From the course: The Foundations of Fiction

Welcome and what to expect

From the course: The Foundations of Fiction

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Welcome and what to expect

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- Hello and welcome to Writing Mastery, the foundations of writing great fiction. I'm Jessica Brody and I'm excited to team up again with my good friend, novelist and writing teacher, Joanne Rendell, for this course. - Hi everyone and thanks to Jess so much for inviting me to be part of this course. - And thanks to you for enrolling. This course is for anyone who wants to learn how to write great fiction, whether you're a beginner or you've been writing for quite a while. - Whether you've written a hundred stories or novels or you haven't even written your first one yet. - This course is designed for novelists, short story writers, memoirists and flash fiction writers, but many of the elements in this course can also be used for screenwriting and playwriting. The only requirement for taking this course is that you like to write. - Jess and I both love to write. In fact, we're both published authors. We're even writing a book together. But even as published authors, we often need to remind ourselves about what makes stories work and what makes fiction compelling, which is why we've created this course. - After taking this course, you will be more inspired to write everyday. - [Joanne] You will have the tools and motivation to finish the writing projects that you start. - [Jessica] You will notice a vast improvement in your ability to write fiction that is sophisticated, compelling, and dynamic. - [Joanne] You will have a firm grasp of the universal foundations of great fiction, including how to craft memorable and complex characters, how to write vibrant dialogue, how to construct vivid scenes and settings, and how to structure masterful plots that will have your readers on the edge of their seats. - [Jessica] During this course, you'll be completing over 25 fun and stimulating exercises called writing prompts designed to get your creative juices flowing, solidify each of the foundations covered in this course, inspire new ideas for future projects, and help you establish a productive and consistent writing routine. - [Joanne] The best part is, these prompts are built specifically so you can revisit them time and again whenever you need extra inspiration, reminders about the key elements of great fiction, or whenever you're just plain stuck. - Most of all, in this course we're going to have fun. - That's right, writing is always about having fun. The only reason I'm a writer is because, well, I love writing. - Me too, but before we get into the nitty gritty of how this course works, let's take a moment to introduce ourselves. - Okay Jess, why don't you go first? - I'm Jessica Brody and obviously, I'm a writer. I've written more than 12 novels for teens, kids and adults. My books are published by several major publishers like Simon & Schuster, Random House, Macmillan, and Disney Press. I also write a series of books for the Disney Channel called School of Secrets based on the Descendants movie. My books have been translated and published in over 23 languages and two of them are currently in development as major motion pictures. - [Joanne] I'm Joanne Rendell. I'm the author of three women's fiction novels published by Penguin. I write essays and interviews for the Huffington Post and other publications. Also, a while ago, I finished a PhD in literature so I know quite a bit about books and stories and literature. I also teach fiction writing to teens and kids in New York City, which I love. - Jo and I are both so excited to be teaching this course. Click over to the next lecture to find out how this course is structured, what exactly we'll be covering, and how to get the most out of it. - See you there.

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