Writing Boot Camp

These courses come in all shapes and sizes.

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Last year I enrolled in a course I now refer to as writing boot camp. This online intensive, at the time titled The Sorcery Story Intensive, required a completed manuscript for enrollment. Sue Brown Moore, a developmental story course guru, offered it.

How was this writing course like boot camp?

Both require a tight schedule with deadlines. Students worked with a schedule, focused on producing work and improving their skills. The exact duration is a bit of a blur, but I believe it was eight weeks; it ended only when I submitted my final assignment.

I didn’t enter this course unprepared. I had taken several shorter, one-day, and self-directed online courses with the instructor, Sue Brown Moore. Having benefited from her material, I felt confident that this longer, more intensive, and expensive course would be worthwhile. However, nothing prepared me for the mental gymnastics and the compressed timeline’s impact on me.

Thankfully, the course’s profound positive effect on my writing is difficult to convey in a single article. To better illustrate its impact, I reached out to some fellow students from the class for their insights. Their contributions have been invaluable in shaping this account.

Let me start by saying that I am not the easiest student to teach. Someone told me that teachers make the worst students. I don’t know if that’s true, but here are some of my challenges:

• With computers, if there’s a way to mess them up, I’ll find it. I should be on any software testing team! The course relied on Excel spreadsheets for some submissions and Google Drive. I’m clueless about Excel and had limited experience with Google Drive before the course. I needed to use it to download, complete documents, and then upload them onto the platform where Sue, the instructor, taught the course.

  I almost quit the first night because of my fear. Thankfully, the instructor took the time to talk me off the ledge. Not every instructor would have cared enough to do that.

• I have an old mind, and I need to see and think about things multiple times before I understand them. Some tasks required three or four attempts before I got them right. If it took longer, well, let’s just say I’m not admitting it.

• I am introverted. People always express surprise when I tell them I used to be a college professor. They don’t know that I used to get sick before meeting my students for the first time. I got through my classes by assuming the persona of a confident college professor. Now that I’m retired, I dread speaking in public and try to avoid it. Sharing with others is not something I enjoy doing.
  

I asked some of the students in the prior class how the change to a six month format might affect the course:

Hollie Smurthwaite said, “I think making it a six-month course is genius! It will give students time to really dive into the details of every concept and work out any kinks or questions they have along the way. I also believe it will foster a greater sense of community too, just because students will be working side-by-side for a longer period of time.”

Krysta Maravilla, said, “I think the six-month course will be so much better because it gives you more time to absorb the lessons, concepts, and work through any confusion. I don’t mind an intense course, here and there, but I am all for breathing room and longer time to soak up not only the information, but all of Sue’s guidance. She is magic!”

The short duration of the course created an intense environment that fueled our creativity. The course worked its magic on my fellow students and me, helping us reimagine our stories and transform our characters into more compelling narratives in a brief period. However, I believe a longer duration would enhance the experience even further. The course, offered over six months, begins at the end of August.

The Instructor makes the course.

All of us agree that the instructor makes the course, but Krysta said it artfully, “Her teaching style is vulnerable, authentic and real—and there were moments were I was like, dang girl! You’re showing all of us by role modeling how to lean into change, imperfection, and healing to be a better version of yourself for those you encounter. To be clear, all shares that were deep were done within an appropriate teaching space that only added more depth and value to her lesson. Highly, highly recommend taking this if you are ready to take your writing to the next level.”

Hollie added: “I had been a long-time admirer of Sue's teachings, and I'd already bought several of her courses and attended a few of her live classes, and I think she's one of the smartest, kindest, most generous teachers, and she really knows her romance stuff! She's got a unique perspective that's well-researched and clearly thought out, and I'm so thrilled I got to be part of the initial version of the program.”

Sue Brown Moore is the type of teacher I wish I encountered more often. She provides plenty of examples, drawing from personal stories, movies, and books. She always answered questions, leaving no one hanging. She ran a parallel class for editors who also read our stories and provided excellent feedback.

This is what you get:

Assignments you carry out on your main characters and in-depth feedback from Sue. I am not kidding about the in-depth part.

Krysta Maravilla said, “I learned how to look at a character and see a dynamic, imperfect character that is walking around shrouded in their beliefs which are causing them to be miserable. I learned there is a separate character arc —not to be confused with the beat system—the characters will go through in their evolutions. Sometimes they match, sometimes they don’t. I learned how the depth of each character often reflects our own ability for depth and seeing where we, the authors, struggle too. Honestly, there is so much more I learned, but… then I’d give away the course and believe me, I’d muddle it up. You want, need, to learn from Sue.”

And silly me is trying to write an article about it : )

Hollie Smurthwaite said, “The course provided a really in-depth way of plotting or editing the plot of a character-driven romance. It really went into every perspective, from close-up to wide angle from character backstory to the grand gesture at the end, and a gave me ways to find the major turning points in between. And after the draft is finished, I learned a way to ensure all the beats were hit, all the genre conventions satisfied, and a check against pacing and the balance of themes and story elements.” 

Most authors know how to show wounds in their characters, but this course taught me so much more. I realized I wasn’t fully illustrating how those wounds held my characters back or how they transformed by the end of the story. I learned how to show the impact of love on my characters and what events in the story prepared them for these relationships. This course provided the insights and practical experience I needed to elevate my writing. It’s perfect for those who have written one or more books but feel they can improve. If you need a push to take your writing to the next level, this course will give you that push. I left with an almost complete manuscript for The Devil I Love, which I released in spring 2024.

How did the writing intensive course compare to a regular boot camp experience as far as transformation and achievement?

By the end of a regular boot camp, participants see significant physical and mental transformations, having developed new skills and confidence. By the end of the writing intensive course, students see substantial improvements in their writing abilities, having produced significant work and gained new techniques and confidence in their writing.

In both cases, the goal is rapid and profound development, achieved through a mix of structured guidance, intense effort, and mutual support. This is why authors consider taking these kinds of courses.

I’d love to hear about any intense writing courses you’ve taken! Please share your experiences with the comments. What was the course, what did you learn, and who was the instructor? Was it worth your time and investment? If the course or school is still available, please include a link for fellow readers.

If you are looking for other posts on similar subject matter, check out this previous post.

Thank you all for the congratulations on the two-year anniversary of What Do Romance Authors Think About? last week. Two years of weekly posts add up to quite a lot! Given the lack of input on my proposed scheduling change, I've decided to move forward with it. Starting after this week, I will be posting twice a month. The next post will appear on August 20-21, and subsequent posts will follow every two weeks. I would also appreciate it if you could continue to share these posts with your fellow author friends. Have a great week!