Good writing isn't fussy. It's clear, concise and grammatically correct, no matter the audience or purpose. In this course, you’ll draft, write and revise your own work; read literary essays as examples of effective syntax and coherent structure; share work in a supportive, focused workshop environment; and review common grammar pitfalls. Build your writing skills and confidence through critical reading of outside work, frequent writing exercises and class discussions. The skills emphasized in this course lend themselves to business or technical writing, as well as journalism or college-level essay writing.
Course Outline
Course Objectives
- Understand the writing process
- Critique writing effectively and appropriately
- Identify characteristics of effective prose, including audience, purpose and tone
- Develop an individual voice
- Choose an effective structure for a piece of writing
- Revise writing based on self-editing and comments from others
- Express ideas with greater assurance and precision
- Understand and use coherent syntax and style
- Identify and correct common grammatical errors
What You Learn
- Purpose, audience and the writing process
- The sentence as a building block
- The paragraph as a building block
- Putting the building blocks together to develop structure
- Choosing the right words for tone and voice
- Using the right words for details, metaphor and points of view
- Revision, including content, organization and word choice
- Revision of punctuation, spelling, grammar and formatting
- How to critique others’ work and accept criticism as feedback
How You Learn
- Discussion forums
- Journal assignments
- Practice exercises
- Short essay and revision
- Final project revision
Is This Course for Me?
This course is designed for those wishing to hone their skills for any writing need.