Alida’s classes are a treasure. Through her class on plot, I started out with a wisp of an idea and ended up with a detailed storyboard for a tale that I’m excited to tell. Her class on character helped me understand why some of my prior characters were so blah and how to change that through brainstorming techniques such as the agency tree. I love how Alida’s strategies are never maps written in stone but points of departure written in pencil. They stimulate my imagination while providing guideposts that keep me from getting lost. I wish I had found Alida decades ago. (Of course, then she might have only been 12.)    

Four years ago, I decided to write a book. Thinking about writing, I felt bubbles in my belly, which transformed darkness into joy. With a big smile and a relaxed straight posture, I took a writing course. Pen onto paper, it was a miracle to create something out of nothing. But it didn’t bring me the writing craft I longed for. Then I tried an outline course which confused me. This was when I discovered the website of Alida. Her lessons about using the body, emotion and memory brought me clarity. It was like a line was drawn from my past into the future, combining all the life lessons I had learned and being able to use them to create. Tears rolled down my face as I wrote, anger like a breathing tiger nestled in my belly. My eyes witnessed a new truth as bubbles in my belly surfaced. Only a few teachers can show us the precise steps to let our stories unfold on the page. Alida shows the way with many pieces from books and stories as examples, beautiful writing prompts and a soft smile. I wish you the same experience with her as your writing coach!

The Plot Master Class forced me (in a gentle, considerate, and non-abusive way) to learn to work with tools of story craft that I had either ignored or used ineffectively.

Every week Alida shared a different aspect of her craft and invited class participants to integrate her tools and processes into their own—in whatever way they found comfortable and effective. She answered participant questions on-the-fly, whether they were general questions about story structure, character arc, dialog, and subtext, or specific questions about works-in-progress. Or whatever else came up.

I recommend it highly.

P.S. Alida, your class changed the way I nurture and tend my story seeds. Thank you for that.    

Alida’s plot class helped me to go from idea to fully realized storyboard in a clear and organized manner. She took the chaos of brainstorming and turned it into a method for me to use to begin drafting with confidence. I highly recommend taking her course to learn more about the essentials of story plot and how to make them work for you, no matter your idea-generating style!

Dear Alida,
I received your course on character development as part of a package. While the course was short, the page of notes I wrote will be quite beneficial as I progress in my writing career.

Your ‘Real Character’ videos did an excellent job of fine tuning those mental images resulting in an even more lifelike character I could present. Your method of prioritizing characters instilled insight regarding how much I explained a character, and how much I left to the readers imagination.

The bottom line, Alida, your efforts to improve my writing were both appreciated and productive. Thank you!

My novel was failing to grip early readers because the bad guy featured there wasn’t scary enough. Alida’s class on how to make readers fear your antagonist and fear for the endangered characters sounded like exactly what I needed—and it was! A great class for anyone who wants to ratchet up readers’ tension from uneasiness at the opening of the story to heart-pounding terror at the climax.