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Tele-Classes Available: Online Classes Available: About the instructor, Peter Occhiogrosso Writing and Publishing Magazine Articles Magazine writing requires a special set of skills that are related to, yet different from, those needed to write a nonfiction book. Whether you want to create a feature story, celebrity interview, essay, concert review, advice column, or first-person account, you will have to go through a process of proposal, submission, and revision. Because magazine and newspaper editors are too busy to read hundreds of articles every month, you'll need to learn how to put your ideas into a Query Letter. Although it should fit on the equivalent of one typewritten page, your query must contain all the essential information to help an editor decide whether or not to offer to buy your story. But that's only the beginning. Once you get the green light, you'll need to structure a piece of anywhere from 300 to 3000 words or more. In my course, you'll begin by learning to
At times, our class will recreate the atmosphere of an actual publication of which I am the editor-in-chief. You will propose articles to me and I will suggest why your ideas do or don't work, how to shape them into workable ideas, and how to come up with different approaches to the same subject matter that will appeal to different kinds of publications. You will then write the article we've agreed on, and submit it to me. I will "edit" the article by suggesting ways to revise and improve it--everything from grammatical and stylistic tips to ideas for restructuring. At the same time, you'll be receiving helpful feedback from the other members of the class, who will be busy proposing and writing their own articles. Most class members are at the beginning stage of writing magazine articles, so you'll essentially be working with your peers. You'll learn to revise and polish your piece while gaining an understanding of how the process works. We will also discuss how to approach editors, what magazines may work best for the story you want to write, how to track down subjects for new stories, and other technical aspects of the magazine writing craft. In the process, I'll share my experience from over 30 years of writing and publishing my own magazine articles. How It Works. The class takes place in cyberspace, using what's known as a list server. The list includes you, me, and everyone who has paid to take the class. It is inaccessible to anybody I don't let in, so no outsiders will be looking over your shoulder. Once you join the class, you will receive all the e-mails from me and the other workshop members. Anything you send to me or another member can be read by anybody else in the class. This way, you all see each other's work and profit from one another's input, reactions, suggestions, and ideas for expanding your own material. You're under no obligation to reply to others' e-mails or to critique their work, but most students find that to be one of the most helpful aspects of the workshop. I lead the class and give you one-on-one instruction when you need it, and I also monitor exchanges between class members, stepping in to comment or correct misimpressions whenever that's called for. By the time we're done, you should have a finished article ready for submission. Writing and Publishing Spiritual Books Over the past 20 years, I have written and published three books for major publishers on various aspects of spirituality. During that same time, I have co-authored 8 other books and ghostwritten or helped complete the manuscripts of 7 additional books, including three New York Times best-sellers. The subject matter of these books has included prayer and healing; contacting your spiritual guides; diet and exercise based on Ayurvedic principles; a program for treating arthritis primarily with diet and exercise; exploring the spiritual principles inherent in chakras and archetypes; and a guide to the world's religious traditions. Over the years, I've learned what professional agents and editors look for in a book proposal, as well as what they want to see in a finished manuscript. That's a large part of what I will be sharing with you in my workshop. With the explosion of sales in the spiritual and self-help fields, publishers have grown far more selective. Although demand is still high for books on spiritual topics, more than ever an author must be able to present ideas in a professional manner that will let editors know you can deliver what you promise with a minimum of "clean-up" work on their part. That means you have to present a comprehensive outline of your book idea, along with compelling reasons why it will find a warm reception in the crowded marketplace. In other words, you have to write a great book proposal. The class begins by discussing your ideas and visions for writing a book about some aspect of your personal spiritual experience, some realm of spiritual knowledge of interest to you, or some way to help others improve their lives. We distinguish between solid, marketable ideas and vague musings. (Musings are all right, as long as you recognize them for what they are and proceed from there.) Then we develop your idea into something you're comfortable writing about. I will show you a rich array of techniques and methods for developing your idea, including various approaches to research and different formats for composing a book. I'll also describe ways to work practical exercises into the text of your book, so that readers can experience for themselves the growth that you may be trying to guide them through. You will develop a book proposal, starting with a brief overview stating the goals of your book in one or two pages. Then you'll flesh that out with a chapter outline consisting of brief summaries of each chapter. The main challenge in writing a professional-looking book proposal is not so much following this formula as learning how to narrow and focus your ideas to begin with, and then presenting them-and you-in the best possible light. Best of all, I will share my experience gained during thirty years as a journalist, newspaper and magazine editor, author, co-author, ghostwriter, and manuscript doctor. I'll pass along what tips I've learned about finding an agent, dealing with editors, and what to expect from the world of publishing. Sacred Journaling This class is for anyone who is having difficulty journaling on a regular basis or looking for ways to make journaling more accessible, enjoyable, and part of a regular spiritual practice. We explore how to use your daily journal writings to examine the way Caroline Myss's teachings can be integrated into your life on a daily basis, whether working with Sacred Contracts and Archetypes or Entering the Castle. I will spell out suggestions to help facilitate the release of journaling energies. I will also give examples of what journaling can look like, and suggest various techniques that will help you overcome blocks and resistance to journaling. That's only part of the process, however. Although journaling is an essentially private practice, you can gain support from others who may be encountering some of the same challenges that you face in making journal writing a daily practice. CMED members who have taken this course have reported to me that among its greatest assets for them was the way in which it helped validate their own experiences in journaling by seeing others working through the process. They also were relieved to see the great variety of ways that one can journal about and work with one's archetypes, and that all paths are valid. If you are unfamiliar with Caroline's teachings, either through her books, CDs or workshops, please contact me before registering.
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About Peter Occhiogrosso Peter Occhiogrosso has written, co-authored, or ghostwritten 18 books in both the spiritual and secular fields. A member of the Authors Guild, his 1996 book The Joy of Sects: A Spirited Guide to the World's Religious Traditions, has become an underground favorite at colleges, prep schools, and Web sites around the world, and was recently republished by the Authors Guild. He began his writing career as a jazz critic and reviewer, writing for numerous publications in the U.S., England, and Japan. He also conducts a forum on spiritual issues on his Website, www.joyofsects.com. Published books include:
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