An Exciting Announcement about My Next Public Work
Some
content from previous blog posts and articles will be repurposed, but a large
portion of the material in this course will be completely new. Beta testing of
the course will commence in a month or two, during which a select and generous group
of authors, pastors, and artists have agreed to provide me with feedback.
As it now
stands, this material will be divided into 12 lessons. Each lesson will include
the following components:
1) Video content
Video
introductions will set goals and expectations for the lesson, enabling course
takers to maximize their benefit from the content. There might be video modules
that discuss the related movie as well.
2) Written content that addresses a
specific subject
Each lesson will have an article roughly 1,500 words in length, tailor made for this course. Using a
mixture of original content and industry insider perspectives, the written
portion of the course will challenge a particular status quo related to the
course’s overall subject. This content will probably settle comfortably in the
PG-13 realm, with sometimes frank discussions of sexual topics. If you’re
familiar with my blog and article writing, you should know what to expect.
It’s
possible that I’ll also create audio versions of all the written content so
that people can choose to listen to each lesson rather than read it. Market
research and beta testing will help me better ascertain if such a feature would
prove valuable to users.
3) Related Bible verses to
read/study
The
regular course content will sometimes refer to Biblical passages and
principles, but there will always also be a short list of Scriptural passages that
will allow people to further evaluate the course content from an eternal perspective.
4) An optional movie to watch as a
complement to the lesson’s theme
Unfortunately,
the entertainment industry is rife with sexual themes and situations handled
poorly. Much content is obscene, gratuitous, or salacious (or a mixture of all
three). Nevertheless, just as Scripture itself often deals with sexual
situations, the world of cinema has given us some prudently powerful
demonstrations of sexual material. I want to expose people to some worthy
explorations of sexual content that not only avoid titillation but also
powerfully portray the beauties of sex as designed by God and the horrors of
sex gone awry. Each lesson will therefore be accompanied by a movie that
accents the lesson’s theme.
5) Questions for review/discussion
In
addition to the above material, these questions will help people more
effectively soak in the content of each lesson, applying principles and practices
to their own hearts and lives.
ESTIMATED TIMELINE
My goals
for course completion can be broken down as follows:
- August: complete course content
- September: beta readers will evaluate and provide feedback on the material
- October: film and edit the video portions of the course
- November: initial launch of the course (likely a soft open)
Depending
on various and sundry factors (market research, scope of revisions needed after
beta testing, etc.), my main advertising push might not take place until early
2020. In any case, I am enjoying the process of interacting with organizations
and magazines and exploring different advertising options.
IN THE
MEANTIME…
I put the
word “exciting” in the title of this post for one reason: I’m excited! It’s
kind of like getting to announce that I’m pregnant—except without any of the physical
and emotional stress that come from actual human gestation. Of course, if this online
class is like a child, then I’m technically using my child for slave labor. Okay,
so it’s not really like being pregnant at all. But I’m still excited.
If my
excitement is even the least bit contagious, there is one request I have for
you. To test market interest, I have posted a 5-minute survey (embedded below) to
get a better feel for how you think a course like this would benefit you and/or
the people you know. Your assistance will provide invaluable
help, enabling me to better develop the course content for maximum impact. (You can skip the description of the course at the beginning of the survey since you’ve read through this blog post.)
If you could take the next five minutes and take the survey now, I would be much obliged. Thank you in advance for your participation!
If you could take the next five minutes and take the survey now, I would be much obliged. Thank you in advance for your participation!