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Last updated on
8 September, 2007

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Stop Talking About It; Just Write
with Susan Farewell

REGISTRATION:

COST, LENGTH, PREREQUISITES:

No prerequisites.

Standard course: $150 / 6 weeks. Click here to register

Extended course: $188 / 12 weeks. Click here to register
Extended course gives you two weeks to do each lesson but contains NO additional material.

For questions about this COURSE, e-mail Susan Farewell at

You have a great idea for a book or magazine article, but just can't seem to find the time to work on it. What with work, your children, the commute--there are all sorts of reasons to put it off. According to course leader Susan Farewell, who has written several books and hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, "If you have the time to THINK about it, you can DO it." Farewell stresses that if you keep putting it off--"until the kids are grown" or "until I retire," you're probably not going to do it. Somebody else will." Farewell adds that "Ideas are like butterflies, you have to pay attention to them the minute they appear or you'll miss them."

This highly motivational and inspirational course is designed for writers of all levels and all genres. Participants will be encouraged to work through any blocks that are holding back or slowing down their writing process. There will be weekly writing exercises and participants will be encouraged to work on long-term projects. Whatever it is you've always been dreaming of writing, by the end of the six-week period, you will be well underway.

"I like taking courses online for the convenience of going to school without having to wash my face or put on makeup. It’s nice to sit at the computer with my morning coffee, reading and typing....

"Stop Talking About It; Just Write has helped me to see the lies I was telling myself about writing. I know now that I am a writer, and can be a success. I also know that I get to define what success means for me as a writer, and that has freed me to just write!" - Dawn

During each session, I will provide many practical tips for pushing past procrastination as well as discuss the following. The outline below is only general. We will adapt our course to your specific needs.

Week 1: Where do ideas come from and what happens when you keep ruminating on them.

Week 2: Deciding who your readers are. Many writers have a problem getting started because they can't picture who they are writing for.

Week 3: Taking chances, throwing caution to the wind and other ways to get out of the "stuck" mode. Including dealing with rejection, fear of failure, and getting feedback.

Week 4: Committing to an idea. Establishing deadlines.

Week 5: Dealing with research and how avoiding it can hold you back.

Week 6: Examining other obstacles and getting rid of them one by one. Getting into the habit of writing what you love. Goalsetting tips.

Ms. Farewell left Conde Nast to become a freelance writer and editor and now contributes to such magazines as Gourmet, Vogue, Travel Holiday, Travel and Leisure, McCall's, Metropolitan Home, Child, Bridal Guide, Gulliver (published in Tokyo), Diversion, Discovery, Currents, and Caribbean Travel and Life. Her work also appears in newspapers such as Crain's New York Business, Crain's Chicago Business, The New York Post, and St. Petersburg Times. Ms. Farewell is the editor of Your Invitation to Europe, the official travel publication of the European Travel Commission. This is published twice a year and distributed in several major US newspapers including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Tribune.

In addition, she is the author of How to Make a Living as a Travel Writer (Paragon House, 1992) and Simon and Schuster's Mobil Road Atlas and Trip Planning Guide, New England Atlas, and the Pacific Northwest Atlas. Her most recent book, Quick Escapes from New York City was published by The Globe Pequot Press last year.

Farewell has co-authored several books including Eyewitness Guide: New York (Dorling Kindersley, 1993), Frommer's New England 1993 (Simon & Schuster), Recommended Caribbean Inns (The Globe Pequot Press), The Penguin Guide to New York City, The Penguin Guide to the Caribbean, Fodor's Selected Resorts and Hotels of the U.S., Hidden Guide to New England (Ulysses Press), andù Fodor's National Parks of the West and Great American Sports and Adventure Vacations.

Susan Farewell has conducted a number of on-line conferences for American Express on AOL. The topics have been travel related including "Safari Travel" and "Planning a Honeymoon." Most of her on-line experience, however, comes from exploring the net for professional research and taking courses on the internet and other related topics. She has also been using computers almost exclusively for preparing and transmitting manuscripts for at least ten years.

Susan is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Society of American Travel Writers, and the New York Travel Writers.

Ms. Farewell has a B.A. degree in Greek Classics from Boston University and College Year in Athens, in Athens, Greece.