Develop a Novel in Just One Weekend!

Have you always dreamed of writing a novel?
Do you  . . .
• Have a great idea but never had the time to pursue it?
• Have a yearning to write but are not sure where to begin?
• See yourself as a published author but believe that writing a book is something that takes months or years to accomplish?

Maybe you have started a novel, only to get stalled partway through?
Almost 20,000 new novels for adults will be published this year.  Yours could be one of them!

What if I could show you how:

You can create a complete novel plan . . . in one weekend.
You can finish your novel . . . in as little as 30 days.

I know it’s possible because I do it myself. My most recent book took four weeks to write, one more week to edit, and was on bookstore shelves six months after I turned it in to my editor.  This is exactly why I call my course “The Proven Quick-Start Way to Write Your Book.”

I’m not talking about participating in one of those fun-to-do exercises, in which a bunch of people decide to write their novels in 72 hours and submit them for judging in a contest. Even staying up all night, loaded with caffeine (if you can do it) you’re only going to produce a manuscript of 100 pages or so. At an average of 250 words per page, that’s a 25,000 word manuscript. Outside of the children’s markets, that’s not considered a book. It’s a novella at best.

I am talking about writing a marketable, 300 to 400 page manuscript, targeted to one of the genres that editors, agents, booksellers and readers want. Am I saying that you can write a full book in two days? Of course not. But with my quick-start techniques, you’ll leap over many of the hurdles that keep writers from getting started or find us stymied partway through a story. Just think—In a few short weeks you can have your novel in the hands of an agent or editor.

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“I love the idea of a plan that can get people started, keep them going and guarantee a finish! Novel in a Weekend is long overdue in the world of workshops and conferences!”
 — Susan Slater, author of the Ben Pecos mystery series and former writing instructor, University of Phoenix

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I developed an easier way . . .

Let me tell you a little story. I’m Connie Shelton and I write mysteries. My first novel, which I started in 1985, ran 500 pages long and took me two years to write. I worked on it weekends and vacations and whenever I was “in the mood.” The opening chapters won third place in a writing contest, but the book never sold because, frankly, I had worked it to death. With my second book, I vowed to write whether I was in the mood or not, and I completed it in a year (a divorce, moving out of state, and numerous other excuses still intervened). I fine-tuned the skills of carving out time to write, plotting quickly, writing ‘near finished quality’ on the first draft, and sticking to a writing schedule as I wrote my next five or six books.

We writers have busy schedules. I do, and I’m sure you do too. It’s probably one of the reasons you haven’t finished that book you are so eager to write.

Let me share my proven techniques with you.
Let me help you get your book done.

My Novel In A Weekend™  proven quick-start program starts with the basics. Even if you start the course without a book idea, you’ll quickly learn how to get ideas for stories that are either character driven or plot driven. In fifteen minutes you’ll have a concise “pitch” that will capture an editor’s interest. Once you have your idea formulated, in two days you’ll have a complete story plan, including:
• Well-rounded characters that come alive on the page
• A working outline, including chapter-by-chapter or scene-by-scene developments
• The perfect setting for your story to take place
• A dynamic opening scene that will hook your readers from page 1

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It’s Different—

My Novel in a Weekend™ course is not like other writing courses because—
You don’t spend 3-4 days reading a how-to book first—you actually write as you go
You don’t spend months taking classes before finishing a story (often not even the book you wanted to write).
We start writing—on your book—within the first hour!
It’s guaranteed. If you don’t like the course, for any reason, you can return it for a full refund any time within 60 days.

You’ll also learn:
What makes a story, versus a situation
• Why it’s crucial that readers care about your characters
• How to keep readers turning the pages
• Why setting cannot be ignored—how to write authentically about a place you’ve never been
• How to spark up your writing style and avoid blandness
• How to write “near finished” quality on the first draft
• How to define your book so an editor will want it
• How to contact editors and agents
• Why using the wrong format in typing your manuscript will result in automatic rejection (and how to do it right)
• How to fit writing time into your busy day
• Why we never utter the phrase “writer’s block”
Think of the new confidence you’ll gain when your book is finished. I can tell you from personal experience that it’s quite a rush, having your friends and family read your first book. Even more so is that amazing feeling when a complete stranger walks up to you and says, “I read your newest book, and I loved it!”

Being a published author has opened so many wonderful doors for me. I’ve had the chance to meet and socialize with some of the biggest names from the best-seller lists. Among the hundreds of authors I’ve met are Mary Higgins Clark, Sue Grafton and Tony Hillerman. I count Harlan Coben as one of my friends now, and I had the tremendous fortune to sit next to Janet Evanovich at a table where we signed books together. My dream life really has come true!

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Here’s what others are saying

Dear Writer,
I’ve worked with Connie Shelton for about fourteen years now, on both fiction and non-fiction projects. I’d like to share a little background that I know about her writing achievements and her philosophy.

Connie is the author of ten books in the Charlie Parker mystery series, a non-fiction guide to publishing, and several award-winning essays and short stories, and was a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul.  She was senior editor for Intrigue Press for five years. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters In Crime, and The National League of American PEN Women.

Connie teaches fiction and nonfiction writing courses, and many of her students have gone on to be published and have established careers in writing.

She developed her Novel in a Weekend™ program as the first-ever writing course designed to get you well on the way to writing your book in just two short days. Often, the hardest part about writing a book is getting started. Connie knows this; she’s written and contributed to more than a dozen books. She knows that many writers have an idea for a novel but aren’t quite sure where to start. Many times, they aren’t sure where to go with it once they have started.

An amazing number of novels die after forty or fifty pages because the writer suddenly becomes “blocked.” Shelton shares the secrets of avoiding writer’s block and of seeing your book through to the finish, often in record time. She disputes the idea that writing is a slow, arduous process, filled with angst. With the right techniques, a full-length novel can be developed in a weekend and completed within 1-2 months—really!

I wish you all the best in your writing endeavors,
Lee Ellison
Marketing Director
Columbine Publishing Group

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Your Novel in a Weekend™ course materials will include:

• My 65-page course manual, complete with worksheets to use in developing your plot line, characters, settings, and chapters. Plus, a goal-setting calendar to track your progress.
• Two audio CDs of the presentation in my live workshops. If you don’t want to read your way through the course, I’ll talk you through it.
• Four exciting bonus reports —more about them in a minute.
• Several other little goodies to help you get started and stay on task (read on!)
• A FREE critique of your first 20 pages and synopsis (regularly priced at $100)

Workshops often cost around $1,000 when you include your airfare and hotel costs to attend in the destination city, and you share the time with many other students. Online classes run, typically, in the $350 to $600 range and most of them take months to complete. My experience is that many potentially great writers put off taking these routes because of either the time involved or the cost.

A Writer’s Dream . . .
Imagine . . . you find a quiet weekend—send the spouse and kids on a camping trip, take the phone off the hook, let the dishes pile up. Or go on a retreat yourself, tucking away in a quiet hotel, a chair on the beach or a cabin somewhere with just yourself, your CD player and notepad or laptop computer. By the end of the second day you’ll have a strong start on your novel. Plus, you’ll have a solid plan in hand for finishing that novel in 30-40 days. Many writers get a finished draft done in even less time!

Don’t put your dreams on hold any longer—click here to immediately order my Novel in a Weekend ™ course.

Remember, you get the 65 page course manual and worksheets, 2 audio CDs, and the bonus reports that will immeasurably help your marketing efforts, and so much more!.

With my home study course, you choose the time that’s convenient for you. You can play the CDs over and over, so you don’t miss any crucial point—and, my time is 100% yours. No other students interrupting with questions that don’t pertain directly to your work!