Lynne is the author of nine books and thousands of articles and a marketing entrepreneur, writing coach and host of the Make Meaning Podcast. After working as a journalist in New York and Washington, D.C., Lynne returned to Detroit. She helps authors create writing careers, book marketing strategies and finish book projects. In 2023, Lynne founded Scotia Road Books, an independent publishing imprint for women over 40. Lynne’s writing has appeared in 45^th Parallel, Moment Magazine, Great Lakes Review, Saveur, the Chicago Tribune, Better Homes and Gardens, Midwest Living, the Detroit Free Press, Porridge Magazine, the Jewish Literary Journal, The Good Life Review, Hadassah Magazine, The Forward, Valiant Scribe, Story Unlikely, The Dillydoun Review, QuibbleLit, bioStories and YourTango, among many more publications. Plus, one of her essays was a finalist in the Annie Dillard Creative Nonfiction contest at Bellingham Review.

In this four-week class for writers who really want to write a book, we’ll look at how to create a structure and a system for completing a novel. A born “pantser,” Lynne Golodner taught herself to be a “plotter” to make writing a novel a year easy and achievable. She’s on track to meet that goal and might even surpass it, now that she has a structure for planning out her novels.

In this class, Lynne will walk writers through the systemic approach to planning out a novel while discussing the common pitfalls, blocks and frustrations of writing a novel. This class will help you open your eyes and awaken your creativity to the ease that could exist in the writing process.

Class sessions will use a modified “Beat Sheet” to walk writers through the typical arc of a novel. In four weeks, participants should emerge with a completed outline or plan for their novel and the confidence to be able to sit down and start writing to a schedule without interruption by fear or boredom. We’ll also explore the “saggy middle,” and other common novelist roadblocks, with tips for overcoming them.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week One: We’ll begin with introductions and build a class community, then look at a modified “Beat Sheet” to guide story-planning. We’ll discuss common reasons writers don’t finish a book that they really want to write and offer approaches to overcome inevitable blocks. We’ll create timelines and goals and then take a stab at the first three beats. Homework each week is encouraged to make progress on individual planning and then report back to the class in a private WhatsApp group and during subsequent class periods.

Week Two:  In this session, we’ll continue to make progress in our novel-planning, looking at the transformation that must occur for a protagonist or the arc of conflict and resolution that will carry the story through its beats. Participants will spend time in class continuing in their outlines or book plans. Homework each week is encouraged to make progress on individual planning and then report back to the class in a private WhatsApp group and during subsequent class periods.

Week Three: This session will look at the importance of knowing your characters deeply and well, and encourage writers to build character sketches of the essential characters. We’ll talk about the benefit of creating family trees to follow the connections in your book, and plot out action points to keep the reader engaged. Participants will spend time in class continuing in their outlines or book plans. Homework each week is encouraged to make progress on individual planning and then report back to the class in a private WhatsApp group and during subsequent class periods.

Week Four:  In our final session, we’ll discuss “the messy first draft,” the importance of revision and how to use critical feedback to make your novel stronger. We’ll look at how to set realistic goals for writing a novel, and discuss publishing paths and how to make the right decision for you. Participants will be invited to ask final questions and can share insights from their work-in-progress during this session. We’ll also set participants up to continue the momentum gained in this course and find accountability partners to keep going when the going gets hard!

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Learn how to map out a novel efficiently and effectively
• Complete at least half, if not all, of a full novel outline or plan
• Build courage and confidence to write creatively and consider publishing
• Explore how to deepen characters and understand plot points
• Look at the narrative arc and the powerful transformations that need to happen from beginning to end of a novel
• Gain insight into what it takes to create cohesive, compelling writing
• Embrace the idea that writing is 80% revision and learn how to revise with a keen eye
• Grow a repertoire of writing habits
• Learn about the publishing process and gain confidence in deciding how to publish your novel