WHOLE NOVEL COURSE by Literary Agent Sally Apokedak
START DATE: This class is currently closed.
DURATION: 4 weeks
COURSE PREREQUISITE: Prior completion of Four First-Chapter Essentials.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In WHOLE NOVEL COURSE, you will load five chapters (limit 2,500 words per chapter, or load fewer chapters—12,500 words per week) every Monday, and literary agent Sally Apokedak will have them critiqued for you by Friday. The areas of concern to Sally will be concept, plot, character, voice, theme, chapter openings, chapter closing, technical skills, foreshadowing, dialogue, description, and mood.
The reason for asking you to load your chapters five chapters at a time is that you each week you should revise your next five chapters, taking into consideration what Sally told you during the previous five chapters. This will help you learn how to become your own editor. Whether you are self-publishing or going after a traditional contract, you need to learn to edit your own work before you send it out.
Students will work one-on-one with Sally, via email. At the end of the month students will have a half-hour Skype visit with Sally to discuss their work.
There will be an option for students with longer works to sign up for a second course as needed.
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Hi Sally,
Thank you for your incredible class. It was a valuable, valuable learning experience. I’m glad I took it early in my creative writing. It sharpened my writing skills in a short time and will help set the course for [my novel] and additional works.
Thank you also for your insightful critique. All great, enlightening recommended changes. I will definitely implement these . . ..
Do you plan to offer a next-level course for folks who have taken the “Four Essentials”? Please consider it. I’ll sign up!
~ Kimberly
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Sally,
Thank you so much. I got a lot out of the class and it gave me a lot to think about. I’m grateful for all the feedback.
~ Christie
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Hi Sally,
Thank you so much for your feedback on my chapter. Your suggestions make so much sense . . ..
Again, thank you for your feedback on this final chapter and throughout the course. I appreciated how much you know about this field and your willingness to share your expertise.
~ Sandy
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Sally’s Four First-Chapter Essentials class made me work hard to get a first chapter that I can be proud of. In Sally’s video lectures, she made me think about writing like I hadn’t before, especially the weeks about voice and theme. I also enjoyed working with my classmates and the freedom we had to interact in the forum. The great thing about this class is that you work on the first chapter of your novel, but you can take the skills you learn and apply them to the rest of your manuscript.
~ Margo L. Dill
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Dear Sally,
I really wanted to thank you again for a fabulous weekend. I left encouraged and energized, as well as satisfied that I’d been very productive. Your help was exactly what I needed, and . . . the group only added to the successful weekend. I enjoyed learning from them as well!
I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the time you gave me to help me become a better writer.
Conferences are invaluable, and I’ll continue to attend them, but you can’t get the one-on-one time like you can at a Writer’s Retreat with a skilled professional. That's why I was willing to invest the money. It was a wise investment and fun.
~ Jean Wilund
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Hello Sally,
I hope you realize how much wisdom and knowledge you imparted during your time at the wik13 conference in Birmingham. I was just processing the evaluations and thought you might like to see some of the comments that were specifically about your sessions. These were in response to the questions that asked what their favorite session was or what session they benefitted from the most:
- The one-on-one session with Sally Apokedak.
- Sally Apokedak, Part I and II were incredibly valuable with wonderful insights.
Thanks for sharing that with our attendees and helping us to create better books for kids!
~ Heather L. Montgomery
Assistant Regional Advisor
Southern Breeze SCBWI
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WEEKS AT A GLANCE:
Each Week: Five Chapters
Good stories are made great when they have meaningful themes, compelling voices, and when they are clear and easy to read. Characters need to motivated, dialogue needs to be crisp, and the story arc needs to be focused.
Assignment: Using what you've learned in the FOUR FIRST-CHAPTER ESSENTIALS course, go through your novel and revise. Each Monday, load five chapters (limit 12,500 words total) and Sally will critique them and return them by Friday.
Materials needed: Email capabilities and a polished draft of a novel
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Sally Apokedak (Sally-Apokedak.com) is an associate agent with the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency. She’s been studying, reviewing, and marketing children’s books, as well as giving writing instruction for a dozen years. As the manager of the Kidz Book Buzz blog tour she was privileged to work with best-selling and award-winning authors such as Jeanne DuPrau, Ingrid Law, and Shannon Hale. She is a frequent and popular instructor at general market and Christian Writers’ conferences across the country.
COST: $749, which includes one-on-one instruction, weekly e-mail critique and a half-hour Skype meeting.
BUY NOW: WHOLE NOVEL COURSE, by Sally Apokedak (4 weeks, starting 8/31/2015) Limit: 5 students. Early registration is recommended.
This class is now closed. Please check here for our current schedule.
Notes: Upon successful completion of payment, your name, email address, and contact info will be submitted to your instructor.
Questions? Email Marcia & Angela at:
classroom[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com
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