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What Type of Writer Are You & How Can You Stay Motivated to Finish Your Book?

Are you a "pantser" or a "plotter"? What techniques work best for you? What are some common pitfalls all authors encounter, and how can you avoid them? Let's find out together!
Elizabeth Reinhardt
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(55)
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours

Class Experience

It's exciting to dream of being a writer, and sometimes the ideas can come in a rush...then fizzle out. How do writers maintain their focus? What are some common pitfalls, and how can they be avoided? We'll go over some issues every writer faces and talk strategy to avoid them. We'll also talk about writing style--are you a "pantser" or a "plotter"? We'll break these styles down and define them further. Once you know your style, there are tips and tricks that work well for you and can keep you writing until that novel or story is finished!

Learning Goals

Students will learn common pitfalls all writers face and how to avoid them or work through them. They'll also learn their writing style, and use that information to come up with specific tactics to avoid burnout and lack of motivation. We'll talk about how to work through goals for each student's work and ideas on how to keep that work flowing!
learning goal

Other Details

External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined August, 2020
5.0
55reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Hello! My name is Liz Reinhardt, and my passion is helping students develop as writers! The awesome thing about writing is that there is no one "right" way to write, and a good writer is always open to experimenting with new techniques, methods, and exercises. Whether your student is an avid writer who wants tips on how to fine tune their writing or an emergent writer who would like guidance getting into a rhythm, I'm here to help!

I am a state certified English/Language Arts teacher with six years of classroom experience. I've taught everything from fourth grade ELA to twelfth grade AP Literature, but my sweet spot is creative writing and poetry! 

I'm also a published author. I began my writing career by self-publishing in 2008. One of my self-published titles caught the attention of an editor at Random House UK, who wound up contracting four of my YA and New Adult novels. In 2016 I published the YA novel REBELS LIKE US through Seventeen Magazine and Inkyard Press, an imprint of Harper Collins. My next YA novel with Inkyard, THE FLIPSIDE OF PERFECT, will hit shelves April 6, 2021! 

I believe writing is a mix of work ethic and inspiration, and it's equally important to nurture both elements. How can you remain inspired when you run into a bout of serious writer's block? How can you take the tangle of ideas shooting through your brain and train them into a structured book or story? There's no single solution that works all the time for all writers, but there are combinations of techniques and best practices that can be rotated through and tried out to keep any writer productive, no matter the obstacles. 

I'm incredibly excited to share what I've learned from years of trial and error, conversations with author friends and colleagues, hands-on work with a variety of agents, editors, and designers, and dozens of professional conferences and workshops. I appreciate everyone who helped guide me through the writing process when I was first starting out, and it's a joy for me to be able to share my knowledge with the next generation of authors!

I can't wait to meet your student, answer their questions, and help get those words flowing! Happy writing!  

Reviews

Live One-Time Class
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$10

per class
Meets once
45 min

Completed by 9 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-16
1-6 learners per class

This class is no longer offered
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