This blog post was written by Bobbie Combs, part of the Marketing Team here at Boyds Mills.

I’ve always been intrigued by the premise and description of Just Do It: Your Collaborative Support Group for Finishing Your Draft. I love all three of the instructors and after 40+ years doing marketing for authors, illustrators, publishers and others in the kidlit industry, I felt ready to start writing my own stories–but kept just getting stuck with the how/when/where of it all, and decided to take the course last fall to see if I could, well, Just Do It, Already!

Throughout the course I kept careful notes and wanted to share some tips with anyone who might be thinking about taking the course.

Tip #1: Set a Specific Goal for What You’d Like to Accomplish.

There is so much information packed into this course, and so many different choices of lectures, prompts, daily discussion, that it can feel overwhelming at first. So I think it’s better to choose your main goal, and keep that posted in front of your computer!

My goal was: Develop a Writing Practice. I was able to work on that goal in 4 ways:

1. I tried to do something writing-related on every single day of the course.
2. II asked other students what their writing practice looked like.
3. II listened to faculty and special guest lectures to discover what forms their writing practice took.
4. I did a lot of thinking about what my ideal writing practice would be like.

Other examples of goals that you could set might be:

• Write XXX words per day or week.
• Finish the manuscript draft you are currently working on.
• Find out how the agenting acquisition process works.
• Deepen the characters in your novel as you revise.
• Find an answer to a particularly troubling issue with your plot.

Whatever your goal is, I guarantee you that the faculty leaders of this course will try to help you achieve it, and answer your questions.

Tip #2: Spend Time Preparing BEFORE the Course Begins.

As I said, this course is packed with SO MANY touchpoints and interactions that it can feel overwhelming to dive in on that first day. The more prepared you are when the course begins, the more value you’ll get from it.

Here are some things it would be good to do ahead of time:

• Set your goal(s) for the course (see Tip #1, above.)
• Make a schedule for yourself that reserves time daily or weekly to work on your goals and to fully participate in all that the class has to offer.
• List all of the questions you’d like to find answers to.
• Compile notes on things you’d like to discuss during your 1:1 consultation.
• Visit the Boyds Mills Canvas classroom when it opens, and get familiar with the technology the course uses (see below for more about the technology.)

Tip #3: Take Advantage of the Rich Resources the Course Provides.

Daily:

• Write! (there are daily writing prompts on Discord)
• Interact on Discord: ask a question or share a resource

Weekly:

• Check in with your Canvas classroom
• Attend live Zoom lecture sessions
• Attend studio hours – get inspired by an art prompt!
• Schedule yourself for AT LEAST two writing sprints
• Meet with your Accountability Pod
• Measure your goal progress

Tip #4: Get Comfortable With the Technology the Course Uses.

This is an online course, so to get the most out of it, you should be as proficient as possible using the various technologies used. They include:

Canvas Classroom

This is home base for the course! Here you’ll find:

• The course syllabus
• Any announcements
• Links to Zoom lectures and other places the group meets, like Discord
• Recordings of all lectures
• Handouts from lectures, to download

Discord Virtual Community

This is where much of the conversation and interaction takes place during the course:

• Notes from the faculty
• Daily writing prompts
• Different channels: genres, topic-specific discussions, brainstorm sessions, and the most updated schedule.
• Discord is a place to ask your questions and get answers from faculty and others in the community!
• Others in the course share many useful links here, as well as tips and tricks that have helped them!

Zoom

Live lectures, studio hours and 1:1 consultations are all done via Zoom. This is where:

• Faculty and special guests will be doing weekly live presentations and holding studio hours.
• You’ll check in for writing sprints! Writing sprints are events where a facilitator opens a Zoom link; you can sign in, say hi (or not) and just write alongside others who are also writing. You don’t have to talk, listen, or turn on your video camera if you don’t’ want to. It’s just a virtual space where you can go to write.
• You’ll connect with others in your “Accountability Pod,” a smaller group of writers with common interests, where you can discuss and/or share your stories.
• You’ll have a single, 1:1 20-minute consultation with facultyto discuss progress, ask questions, and plan for next steps.
• You’ll have a chance to participate in open mic sessions to share your work.

Email

You’ll use email for 1:1 communications:

• You will have access to our faculty via email, as well as being able to contact the Boyds Mills facilitator who is managing the class.
• There is a channel in the Canvas classroom where you can exchange emails with other students if you’d like to make/receive direct contact.

Discord Server:

Zoom:

Does That Sound Like a LOT? Well, It Is!

There are so many resources and so much inspiration and instruction here! I think this course offers so much for your investment, thanks to the generosity of Chris Tebbetts, Sarah Aronson, Daria Peoples and their special guests.