Creative Writing Online Workshops
This course is designed to enhance your writing, your professional direction, and your network of writers. Before we start we will have you fill out a simple goal and direction statement to help us build content to fit your interests. Not every week will be focused on your particular genre, but we will try very hard to give you useful and positive information.
How it Works:
This is the front page of the workshop and wewill post articles, information, and general announcements on this list. So, check it from time to time. The weekly essay, reading, links, and writing assignments will come to you in the form of an email link. Follow the simple instructions and begin. Writers will be coming into the course at different times, so each student will be working on their own schedule.
Each week you will get an essay. The essay is similar to a class lecture. It is a topical article about a specific element in writing, storytelling, editing, or publishing. It is designed to point you in the direction of the topic and eventually the writing assignments.
Below the essay there will be links to other websites and pages for you to continue reading on the ideas that are discussed. I don’t expect people to read every article and website, but if you want to read more on the subjects discussed, these links will help you begin your search for more information.
You will find writing assignments. Some of these will be simple exercises to get started on something. Other assignments will be very complicated and make take some time. I suggest that everyone tries at least some of the writing assignments to understand and use some of the ideas offered in the discussion and links portion of the weekly assignment.
Lastly, your work is important to moving forward as a writer. Perhaps it is the most important part of this class and interaction. Every week, writers who would like to share work, can email work to me. I will share it with the rest of the class. We will be doing this through Google documents, or by email. I expect you to mark up and comment on the work so it will give the writer a sense of what makes sense and what is lacking in the piece. We also have a chatroom where we can schedule times to meet and chat live.
It is also important that you take your life as a writer seriously. In order to do that, we will create a query letter and discuss ways to present your work professionally, so editors and agents will notice your work and professionalism. It is also important to consider a writing resume, and polished writing samples.
The writing life is more than just a hobby – it is a life that is complicated and important. It will move like any other professional life. But with dedication, professionalism, and imagination your life will find its rewards from your hard work. — RS
Technical Skills for the Course – If you can find this webpage and send an email, you are in good shape to be in the class. I will email a weekly link and all you have to do is click on it. It will take you to your weekly module. From there, you can post comments (which is like email only it doesn’t go anywhere) and you can use our forum board. Basically, it is a place to make a comment and have other people respond. If you are nervous about using the computer to correspond and work on your writing, please let me know and I can help you via the computer, telephone, and if need be, in person.
