Big Picture Quotes

If you dread the question, “What is your book about?” this course is for you. You’ll develop an understanding of what your story promises and how to revise your novel so that it delivers on that promise. Your assignments and critiques will give you insight into how to keep your Read more

A novel is a huge project and Barbara’s course really helped me focus my work. She took me through a process that allowed me to see my novel as a thematic and spiritual whole. Once I understood better “what I meant to say” with this story, I was able to Read more

Getting mired in the details when editing? Overfocused on the page-to-page action, rather than the overall arc?   Learn how unifying concepts can make a novel feel more powerful and give it that sense of completeness—rather than the meandering feeling that leaves the reader wondering what the point of the story Read more

As an author unfamiliar with the Sci-Fi genre, Getting the Big Picture provided me with the tools and knowledge I was seeking. My private meeting with Barbara Ashford was insightful and gave me a clear path for the revision of my current novel.          –MARTIN ETCHART

I really appreciated the thoughtful way that this class was structured, along with the clarity and organization of all the materials. I learned so much in such a short time! I feel as if I am walking away with a whole new set of tools for reviewing and reshaping my Read more

Barbara was wonderful to work with and learn from–she helped me better visualize the backbone of my story, and the areas (particularly in Act II) that needed strengthening. She introduced me to Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey, which has been an eye-opening guide to storytelling, and a work that I Read more

I thoroughly enjoyed the Odyssey Online Course. The material covered, critiques received, and instructor challenged me to think about my writing in new and more in-depth ways. I know the experience is something that has changed my writing process and I’m excited to see all of the ways it will Read more

Odyssey Online has been a fantastic way to make solid progress on my writing craft. Every assignment builds on what is taught in lecture, and each lecture builds on the assignments. I see huge improvement over the weeks of class and have a lot to move forward with to put Read more

Odyssey’s Getting the Big Picture online course has been the best thing I have ever done for my writing. The course is excellent and I am going to be thinking about the course material for a long time to come. –ANGELA O’BRIEN-MALONE