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?

My Class Started

You’re probably getting tired of my blogging about my online class, so I’ll keep this short--but it has started!

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s called Kiss Me or Kill Me: Cozy Mystery Writing 101 for Romance Writers.

So far, I’ve posted only my introduction and the first lesson, which is about what a cozy mystery is and how it compares with other fiction genres. My first assignment was for class members to introduce themselves--their backgrounds and what, if anything, they’ve already written.

Some class members are already prolific writers and have sold. Others are hoping to learn enough from the class to organize their ideas and start, or continue, writing.

Quite a few, to my surprise and delight, are from Australia! It turns out that another class member who’s a friend of mine from one of the local Romance Writers of America chapters just returned from an extended visit to the Land Down Under, and she’d joined the RWA chapter there. She passed along the information about classes to her new friends, and some were interested enough to sign up.

I started out by individually answering everyone’s response to the assignment, then realized that I was probably clogging up a lot of email boxes. But there are so many interesting backgrounds that I wanted to get to know everyone! I’ll reserve that now to giving input to the next class assignments.

Have you ever taken an online class? What did you like, or dislike, about it? Even though I’ve written most of my classes, there’s still time to edit them!

Explaining Ourselves

Happy February, everyone!

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m teaching an online class called Kiss Me or Kill Me: Cozy Mystery Writing 101 for Romance Writers starting in a couple of weeks. And, as I said in that blog post, it isn’t really only for romance writers. It revolves around the basics of writing cozy mysteries.

I’ve started writing the class lessons and it’s a fun but incisive experience. Yes, I know how I write a mystery... sort of. And yes, I’ve done some review of how others appear to do it, too. But the process of explaining it to someone else is a bit like looking in a mirror and making notes!

Teaching isn’t really new to me. I’ve taught writing classes before, and I’ve been on plenty of panels where writers discuss their work. Even so, I’m finding the process more intense this time, maybe because it’s an online class so it’s like writing an essay for each class--or a blog! When I’ve given lessons in person, I’ll generally do an outline, and even if I write a whole talk I don’t always stick to it.

I’d already outlined what I’ll be describing in the four-week class. I’ll teach two classes a week, plus give assignments. Each class will be on a cozy mystery basic. The first class will describe what a cozy mystery is, and what distinguishes it from other genres. Others will be about how to choose a protagonist, another about theme, and so forth--all the elements of what must be blended to come out with a good cozy mystery.

I’m hoping to teach my students a lot, but I’m already learning from it myself. Describing the elements is more compelling and thought-provoking, in some ways at least, than just doing it. When I write a scene in a novel, I just sit at the computer with an idea of what I want that scene to contain. Sometimes my characters spin it in a different direction, which is often a good thing. If not, I mentally scold them and get back on track.

With a how-to lesson, I’ve tried to be concise yet all-inclusive, addressing all parts of the day’s lesson theme in an interesting way. Plus, my subconscious takes over in different ways, asking me questions about whether I really do things myself the way I’m describing, or if I just wish I did! The answer usually is yes, that’s my process, although I have to consider the question carefully.

Which do I like better? Well, I love my fiction writing and don’t intend ever to give it up. But writing lessons for an online class is educational to me, too, and I’m having lots of fun with it. I’m looking forward to having real students read what I’ve said and provide questions, feedback, and responses to the assignments I’ll give them.

And if they learn too much about me and how I write? I’ll just have to change myself, so I can remain mysterious!

In case you’re now brimming over with eagerness to see all the juicy tidbits about my writing that I’ll impart to my students, here’s the link again: http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassFeb12.html

How about you--have you ever taught a class or even an individual something that’s of special meaning to you? What did the process feel like?

Plotting a Class

I’m currently plotting an online class on plotting. And more. It’s actually called Kiss Me or Kill Me: Cozy Mystery Writing 101 for Romance Writers.

That name is a misnomer of sorts. Yes, the class will be about writing cozy mysteries. And yes, this class is one that I think romance writers will like, at least those who are also interested in writing cozies. However, I plan to do lessons on all aspects of cozy writing, from coming up with a theme, to who the protagonist is, to how to put a cozy plot together.

Romance? Well, I’ll definitely get into how the protagonist may have a love interest and how that can be handled in a cozy. I’ll also describe the differences between cozy mysteries and, say, romantic suspense novels. But people taking the class don’t need to have any background in romance writing.

So why the title that implies otherwise? That’s because I’m presenting this class through the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America, a wonderful chapter of a wonderful organization to which I’ve belonged for years.

The class will take place from Monday, February 13, to Sunday, March 11, 2012. I intend to give two lessons a week plus assignments and feedback. Am I nuts? Maybe. My next Pet Rescue Mystery is due in April. But this is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.

So if you’re interested in learning at least one cozy mystery and romance author’s perspective on how to write a cozy mystery... join me! Here’s the website: http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassFeb12.html

I’m also inviting you to give me a lesson. Have you taken any online classes? What were the topics? Did you enjoy them? Any suggestions for me to make my class the most fun yet most educational online class so far?