Courses

Story Smarts

Story Smarts is a 5-week dive into the 8 essential aspects of telling a compelling story (whether it’s a novel or short fiction). Includes 8 video modules and 2 coworking / Q&A sessions with Pat.

Bring your weird ideas, your impossible scenarios, and your good old-fashioned potboilers. Works for any genre and any word count.

Targeted information and timed writing prompts relevant to character, plot, scene dynamics, pacing, tension, premise, and structure will get you from blank page to complete draft with a minimum of wheel-spinning and rewriting.

“This course single-handedly developed my writing ability and technique more than anything else I have done in recent years.”
Chris Woodland, England

Story Smarts is for you if:

  • You want to know how to create a story or novel that works before you invest hundreds of hours in writing, scrapping, and rewriting.
  • You’re ready to write with more confidence and less wheel-spinning.
  • You have a project in mind.

To receive updates on the next course, contact me or sign up for my newsletter.

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Developmental Editing for Fiction

Developmental Editing for Fiction is an intense and value-packed 6-week Zoom course offered online. Takes you step by step through a full developmental edit of a novella manuscript. Maximum 12 students per cohort. Visit the Developmental Editing for Fiction Course Tour here. NOTE: This course is on hiatus while I turn it into a self-paced version. 

“This was an all-around fantastic course. The hands-on editing project was the perfect way to learn the editing process. The instructor, Pat Dobie, was truly outstanding.”
Melinda Morang, USA

Developmental Editing for Fiction is for you if:

  • An avid and discerning fiction reader who wants to turn your passion for novels into a rewarding income stream
  • A writer who wants an inside look at how developmental editors assess your manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses
  • An editor working in other fields (trade nonfiction, academic, corporate, or institutional) who loves fiction and wants to learn more about it so you can expand your offerings
  • A copyeditor or proofreader who wants to add big-picture developmental editing to your toolkit

To sign up for course announcements, visit Editorial Arts Academy and enter your email on the home page (scroll down).