Big Picture Quotes

With organization, humor and enthusiasm, Barbara laid out ways to think of the promise a story makes to the readers, ways to hook the reader, ways to deepen the conflict and raise the stakes, and how to adjust the pace of a scene. Before taking this class, I was already Read more

I am so thrilled I was able to take an Odyssey Online Class. I can already see the improvement in my writing. The lectures and class discussion were wonderful. I learned so much in a short amount of time. The feedback I received from my classmates was invaluable and the Read more

This class has been an inspiring and transformative experience for me as a writer. . .  Through assignments and examples, Barbara taught us how to think about stories in terms of the promise they make to readers, and then she gave us techniques for measuring whether our openings, conflict, scenes, Read more

“Getting the Big Picture” helped me focus in on the true nature of my story, what lies at its heart. The class has given me the tools to improve both plot and characters and tie the two more strongly into the theme. These are the most useful class sessions I Read more

The experience of Barbara Ashford’s “Getting the Big Picture” online Odyssey workshop was akin to being shown a toolbox, then being guided on how to use the tools within. Some tools are harder to grasp than others; some problems are harder to fix. But I can better see the problems Read more

Chapters on revision in writing manuals are generally too short to be of much use. I needed a class, and this was the one. This excellent course used a variety of current texts and concepts that helped me pull the disparate parts of my novel into a cohesive, thematically focused Read more

The best thing about this class was learning and sharing with an incredibly talented group of writers, all going through the same process as I was–both mentally and emotionally. The latter can’t be underemphasized, with writing being a lonely sort of pastime, and almost always a labor of love. Along Read more

This class was a huge help in getting me to take a step back and figure out what my WIP is actually about. Barbara is supportive, knowledgeable, and kind. She has given me new tools to identify story problems and find innovative ways to fix them. The homework assignments challenged Read more

What a useful course. This structured approach to revision was so very helpful. I would not have worked it out for myself. Barbara was wonderful and my classmates’ critiques were very valuable to my writing. I recommend this course without hesitation. –MARIE HANNAN-MANDEL

Getting the Big Picture gave me a new focus for revision.  The lectures were full of useful information, but even more valuable were the assignments and the critiques.  The homework pushed me to dig deeper, and the feedback from both my classmates and the instructor was so helpful. –LAURA JANE Read more