DirectionsBusiness & personal writing
For more information, click on a class title below or scroll down the page
Beginner's Guide to Getting Published
Business and Marketing Writing
Effective Business Writing
Fundamentals of Technical Writing
Introduction to Internet Writing Market
Keys to Effective Editing
Mystery Writing
Pleasures of Poetry
The Craft of Magazine Writing
Travel Writing
Write Fiction Like a Pro
Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers
Writeriffic 2: Advanced Creativity Training for Writers
Beginners Guide to Getting Published
Do you know the five most common reasons why manuscripts are instantly rejected--often without even being read? Do you know how to correctly format and submit a manuscript? Do you know which publishing markets most fit your writing style? Can you write a query letter that publishers won't be able to resist?
If your goal is to become a published freelance writer of fiction or nonfiction for books or magazines, this comprehensive course will help you guide your work directly into the hands of an editor and onto the shelves of your favorite stores.
Your success in the writing game will be determined by the amount of credibility publishers attach to you and your work. If you have credibility, getting your manuscript published will no longer be a dream. It will become reality. This course will teach you how to give yourself the kind of credibility you need to succeed.
Taught by a successful journalist and author, this course will provide you with instant access to critical information most other writers don't discover for years. This patient and experienced instructor will walk you through every step of the publishing process. What's more, she'll be standing by to answer your every question about important legal issues, including copyright, agents, and the use of pseudonyms.
With the knowledge you gain throughout this course, no editor will ever surprise you or stump you with phrases like “on spec” or “kill fee.” If you really want to be a writer, this step-by-step course will give you all the tools you need to get published--again and again and again.
Requirements: Experience with any version of Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or any other word processor; Internet access; e-mail; Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Business and Marketing Writing
This fun course will teach you to write or identify copy that achieves business and marketing goals. Improve your work, your knowledge, your company's image, and your chances of getting hired, promoted or applauded! Designed for writers, marketers and anyone interested in these exciting fields. (2.4 CEUs)
Objectives:
By the end of this course, the student will:
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Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, and Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Effective Business Writing
Do you have a nagging suspicion that a small improvement in your writing skills might also improve your career prospects? Don't let small gaps in your business writing skills prevent you from reaching your full potential! It doesn't matter whether you're a clerical worker, an engineer, or an executive. If you communicate with others in writing, you need this
course to help you identify and eliminate problem areas. By the end of this course, you'll know the secret to developing powerful written documents that immediately draw readers in and keep them motivated to continue until your very last, well-chosen word. (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Fundamentals of Technical Writing
Do you have a knack for explaining complex subjects in a way that makes them easy to understand? If so, you should consider entering the well-paying field of technical writing. This course will teach you the skills you need to succeed as a technical writer. You will learn how to translate complex information into easily understood language, and how to become a wizard at marrying the art of publishing with the science of technology. You'll learn the secrets of successful technical writers, including technical writing conventions, interviewing skills, desktop publishing and formatting techniques, key tips for developing graphics and templates, documentation management, and how to publish documents both on paper and electronically. You'll also learn how to get your first job as a technical writer, plus "tricks of the trade" that enable you to create high-quality documentation with less work. (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser, and any version of Microsoft Word.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Introduction to Internet Writing Markets
The Internet has created a whole new world of opportunity for writers. If you're already a professional writer or just dream of becoming one, this course will help you discover a wide variety of new markets for your work. You'll explore every corner of the Internet, learning how to supplement your income writing web page content, developing articles for ezines, supplying content for online databases, writing for information sites, crafting fiction for the Internet, building online training materials, and writing electronic books and manuals for e-publishers. (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Keys to Effective Editing
Ask any published writer and you will hear that a good editor is not just
helpful, but essential. If you aspire to be an editor, this course will teach you the fundamentals of top-notch editing for both fiction and nonfiction. If you're already working as an editor, you'll not only brush up on your skills, but will also learn about recent advances in your chosen profession. If you're a writer, you will learn essential self-editing tools to give your manuscripts the professional look that publishers like to see.
From the language of editing to grammar, punctuation, and syntax to the all-important relationships between editor, author, and publisher, every facet of editing will be explored. Online editing is gaining popularity; its complexities will be unraveled and its advantages and pitfalls explored. Can you make a living as an editor? Tips and resources for finding work will be addressed at length. When you finish with this course, you will feel confident enough to tackle even the most complex of manuscripts. (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser. Although this course will teach English grammar, punctuation, and style, the student must be fluent in English and have a better-than-average spelling ability.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Mystery Writing
If you consider the books you've read most recently, you may be surprised to discover that many—if not all—are mysteries. From Dan Brown to Dennis Lehane, mysteries are hot items on today's bestseller lists. This course will teach you the techniques you need to become a successful mystery author!
