I’ve previously mentioned that I’ve been working for a local writing boutique called WriteByNight as a writing coach and manuscript consultant, and right now they are looking to expand their writing classes. They are interested in offering innovative courses that are a little different from the social networking, blog building, “how to land an agent”-y courses that are typically offered by some of the other local writing groups, so I have been brainstorming a few ideas about what I could teach Austinites on the subject of writing.

Here are the topics I came up with:

• Self-Publishing for Fun and Profit — pretty self-explanatory; a DIY guide to whipping your novel (or short story, or poetry, or blog posts) into shape and getting it published, whether digitally or on dead trees—or both!
• How to Write a Novel in Just 3 Days — based on my experience writing a novel in 3 days for the 3-Day Novel Contest, I’ll share my methods for creating kick-butt genre fiction and the “secrets to success” that will help you get ‘er done
• Kickstart Your Art — this workshop will teach you how to raise funds for a variety of artistic uses (including attendance at artist retreats, funding self-publishing ventures, or simply acquiring a chunk of change that will allow you to work on completing your novel without worrying about a day job), using fundraising sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo

I’ve also tossed my name in for a poetry workshop, which I would call “Haiku for Haters,” discussing both classic haiku and postmodern takes on the form while also helping students get started with this accessible, fun style of poetry.

So, if you were going to take a writing course, which of these would most interest you?