Registered!

Registration this go-round was much less painful than last time, when the computer enrolled me in classes at the same day and time (Help desk guy: "That's supposed to be impossible,") causing me to madly enroll last in whatever was still open.

This time I did do some mad rushing last night to formally declare a double specialization in Trauma (non-combat) and Spiritual/Depth Psychology before registration to get into classes held for people with specializations, but everyone was very helpful and it worked out. I am seeing the benefits of belonging to a small, private college, because if this was anywhere else I've ever attended, I would probably still be at the registrar's office now.

I still don't know if I can go to Japan. Registration for that was delayed for everyone due to some technicality. When it opens, we all put our names on a wait-list, and then they hold a lottery.

My classes for next quarter:

Monday 10:00 AM: PSY 548 Ethics and the Law
Sect 1: Joel Andres 3 units

Monday 1:00 PM PSY 501A Process/Psychotherapy I -
Sect 1: Zari Hedayat 2 units

Monday 4:00 PM: PSY 531A Personality I -
Sect 1: Doug Sadownick 3 units

Wednesday 7:00 PM: PSY531H Intercultural Transpersonal and -
Depth Psychology
Sect. 1: Thomas Mondragon 3 units

PSY522 Effects of Trauma on Human Development and -
Neurobiology; Social History and Current Issues.
Sect 1: Joel Andres 2 units
Dates: Jan. 15 and Jan. 29 , 9am - 5pm


MAYBE

PSY 525F Japanese Approaches to Mindfulness and Mental Health -
Sect 1: Matt Silverstein & Marli Kakishima 3 units
March 14-March 24, Shunkoin Temple, Kyoto, Japan


Three classes on Monday - yikes. But all three are core classes I need to take next quarter. I haven't had any of those professors before. The Wednesday class is taught by my favorite professor from this quarter, so I pounced on it. No idea what it will actually be like, but judging by the class I have with him now, it should be intense and amazing.

Manuscript critique services OFFERED

Do you have a manuscript that needs a critique? Have you been quietly longing for an individualized writing workshop with me? If so, you are in luck!

My manuscript critique services include detailed general notes, plus individual notes in the manuscript itself. If you like, it also includes an hour-long consultation via telephone (you call me), or in person if you happen to live in Los Angeles. Optionally, I will give you advice on business issues (like getting an agent) in addition to critique. I am extremely honest, but not mean.

I can’t guarantee that your book will be published or your script will be produced, but some people I’ve worked with have gone on to publish their manuscripts. I was the main person who critiqued the two manuscripts linked below before they acquired agents. I also advised both authors on how to get an agent and write a query letter.

A Bad Day's Work: A Novel is a lighthearted mystery a la Stephanie Plum. This manuscript underwent major changes as a result of my suggestions, and ended up with a new love interest. The author got a three-book deal.

"Ready for the People": My Most Chilling Cases as a Prosecutor is nonfiction by a Los Angeles prosecutor. I edited this for clarity, readability, and manuscript format.

The woman who won my critique services in a Sweet Charity auction a while back rewrote her spec script for Supernatural according to my notes and submitted it to a TV writing contest, where it came in as a quarter-finalist.

I am willing to read fiction, non-fiction, and any kind of script, including comic book scripts. I have no content restrictions, and I will read partial manuscripts. I don't think I'm the best person to consult about poetry or sitcoms.

Rates: $2/page for manuscripts of 200 pages or under. For manuscripts of 200 + pages, the rate for the subsequent pages drops to $1.

ie, if you have a 50-page TV script, I will critique it for $100. If you have a 300-page book, the total cost (200 pages at $2/page and 100 pages at $1/page) is $500.

If you have a very short piece, like a query letter or college admission essay, the minimum rate is $50.

Turn-around: One month.

Comments to this post are screened. Comment if you’re interested or have questions, or email me at Rphoenix2 at gmail dot com.

I’ve sold nonfiction, fiction, TV scripts, poetry, and comic books, and taught writing privately, at writing workshops, a high school, and a university (UC Riverside.) For more details, I will email you my writing and teaching resumes upon request.