I'm going back to school...

Well, technically I guess I'm not going back to school. But I have signed up for three online courses this summer. One has already started, and I've played hookey from it all week to hang out at the beach with my kids. Shhhh!  But next week, I'll buckle down and catch up. I Promise.

So what courses have I enrolled in?
1) Writing and Researching Regencies
2) Writing and Researching Historical Fiction 
3) Writing Regency Set Novels. 

I guess you already picked up on the theme of the courses. Why am I doing this? Well, for the last few years, my entire focus has been on getting published in category fiction. I love contemporary romance and I can't imagine not writing it.  And my goal is to always write contemporary romance.  But I do have another secret passion-historical romance. I always thought it would be kind of fun to write a historical...except where would I start?  I stumbled upon a few websites that offer some in-depth historical romance writing/researching courses. They are offered online, are a reasonable price, give you access to intructors who will answer any questions you have, will give you assignments (I know, I know, I'm already behind), and offer a plethora of resources.

So why do this now? I've got my hands full already, do I really need to add something else?  Maybe not.  But then I thought, when else am I going to do this? There will always be a thousand things going on, and sometimes you just have to make the time to do the things you really want to do.  I also think I've discovered that I'm one of those people who thrives on a little bit crazy. You know, when things are running smoothly and there's no sirens going off, I kind of lose momentum. But when it feels like my plate is so full and everything is spilling off and the plate is in danger of breaking, that's when I kick it into high gear. 

I also think it's a positive, constructive environment...I'm surrounded by other writers and the instructors are romance authors (who write contemporary as well as historical). I also know that if I weren't enrolled in these classes, I'd never just sit down and start researching regency England. I also think that pursuing anything in your field can only help you. I don't for one second think that I'm going to be diving into writing that Regency romance book anytime soon, but I do think that I'll probably be able to apply some of what I've learned to what I'm writing now. And I think it will get the creativity flowing, so when I'm daydreaming I might start doing a little Regency daydreaming...

Now, I guess I'd better get back to reality...heading home from the beach today...and back to class!

So that's it...how about you?  Have you ever taken any writing courses?  Plan on taking any?