We've all been there ...

As writers, we've all started projects. And we've all gotten stalled, blocked, bogged down -- unable to finish.

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Maybe you have half a book and don't know how to finish it. Maybe you've finished a first draft but you're struggling with what to do next. If you're ready for some outside help and a deep dive into how to take your project to the next level, this "Finish Your Book!" course may be for you!

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I'm the author of over 20 novels and I've had 40 years of experience at starting and finishing books. If you want to know a little more about me and my work, check out my main page.

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Writers who took this course in 2025-26 said "I really enjoyed it - and learned a lot. I would definitely recommend this course to others" and "The goal-setting, feedback sessions, one-on-one meetings and expert advice equipped me with everything I needed to 'finish that book'.”

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Over a period of six months, from October 2026 to April 2027, I'll meet twice a month (twelve two-hour workshops) with a small group of writers who are seeking to get past their writer's block and finish their project.

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Because people have a lot of different expectations around writing courses, and I learned a lot from the first run-through of this course in 2025-26, I thought I'd give a little overview of what I will and won't be offering in this course.

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WHAT I WON'T DO IN THIS COURSE:

• I won't teach you "the foolproof secret to writing a novel," because I'm not convinced that exists. But we will discuss lots of tips and techniques that we've found helpful and share ideas.

• I won't ask you to hand in assignments to me every week. I will give assignments, and, more importantly, I'll encourage you to set "homework" for yourself -- but the focus will be on setting and achieving your own goals, not on being answerable to me.

• I won't read and critique your whole book -- but there will be in-class critique sessions, and you will have the opportunity to book a couple of one-on-one sessions with me to discuss specific sections of your project if you'd like my direct feedback.

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WHAT WE WILL DO IN THIS COURSE:

• We'll talk about some of the issues that frequently get us stalled in projects and how to overcome them

• We'll discuss many aspects of writing a book: characterization, setting, point of view, the revision process, and more

• I'll create opportunities for writers to help each other

• We'll discuss how to get past your barriers and achieve success -- whatever success looks like for you (we'll talk about that as well: traditional publishing, self-publishing, all the different things you can do with a book)

• I'll invite you to set personal goals for the six-month period of the course, as well as for the two-week period between each class, and encourage you to journal and reflect on the progress you made toward those goals

• While this course is not primarily a critique group, each writer will have two opportunities to bring a piece to be critiqued in class. You're not required to submit your work if you don't feel ready for group critique, but everyone is encouraged to participate in critiquing other people's work. If you're not comfortable participating in the critique process at all, this class might not be for you.

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Meeting times and locations will be announced in September 2026; my current plan, depending on demand, is to offer one in-person and one online version of the course.

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You'll need to submit a writing sample and a little info about you and your project before being accepted for this course, because I want to make sure that the writers and book projects will work well together as a group. It's very rare this happens but I do reserve the right to say "This class doesn't seem like a good fit for you" based on your writing sample.

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I realize that $300 and six months of workshops is a big commitment, so you don't have to jump right into this! If you have questions, email me at trudyj65@hotmail.com. If you know you definitely want to do the course, you can fill out the registration form here. I won't charge you the registration fee until I've reviewed your writing sample, announced the course time(s), and confirmed there's a time that will work for you.

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