Level up your writing with one of our self-paced, online writing courses and grab one of our helpful resource books. Click on each image for more information.
The WriterSpark Ready, Set, Write! course teaches you the nuts and bolts of creating everything you need to tell a compelling story. It covers:
Character Development
Story Structure
Scene Development
The Core Story Elements (POV, writing great dialogue, mood, tone, setting, and more)
By the end of this course, your virtual toolbox will be filled with everything you need to write your first novel.
Click the course logo above to learn more
This course teaches all aspects of writing a cozy mystery. Develop your cozy hook, your setting, craft your sleuth, the victim, the suspect pool, the villain, and flesh out the supporting cast. Create the crime, set up clues and red herrings, and use the cozy template to pull all the elements together.
By the end of this course, you will have created everything you need to write your cozy mystery.
Click the course logo above to learn more
Keep track of your cast of characters on the alphabetized list, and create character snapshots, story snapshots, relationship maps, and family trees as you write (or after the fact). This Fiction Writer's Pocket-Sized Character Bible will help you remember those pesky details that are so easy to forget. Available in two sizes.
Understanding the many elements of a mystery is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. How do the sleuth, victim, villain, and suspects work together to form a cohesive plot?
How do you mine the news for story ideas, then how do you make them your own?
-Steps to create complex characters
-Goal, Motivation, Conflict, Disaster
-Three Act Structure
-Hero’s Journey
-Skeleton Outlining
-Setting; Point of View; Dialogue; Tone; Mood; Voice
-Constructing a scene
-Scene and Sequel
-Motivation-Reaction Units
Are you an aspiring author? Someone craving new knowledge? Or maybe you want a craft refresher or need motivation. Wherever you are on your writing path, WriterSpark can help.
Get amazing information in a condensed format
Articles on the craft of writing
A Database of Books and Movies
What Say Our Happy Clients Have to Say
"Bourbon’s class Ready, Set, WRITE! covers about 20 lessons with bonus material. I’ve learned more writing basics from her than I did on my college campus. She’s so very detail oriented and practical.
The examples she uses for each topic are plentiful and relatable. It’s so easy to connect with the direction Bourbon is trying to move you in. I’ve found every lesson of hers invaluable.
I highly recommend this class. I had tears well up in my eyes when I completed the last lesson. I don’t want to part with learning from her."
-Trace Hartman
“I am ready to actually start achieving my dream of writing my first novel! Through WriterSpark Writing Academy’s Ready, Set, WRITE! novel writing course, I see the writing process less daunting and my personal goals more attainable.
Melissa Bourbon is a natural teacher, exciting motivator, and knowledgeable guide. Her own experience as a writer is shared fully with her students in a delightful and easy-to-follow format. The instruction, support, feedback, and encouragement she offers is of the highest quality, and I am excited to be a part of her future WriterSpark Academy Courses!"
"I liked how the instructor organized the topics and her exercises and downloadable content were excellent. The pacing was very good. There were sufficient examples, but not too many, so there wasn't a lot of fluff. The lectures were succinct and thorough.
I also very much appreciate the fact that she is a cozy mystery writer herself - and a prolific one! Her presentation of the material was clear and easy to understand. She speaks well - not too fast, not slow, she looks professional - all of which made me feel like I was in good hands.
Thank you very much Melissa!"
