If you’re not signed up for Candace Haven’s Yahoo group Write_Workshop yet, you need to sign up today.

Candy provides writing classes through the group, as well as writing games to help you write more. She brings in top name authors, agents and editors to share their knowledge with you.

And she does it all for free.

That’s right, totally free. If you had to locate and sign up for information like this, you’d spend hours and a lot of dollars. Instead, you can get it delivered right to your inbox.

Recent classes include:

• Write Naked by Wendy Watson on how to define your voice, develop it and make sure it shines through in your story.
• A class by Nikki Duncan on how to balance romance and suspense in your novel.
• Notes from Deborah Blake’s class about writing witches in paranormals. (Deborah was teaching on another loop but shared info from her class for Candy’s group.)

There’s a new class starting on Dec. 1. Sasha White will be presenting material on Writing Dynamic Scenes.

Do you ever worry that your story is boring? That the pacing is off, or things might be dragging a bit. The sagging middle so to speak?

In this three day workshop National Bestselling author Sasha White will share some tips and tricks for making every scene count.

Joining Candy’s Yahoo group is free and the information is super valuable. The only thing she asks in return is that you support her and the authors she brings to the group by buying their books.

You won’t find better writing instruction offered anywhere at this great price, so join the group today.

(The Write_Workshop group is where Candy and the guest workshop leaders post their material. The students of the class chat about the material on this group – Write_WorkshopChat. You’ll want to join both.)

And if you like paranormal romance, check out Candy’s books – Dragons Prefer Blondes, The Demon King and I, the Charmed & Dangerous series, and Like A Charm.

The holidays are right around the corner and that’s usually a busy time for most folks. If you have a smidge of time to spare, get yourself a gift of a writing class to keep your writing moving forward.

Scottish Castles of the 12th and 13th Centuries – Learn about the castles, king and court, the nobility, and calendar feasts and pastimes.

Pitch Perfect (A Two Week Practice Workshop) – Learn the secrets to nailing your pitch, how to score a home run with editors, and how not to stop short of getting the results you want!

Muse Therapy – Discover what makes your muses tick, what ticks them off, and what makes them dance like nobody’s watching.

Rule of Six – Six Steps to Better Plots – Capitalize on this technique that marketing gurus have used for years to find the “thought not thought of yet” and avoid duplicating a plot line, character quirk or other idea already out there (that you may have seen subconsciously).

Geeky Stuff for Writers – This two-week course is for writers of all stripes who want to make their work more efficient, save time, and save money. Get hardware and software recommendations, outliners, organizers, some free, some cheap. Some not so cheap, but well worth it.

Introduction to Screenwriting – This 9-week course is free. You can bookmark it and work through the lessons at your own pace.

And finally, as an added resource, check out this article with tips on how to get the most out of a workshop. How to Succeed in an Online Writing Workshop

Continuing in the great vein of NaNo, here are some more NaNo tips for you. And they make great all-around writing tips.

These thoughts are from the #writechat on Twitter last Sunday. #writechat is a discussion of writing topics each Sunday afternoon hosted by @WritingSpirit. You don’t need a Twitter account to see the #writechat discussion (just do a search for “#writechat” on the Twitter site and keep refreshing), but you do need an account to participate in the #writechat discussion.

The topic: We’re halfway thru NaNoWriMo & Non-Fic offshoots. How are you doing? What are you learning? Where are you getting stuck?

I am learning you need to be focused on your NaNovel and not be multitasking IMHO @EngridE1

Learned the importance of index cards & skipping troubled scenes – Just keep writing. @KarlBimshas

And I’ve learned that outlines are your friend, lol. @FLAngel03

Although both help, I also learned that online writing friends are more supportive than offline writing friends. @KarlBimshas

I’ve learned that it’s difficult to write 2000 words everyday. @EvelynNAlfred

Rewarding yourself for even small stuff is good. I think that was the theme of my “Inspiration” message this week. @GLHancock

I wouldn’t be making as much progress on #nano without the bar charts. I LOVE measuring progress. @KarlBimshas

I think I need to learn the lesson of taking my time rather than making grand, dramatic word-count gestures. @impossiblecat

It’s so liberating to let your 1st draft be full of mistakes and still be okay. Life can be lead that way too. @KarlBimshas

My friend got me on to weekly wordcounts rather than daily ones. Seems to result in more writing somehow – like nano I guess @MustardPepper

If you feel “stuck” in a 1st draft, you’re not understanding the concept of a “1st draft.” @KarlBimshas

When I’m stuck I usually think about location/setting to spur a new scene. @mepowell

I prefer the term rough draft for writing without caring. First draft is removing everything that doesn’t work in rough draft. @cdreimer

A 1st draft is supposed to be a rough draft. Editing comes later, after you have the bones of the story down! @HeatherMcCorkle

As you can see, not all writers agree on the definition of first draft or rough draft, but the main thing is to pull out the pieces of advice that are useful to you.

If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, what have you learned since starting?

I’ve learned that it is a mistake to take on a novel project when you’re already fully committed. I had too many things already scheduled for November and my NaNo novel progress is suffering as a result.

Writing a novel requires a commitment of time and mental energy. If you aren’t fully prepared to make that commitment, then save the novel-writing until you are. Guilt and frustration over your lack of progress won’t do your novel any good.

Where I’m at…

Not where I want to be, but I consider it decent progress when measured against the other things I have going on this month. How is your NaNo progress? What have you learned?

If you’re looking for more encouragement than an actual system for writing your novel, try out How to Write a Novel in 100 Days or Less.

Each day is on a separate page and contains a motivational message to keep you going along with occasional writing tips. Toward the end of the series, the tips change into revision advice along with instructions for finding an agent and preparing your manuscript for submission.

I’ve been away working on my NaNo novel and some other projects. It may look like I’m behind on my word count, but that is all part of my strategy. Really. It is.

I do find that this NaNo seems a lot more effortless this year than in the past. I set my timer for 15 minutes and just start writing. Not in a hurry, but with the intent to keep my fingers moving for the entire time. And I can write 600 words in those 15 minutes, which is quite respectable. Three sessions and I have my word count for the day.

I’m anticipating it may get harder to get the words in as I progress through the story and the scenes aren’t so well-imagined yet.

How is NaNo going for you?