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| Beginning Writer's Workshop |
If you've always
wanted to write but have no idea
where to start, this course will
demystify the process for you.
You'll get a taste of the writing
life, improve your writing skills,
and develop new ways to stretch your
creative muscles.
This exciting, hands-on course for
the creative writing novice is
filled with challenging exercises,
expert advice, and plenty of direct
support and encouragement. As you
work your way through the lessons,
you'll develop your own short,
creative fiction or nonfiction
piece.
Our emphasis in this course is on
developing your skills through
practice, so you’ll spend more time
writing than reading. You'll master
important concepts by completing
enjoyable writing exercises and
assignments, and you'll discover a
variety of strategies and techniques
the pros use to develop characters,
create a compelling point of view,
build interest through dialogue, and
add meaning to your stories. |
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Please
click here to take this course through an accredited
college or university in your community.
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Syllabus:
A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of
two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each
course at least two months apart.
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end.
Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the
course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You
will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the
interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will
automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we
strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its
release.
The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once
the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete
all of your course work, including the final exam.
Week One
Wednesday - Lesson 01
You'll jump right in and start writing in this first lesson, but with
the permission to write as poorly as you want. This isn't school as you
knew it! Today, you'll find out how to enjoy yourself while you
write—when you're having fun, that's when the learning starts. You'll
learn how to listen to your mind work so you can practice turning your
thoughts into words. You'll discover that you're quite a complicated
person and why it's all right to think of yourself as a writer.
Friday - Lesson 02
In today's lesson, you'll write even more as you practice writing
description and capturing detail. More than that, you'll complete
writing experiments that will help you discover what ideas and symbols
reside in the things you write about. And you'll practice using
description to capture emotion. By the end of the lesson, you'll have
enough material to decide what you want to write about. You'll start
work on a short, creative piece that you'll finish by the end of the
class.
Week Two
Wednesday - Lesson 03
Today, you'll explore the different forms that fiction and creative
nonfiction can take. Form is the container that holds your ideas.
Creative nonfiction is a new genre that offers you many terrific ways to
explore your love of writing. To stimulate your creative side, I've also
included a list of some odd forms you might try. You'll find out that
you have the option of ignoring the decision about form for now, letting
it emerge from your content as you write. It takes courage, but you can
do it.
Friday - Lesson 04
Memorizing the major points of view is boring! Instead, you'll spend
this lesson writing from each of the points of view, then learning about
them afterward. You'll have a lot more fun that way. I'll show you how
distance works in creative writing, and why your verb tense can make a
big difference. This practice will give you as taste of each point of
view option, and help you decide which you want to use in your own
creative piece.
Week Three
Wednesday - Lesson 05
In this lesson, you'll get a chance to play by exploring the concept of
creativity. You'll find your own creative center and use it to come up
with ideas that are better than you expected. You'll try a technique
called "galumphing" to create a mini-story. You'll learn to take the
attitude of a bricoleur so that you can make something out of nothing.
You'll gain the knowledge you need to continually nurture your creative
ability.
Friday - Lesson 06
You'd think the topic of revision would be dull and dry. The exact
opposite is true. Revision is one of the most amazing tools a writer can
use. Beyond learning the nuts and bolts of revision, you'll learn how
revision is a process of discovery. Your creativity will constantly
contribute while you evaluate your words using all your abilities. Come
along for a bit of revelation.
Week Four
Wednesday - Lesson 07
Here's where you'll learn why it's so easy to write poorly, and you'll
discover some good ways to catch yourself when you do. You'll find out
why nouns are more powerful than adjectives and why a strong verb
outshines a descriptive adverb. Next, we'll examine each step of the
communication process and practice making dull sentences interesting.
You'll learn a great technique for eliminating clichés and use the
depths of your creative ability to write a powerful, original
description.
Friday - Lesson 08
Every creative writer can use some tips about the logistics of dialogue.
It's not easy to write what characters are thinking, avoid hedging
words, use conflict to create interest, describe emotions, and always
get your facts right. These techniques aren't typically taught in
school, so it's helpful to learn them here. You'll practice fixing
choppy sentences, and you'll begin to think about your readers and what
they have to do with what you want to write.
Week Five
Wednesday - Lesson 09
It's time to examine how the act of writing teaches you about yourself.
You'll take a good look at the voices of your inner critics to see what
they're really telling you. You'll discover whose voices you're
listening to and write them "Unsent Letters" to tell them what you think
about their messages. You'll try a writing exercise called "The Story of
My Life" that will help you examine where you've been and where you'd
like to go from here. Then you'll practice the "Ultimate Motivation"
exercise to figure out what it takes to make your dreams come true.
Friday - Lesson 10
Today, you'll delve into the inner workings of stories. We'll explore
the three basic building blocks of a plot. You'll try out several ways
to make up a plot and learn how to write endings. We'll discuss the
option of writing a story before you know how it ends. It takes courage,
but the result can be worth the bumpy ride. You'll explore how to move
through time using summaries, scenes, and flashbacks. This lesson will
help you understand why even simple stories can intrigue and hold your
reader.
Week Six
Wednesday - Lesson 11
All people have a lot in common. We share the same basic story. We're
born, we struggle, and in the end, we die. Your job as a writer is to
create characters that your readers feel similarities with. In this
lesson, you'll practice developing characters and using dialogue. You'll
learn how to pay attention to people—what makes them different and what
makes them the same. I'll pass on some tips on writing good dialogue,
and then you'll conduct an in-depth interview—with yourself!
Friday - Lesson 12
In our last lesson, we'll talk about the ways you'll inevitably doubt
yourself as you write. You'll try out two exploratory writing exercises
that will help you develop the trust you need to keep on writing. I'll
have you consider the point of view of an alien living five million
light years away. Humans have an odd habit of writing down events that
may or may not have happened. Why do they like to write? What good does
it do? How can they tell good writing from what isn't so good? From this
perspective, you'll discover why the pursuit of meaning comes naturally
to human beings. You'll get some good advice about steps you can take to
continue to improve your writing, as well as explore publishing. In your
final assignment, you'll share your short creative piece with me and
your fellow students.
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Please
click here to
take this course through an
accredited college or
university in your
community. |
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