacher and the author of The Power of Point of View (Writer's Digest Books, 2008). Her writing articles can be found at www.rasley.com.

KILLER INSTINCT workshops encompass writing and craft topics.

PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE 27TH day of the month PRIOR to the start of the COFFIN class. Cost of each Workshop is (Currently) $15.00 US for KOD Members, $30.00 US for non-KOD Members. (RWA membership NOT required to take the course).

For more information check out our website at http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org

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RWA's Mystery/Suspense Chapter is pleased to announce our COFFIN College of Felony and Intrigue MURDER ONE online Workshop for the month of August 2009.

WORKSHOP: Homicide Investigation

Over the last few years, John Foxjohn has spoken to many writer's group, workshops, and conferences about one of his specialties—police procedures. John's biography states, "He epitomizes the phrase, been there—done that."

For ten years, John worked in law enforcement. He started out on the bottom like all, but rose through the ranks rapidly. Patrolman, Patrol training officer, detective, then the last four years as a homicide detective. With over three-hundred investigated homicides, and an intense love of forensics, police schools that include fingerprinting, interrogations, profiling, and counterfeiting, John becomes the perfect person to write crime novels and mysteries.

John is also the perfect person to teach writers about police procedures. Many books today sit on bookstore shelves with the name John Foxjohn in the acknowledgements. But all the questions writers have asked him has led him to teach about what he calls the "problem areas" most writers face. John's class includes the differences and techniques of the interview and the interrogation. He'll also cover lineups, jurisdictions, and the structures of police and sheriff departments.

Other topics will include custody or chain of evidence, television fallacies and how they relate to writing, the beginnings of a homicide investigation, differences between large, medium, and small law enforcement departments, collection of evidence and processing the crime scene,and students will have an opportunity to ask questions about things that trouble
them in their knowledge or research.

INSTRUCTOR: John Foxjohn

Best-selling author John Foxjohn epitomizes the phrase "been there—done that." Whether consciously or unconsciously, maybe one of the first authors he followed contributed to this.

Many years ago, John became afflicted with a disease he calls "readaholism. " His addiction to reading led him to Louis L'Amour, and even today, he continues to reread books by this author. Louis L'Amour had a diverse background before he began to write and John followed that path—born and raised in the rural East Texas town of Nacogdoches, he quit high school and joined the Army at seventeen. Viet Nam veteran, Army Airborne Ranger, policeman and homicide detective, retired teacher and coach, and now he is a multi-published author.

Although John writes an entirely different genre than Louis L'Amour, he followed the author's path by using his diverse background and meticulous research. Although John's novels are fictional, many readers believe they are true stories. Like his favorite author, John creates characters that readers love and root for—not cardboard cutouts. John says, "Normal people have faults and strengths—they make mistakes and need to overcome them and other obstacles
thrown in their path. People judge others by how they handle adversity. That's how I attempt to create characters."

If you have read John's novels, you know that he is successful. John hasn't yet reached the huge success of Louis L'Amour, but I wouldn't bet against him.

John is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Elements of Romance, Kiss of Death, Lethal Ladies, Sisters-in-Crime, East Texas Writers Guild, League of Texas Writers, and more online writing groups than he can count. He is a full time writer and speaker and lives in Lufkin, Texas but travels extensively across the U.S.

MURDER ONE workshops encompass the technical aspects of murder and mayhem.

PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE 27TH day of the month PRIOR to the start of the COFFIN class. Cost of each workshop is (Currently) $15.00 US for KOD Members, $30.00 US for non-KOD Members (RWA membership NOT required to take the course).

For more information check out our website at http://www.rwamysterysuspense. org