After My Online Class

For the past month, I presented an online class.  It was called Kiss Me or Kill Me: Cozy Mystery Writing 101 for Romance Writers.  That was partly because it was hosted by the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America. 

I presented two classes a week, each of which contained a homework assignment.  Those assignments generally were designed to get the participants thinking about their cozy series and planning it.  They included things like introduce yourself; introduce your protagonist; introduce her love interest(s) (since most main characters in cozies are women, I referred to the protag as feminine); and tell us about your background theme, since cozies often have them--like hobbies! 

I had a fair number of students.  Some introduced themselves but didn't respond to the assignments.  Others responded regularly to the assignments.  A few others waited till near the end and responded to all of the assignments till that point, all in one post.  I always provided my input and any suggestions.

This wasn't the first time I've presented this class, so I only had to update my lessons, not write them from scratch.  But next time--if there is a next time--I'll have to be careful about timing, since despite its being fun it can also be time-consuming to present classes and keep up with responses.

Anyway, it's over now--and one of the most fun things about it was the participants' responses that showed they were actually jumping in and plotting a mystery series.  I seemed to have inspired some, and maybe I helped them, too.  Plus, some seemed quite good!  I hope to read their finished, published stories someday.

Have you ever taken or taught an online class?