Middle Ages Course for Writers (on-line)

***PERMISSION TO FORWARD***

Yellow Rose Romance Writers is proud to launch online workshops for the first time! All workshops are $15 for Yellow Rose members and $25 for non-Yellow Rose members.

In March, Eliza Knight will present A Noble's Life In Medieval Times. This is a 4 week course. To register, go http://yellowroserwa.com/workshops.php and fill in the form. We accept PayPal and check/money order. Registration deadline is February 28, 2009.

Course Description:

Life in medieval times was so much different than the way we live today. When readers sit down with their favorite medieval historical romance, they are taken away to another time and place. For most readers, this is where they learn about medieval times, and it is the duty of the author to be as authentic as possible. That being said, you don't want your book to be a history lecture either, but to just flavor it enough.

This workshop will teach you how people, particularly nobles, lived in medieval times, in order for you to be truer to the era you write about. This is an open discussion workshop, questions and comments are welcome and encouraged. The lessons will be presented as follows:

Lesson One: The Medieval Castle
Lesson Two: Medieval Entertainments
Lesson Three: Day in the Life of a Medieval Lord and Lady
Lesson Four: Medieval Medicine
Lesson Five: Medieval Clothes

Eliza Knight is the author of multiple steamy Regency and erotic Highlander time travel romance novellas published by The Wild Rose Press. She is a freelance copy editor, Newsletter Editor for Hearts Through History Romance Writers, and President of the Celtic Hearts Romance Writers signature chapter of the RWA. She also volunteers her time as moderator of a critique group and contest coordinator. Eliza is the author of the award-winning blog, History Undressed and has published numerous articles in various newsletters. She presents workshops on history, researching techniques and writing craft, to writing groups online. While not writing, reading or researching, she is chasing after her two--soon to be three--children and living with her own knight in shining armor. For more information on Eliza, please visit her website at, www.elizaknight.com, and www.historyundressed.blogspot.com.

On the Radio!

This is subject to change, but yesterday I agreed to be on Radio Cafe with Cathy Hauser on Saturday, February 14, 2009 (yes, Valentine's Day) from 3:00 - 4:00 pm CST on KTNF / AM 950 (that's "Voice of Minnesota," Air America.) If you're out of town and still want to listen in, please go to www.am950ktnf.com. Also, if you wish to harass... er, support me, feel free to call into the studio line at (952) 946-6205. I'm sure Cathy will also announce a 1-800 number if they have one.

Professor X as Heirophant

Here's Professor X as the Heirophant in my continuing Marvel (tm) Tarot pictures. I didn't write anything in my tarot journal after drawing it because it turned into a busy day, but here are my thoughts now.

I picked Professor X to be the Heirophant after reading the section in my WitchSchool.com Tarot 101 course. The instructor talked about the Heirophant as a guardian of arcane knowledge, and in many ways Prof. X is a kind of hero's school for mutants. You really can't be a good guy mutant without getting past the door marked "School of Gifted Students." He is the headmaster of the School, and, in the very beginning when it was just the five X-Men, the sole instructor of everything from math to "Superhero 101."

The two figures in the front take the place of the kneeling monks. I didn't intend them to be any particular characters, though I considered Jean (Phoenix) and Scott (Cyclops), though they will be making an appearance in the LOVERS card. I decided that the figures should remain sketchy and naked to represent the "anyone" aspect, though I did make them white/Caucasian, which given the diversity of the school kind of limits the characters. I suppose I could have colored them purple and green, also given the nature of the characters that are often admitted to the School of Gifted Students. :-)

The Point of No Return... Or Something Like That

I FINALLY past the half-way mark for me, 40,000 words yesterday. Although this has been a very messy process give how quickly I've been writing. I've been doing a lot of "ah-ha!"s and realizing what I SHOULD have written, and going back and layering in a lot of that. For instance, yesterday, though I ended up writing nearly 2,000 words (which is my daily goal,) most of those where a paragraph here or a couple of lines there. And I realized last night that there's a scene I've worked on maybe three times since I wrote it that STILL needs some massaging to get right.

Happy Imbolc!

Yesterday, my family and I did our usual Imbolc ritual where we added beads to our charm/magical necklaces. Mason really enjoys this one, and he always ends up doing an extra project. This time it was making a necklace to ward off the monsters under the bed.

I also have a new Tarot card I need to post. Maybe tomorrow.

Hope you all are keeping warm as February returns to Minnesota with a vengeance.