I’ve received requests to offer a May class, so here it is folks, starting on May 6. The next time I’ll be teaching this class is September since I need June, July and August free to work on some book projects. My April class filled up fast; it closed the week before the class started and not everyone on the waiting list got a spot.

Whether you’ve been feeling ho-hum about the ideas you’re pitching to editors or you’re a new writer who’s floundering in a sea of insecurity about the quality of your stories, this workshop can help. For $149, you’ll get access to a weekly web-based workshop, complete with idea-generating exercises, that will help you build up the quantity and develop the quality of your story ideas. In addition, you have three weeks of e-mail support where I’ll answer your questions, help you shape ideas, suggest possible markets for your stories, and give you the confidence to go forth and conquer your fears about querying.

Who does best in this workshop? The dividing line isn’t between those who have previous freelancing experience and those who have zero or few clips. The students who shine are those who are extremely self-motivated, who aren’t afraid to push through the hard work of the first week. Moreover, my successful students are the ones who ask the most questions and who aren’t shy about participating. You know that saying, “You get what you put into it”? That’s definitely true for my workshop, because no matter how much I reach out to you, you’re not going to walk away with an arsenal of ideas if you don’t put forth the effort required. And I’m not kidding you — it’s hard work.

But the hard work is worth it. The students I’ve worked with who’ve given the workshop their all have gone on to sell stories they developed in this class to outlets like Woman’s Day, Parenting, Saveur, New Scientist, Yankee, Health, the Washington Post, the Vancouver Sun, the Boston Globe (two students), and the New York Times (actually three of my students have sold four major stories to the NYT!). And while some of my students were established freelancers, several were not. They were highly motivated students with good writing skills who, despite their fears and insecurities, made the leap from unpublished to published by pushing themselves harder than they thought they could and by following my advice.

Want to learn more? Download my FAQ, and if you’re ready to take your freelancing career to a new level in 2013, sign up here. If you need some extra hand-holding, I also offer this class with phone support. For an additional $150, you get three :30 minute phone sessions that you can spread out over three weeks so we can talk through your ideas over the phone.

Sign up today to ensure your spot!

I’ve closed registration for my April Become an Idea Machine class, but it looks like enough writers are interested in a May class so I’ll be posting dates here within the next couple weeks. I won’t be teaching again until September so I can focus on some book projects, so if you’re interested in this class, check back often.

Wow, I guess spring has made everyone want to dig into their idea files! This last week saw a rush of signups for my Become an Idea Machine class starting April 8, and when I just counted my students I saw that I had two spots left. So if you want one, sign up fast. I usually get most of my signups the week before a class starts, fwiw.

I’ve received a number of requests for a May class, so next week I’ll post the dates. Then I’ll be taking the rest of the spring and summer off to work on my own writing.

The next Become an Idea Machine workshop has been scheduled to start on Monday, March 11, 2013.

Whether you’ve been feeling ho-hum about the ideas you’re pitching to editors or you’re a new writer who’s floundering in a sea of insecurity about the quality of your stories, this workshop can help. For $149, you’ll get access to a weekly web-based workshop, complete with idea-generating exercises, that will help you build up the quantity and develop the quality of your story ideas. In addition, you have three weeks of e-mail support where I’ll answer your questions, help you shape ideas, suggest possible markets for your stories, and give you the confidence to go forth and conquer your fears about querying.

Who does best in this workshop? The dividing line isn’t between those who have previous freelancing experience and those who have zero or few clips. The students who shine are those who are extremely self-motivated, who aren’t afraid to push through the hard work of the first week. Moreover, my successful students are the ones who ask the most questions and who aren’t shy about participating. You know that saying, “You get what you put into it”? That’s definitely true for my workshop, because no matter how much I reach out to you, you’re not going to walk away with an arsenal of ideas if you don’t put forth the effort required. And I’m not kidding you — it’s hard work.

But the hard work is worth it. The students I’ve worked with who’ve given the workshop their all have gone on to sell stories they developed in this class to outlets like Woman’s Day, Parenting, Saveur, New Scientist, Yankee, Health, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the New York Times (actually three of my students have sold four major stories to the NYT!). And while some of my students were established freelancers, several were not. They were highly motivated students with good writing skills who, despite their fears and insecurities, made the leap from unpublished to published by pushing themselves harder than they thought they could and by following my advice.

Want to learn more? Download my FAQ, and if you’re ready to take your freelancing career to a new level in 2013, sign up here. If you need some extra hand-holding, I also offer this class with phone support. For an additional $150, you get three :30 minute phone sessions that you can spread out over three weeks so we can talk through your ideas over the phone.

Sign up today to ensure your spot!