Book Writing World has collected a lot of wonderful success stories this year. Celebrate with us, tell us your successes or get ready for next week’s enrollment in 2014 BWW courses that will ensure your success in the New Year!

Lea: My first book, Walk With Me: A Companion and Guide for Parents, was accepted for publication by Floris Books in the UK.  It will be out in 2015.  I couldn’t have begun or finished this without the support of Elizabeth and the other writers in the Mentor group.

One excerpt from my memoir-in-progress won 2nd prize in the Seven Hills Literary Contest, and a second excerpt was published by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.  Both of these pieces came out of fragments that were born in Craft Class and were later polished in Workshop.

I finished my first draft of the memoir, and reading back through it as I revise, I realize how many of the pieces sprang out of Craft Class!

Bob: The past year has been a productive one for me – I am closing in on completing the first draft of my first novel, The Halflife of Memory.” I started it in 2009, and without the support and encouragement of Elizabeth and the entire Book Writing World community, I know that I would not have had the success that I did in 2013.  For me, a novice novelist when I began, and never having studied English past high school, to be connected with this energy is profoundly wonderful. So thanks!

Susan S.: I got two short pieces picked up in publications. Wouldn’t have gotten the
work done without you.

Maureen: I’m grateful to BWW for the support and encouragement that emanates from this eclectic group. Hearing other examples of writing from such different perspectives is very helpful, as are the gentle prods to keep setting aside time to write. I’m relatively new to the challenges of working from home and hopeful that your assignments and the rich voices I hear in class will spur me to better structure my own work.

Lee: Though I haven’t tried to publish anything yet, it is a huge help and inspiration to come to class each week and write on the spot, as well as hearing the other writers’ work. Getting a start in the class has allowed me to write much more on my blog and write with more skill.  Thanks for a great quarter!

Sabina: With the skills I learned at Book Writing World, I was able to complete the first draft of my novel.  Before BWW, I did not have the confidence to move forward.  I was stuck at one place, unhappy with the work I had done.  Elizabeth encouraged me to write and to move forward and to sculpt later.  This is the biggest lesson I learned in her class.

Also, with the help of Elizabeth, I worked on my specific weakness in writing, telling not showing, and am now able to show a full scene and be proud of what I have done.

Another great benefit is the recorded classes- my savior.  The recorded videos are great for someone like me, who is easily distracted with my kids (during class).  I am able to go back and watch the recorded class as many times as I need to in order to understand the lesson and write full scenes.

Another skill I have learned is to make time to write.  I used to set unattainable goals and not really stick to them.  Elizabeth showed me that it is a better idea to have  goal “range” (100-300 words vs just 200 words) and this helped me keep to my word, which helped my confidence, which helped me to write more, and finally which helped make writing daily a habit.

I want to thank Elizabeth and BWW for helping me become the writer I have always dreamed of being.  I am now working on editing the novel I worked on while in the class.  I never thought I would get to this place.

Devi: My writing successes for 2013 are

1. I started a website and posted several blogs about my family’s situation. BWW helped with shaping the narrative and finding my voice.
2. Got my panel accepted for the 2014 awp conference — BWW helped with writing habit and submitting my
work.
3.  Got accepted into the Narrative Mag workshop. BWW helped with writing habit and being persistent about submitting work.

Thais: What has the BWW done for me? I finished a book. I’m writing a new one. I’m writing, writing, writing.

Congratulations to these and all my students who are:

• producing marvelous work
• getting it out into the world
• developing writing habits that will sustain a career
• getting published

I am proud of all of you for your tenacity, courage and generosity.