Mystery Writing features fun, enthusiastic lessons, which reveal how story structure is the key to success. Topics include
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This course is filled with real examples from bestselling mysteries that show you how to use the techniques of expert authors in your own writing.
Following each lesson, you'll practice on your own story, then join your instructor and your fellow students in the discussion area for some interactive brainstorming! (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, and Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Pleasures of Poetry
If you want to write poetry, this course will help you to create your best
possible work. You'll learn the formal elements of the craft, become aware of how particular forms work, and explore many avenues for possible poetry topics. Interactive exercises will help you to create at least one poem with formal elements, and you'll receive instruction and
commentary in a constructive and nurturing environment. If you're serious about becoming a published poet, you'll also learn how to prepare a manuscript for publication and where to send it for the best possible results. (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, E-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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The Craft of Magazine Writing
Have you ever thought about writing for magazines? Turn your dreams into bylines and help yourself to a bright future as a magazine writer. It's fun, it's easy, and a great source of extra income. If you're a determined new writer, or if you haven't written for magazines in years, this class will jump start your career. You'll learn plenty of powerful brainstorming
techniques designed to practically write every article for you. (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, E-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Travel Writing
In this course you'll learn how to develop the skills of a travel writer. You'll learn how to translate what is seen, heard, tasted, touched, smelled and felt (intuitively and physically) into publishable articles and books. You'll understand the writing styles and methods needed to sell material in today's competitive market (including the how-to's of technical aspects of lead paragraphs, descriptive passages and the uses of interviews, quotes and facts). By the end of the course, you'll have the ability to write for the travel market. So pack your sense adventure, organize your determination and put your keyboard in a comfortable position. If you have a desire to write and a yen to travel, you're a perfect candidate to become a travel writer. Let's get going. Topics include popular styles and types of travel writing that are the "friendliest" to new writers. Other topics of the workshop include how to write query letters, how to produce articles, essays and books, trends in types of articles and books, grammar and writing skills refreshers, and marketing information. (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Write Fiction Like a Pro
What’s the single biggest difference between professional authors and novices? Professionals know how to structure novels and stories for maximum dramatic effect. This course helps you develop the same story structuring skills the pros use. You'll understand how your passion, theme, premise, and characters help you create the structure of your story, and you'll discover how viewpoint, dialogue, pacing, and many other techniques are used to build scenes and move your story from beginning to end.
Each assignment in this course helps you develop your own original novel or story. As you apply each technique, your story will take shape, with a clear path from beginning to end. And whenever you have questions or insights to share, you can join your instructor and classmates in the Discussion Area for some interactive brainstorming! Before you know it, you’ll be prepared to... write fiction like a pro. (2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers
Who doesn't know the fear of the blank page? How can we transform our visions into the written word? Is it really possible to become a terrific writer? You'll find the answer to these and more of your questions in Writeriffic. In this high-energy class you'll learn lots of tricks from the published writer's toolbox. Whether you're at work now or hoping to write a novel, a nonfiction book, a memoir, short stories or articles, Writerific liberates the imaginative, inventive bolts of genius that are inside everyone. If you've ever dreamed of hearing your writer's voice and writing what's in your heart and head, this class will make it happen.
(2.4 CEUs)
Requirements: Internet access, e-mail, Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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Writeriffic 2: Advanced Creativity Training for Writers
If you believe writers must suffer for their art, as so-called writing gurus insist, you’ve accepted a myth. In this highly interactive course, you’ll master the insider methods of writing for personal satisfaction or for publication in this advanced writing course. You’ll increase your creativity, beat writer’s block, manage time, and know how to pitch ideas to publishers, agents, and editors.
You’ll learn about the business side of writing, including contracts, releases, deductions, and invoices. You'll investigate the genres that will launch your career or increase your satisfaction with your own advanced writing.
Through comprehensive and progressively challenging writing assignments and innovative ways to explore creativity, you’ll increase your self-confidence, overcome obstacles, and understand what it takes to be a writer.
The instructor is an author of more than 60 books and over 1000 magazine articles, and has been writing for publication for over twenty years. In this course, she will share how writing can increase your self-confidence, can help restore your self-respect, and how it can become a full-time career, second career or contribute to your retirement.
In Writeriffic 2, you’ll learn to be the writer of your dreams and have fun, too.
Requirements: Completion of Eva Shaw's Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers or The Craft of Magazine Writing. Internet access, e-mail, and Netscape or Internet Explorer Web browser.
Dates:Click here for schedule
Time: At your convenience at home or by appointment at the VSU Continuing Education Computer Lab
Location:Online
Fee:$85
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