With college courses costing as much as a person’s lifetime number of automobiles, consider taking free online courses. It’s an advantage, especially if you’re not aiming toward accumulating college credits or working toward a degree. Bob Rankin at askbobrankin.com has a three-part series covering free online courses.
My search of “free online writing courses 2012” showed a list of 10 universities offering courses. Actually, it’s the same list in Bob Rankin’s first post about free college and university courses. I scanned the list and saw that UCLA has an offering. Best-selling writer Steven Barnes has a 9-week writing class available at his Website, www.lifewrite.com. Others schools on this “10” list include MIT, Utah State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts and Stanford.
Another way to find courses you want to take is to choose a school you’ve dreamed of going to or a school that sounds intriguing. Don’t disqualify any college or university because dozens, including Yale, Notre Dame, and University of California at Berkeley, have available free online courses. Once you make that decision, see if the school you want to take a course from offers one you want to take.
Free courses are available in all writing genres: essays, short stories, novels, poetry, screenwriting. Want to learn to do research or academic writing? Want to learn to edit? It’s possible without spending a dime. It just takes time and energy.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
"The Season" in Brunswick County, N.C.
Coming from the Chicago area, I never knew about "the season" in coastal beach areas. We vacationed in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. for several years, but our purpose was to be with family. The beach was an added benefit. We moved to Ocean Isle Beach a dozen years ago and then I learned about "the season."
Here in Brunswick County, N.C., Memorial Day ushers in "the season" with services honoring the military who fought for our freedom, black bike week across the border in South Carolina, primarily in Carolina Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach, and a host of activities to occupy the hundreds of thousands of vacationers who come and go throughout the summer until Labor Day.
A big hit is live entertainment. Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Shallotte, Southport and Leland have popular bands perform. Shallotte, Southport and Leland also have a movie schedule geared toward children. Schedules are posted throughout the area, and local town halls and real estate offices have the information.
Museum of Coastal Carolina and the Ingram Planetarium offer programs for children, teens and adults throughout the summer. A big hit at the museum is the fish feeding tank where docents explain what the variety of fish in the tank eat and other details about them. The planetarium offers free programs for children but charges for the SciDome shows.
As writers we can find nuggets of stories in these activities. What was important where you grew up? What would attract the attention of visitors? What is different about your hometown?
Write from the heart.
Clear. Sincere. Superb.
Here in Brunswick County, N.C., Memorial Day ushers in "the season" with services honoring the military who fought for our freedom, black bike week across the border in South Carolina, primarily in Carolina Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach, and a host of activities to occupy the hundreds of thousands of vacationers who come and go throughout the summer until Labor Day.
A big hit is live entertainment. Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Shallotte, Southport and Leland have popular bands perform. Shallotte, Southport and Leland also have a movie schedule geared toward children. Schedules are posted throughout the area, and local town halls and real estate offices have the information.
Museum of Coastal Carolina and the Ingram Planetarium offer programs for children, teens and adults throughout the summer. A big hit at the museum is the fish feeding tank where docents explain what the variety of fish in the tank eat and other details about them. The planetarium offers free programs for children but charges for the SciDome shows.
As writers we can find nuggets of stories in these activities. What was important where you grew up? What would attract the attention of visitors? What is different about your hometown?
Write from the heart.
Clear. Sincere. Superb.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Peter Senftleben, editor at Kensington Books, speaks from the heart at HCRW meeting
One of the advantages of belonging to a writers' organization is the contact with others in the field. Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, which meets in Raleigh, N.C. the second Saturday of the month, makes a point of providing meaningful information at each meeting.
In April Peter Senftleben of Kensington Books in New York gave tips on how to get your work read.
He said what dedicated writers know, yet he reminded them to store these hints in their memory banks:
* Keep voice in one person's head per scene or chapter.
* Keep the same tense. Don't jump from past to present and vice versa.
* Make sure there's conflict. There's no story by playing "nice" throughout.
* Grab interest in the story immediately.
Peter expressed dedication to his job, hunt for good stories and sincerity in his suggestions. What came across more clearly, sprinkled along with his humorous asides, was his interest in helping writers get published. He cares! He really does! He talked of the overwhelming amount of manuscripts he receives, as all editors do, yet he pays attention to them.
Those rejection letters have more meaning from Peter because after listening to his presentation and suggestions, we know he wants the best books to be published. He's one of the good guys!
In April Peter Senftleben of Kensington Books in New York gave tips on how to get your work read.
He said what dedicated writers know, yet he reminded them to store these hints in their memory banks:
* Keep voice in one person's head per scene or chapter.
* Keep the same tense. Don't jump from past to present and vice versa.
* Make sure there's conflict. There's no story by playing "nice" throughout.
* Grab interest in the story immediately.
Peter expressed dedication to his job, hunt for good stories and sincerity in his suggestions. What came across more clearly, sprinkled along with his humorous asides, was his interest in helping writers get published. He cares! He really does! He talked of the overwhelming amount of manuscripts he receives, as all editors do, yet he pays attention to them.
Those rejection letters have more meaning from Peter because after listening to his presentation and suggestions, we know he wants the best books to be published. He's one of the good guys!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Joanne Zerkel, former Features Editor, passes away
I received word today that Joanne Zerkel, an editor from my early days in journalism, passed away. She hired me as a freelancer when I was first starting out and was instrumental in helping me succeed as a writer.
I had sent a story to my local paper, The Star in Chicago Heights, IL, and that editor passed it on to Joanne, who was features editor. She called me, said they would publish the article and asked if I would like to write more stories for the paper. That was my entree into journalism.
The first assignment I got was to write a story about autism. I had no idea what autism was, but I learned with Joanne's guidance. Over the 13 years I wrote for the paper, three of them on staff, I interviewed school children, medical professionals, local residents who had a story to tell, and any number of other people Joanne considered newsworthy.
The most fascinating story I ever wrote was about abdominal aortic aneurysms! That's because I was able to enter two operating rooms to witness the operations. Since Joanne hired me, I have written more than 1,000 articles for various publications.
The irony is that I never wanted to write for newspapers. My forte, however, has been feature writing. Joanne fostered that. She encouraged me and never criticized. She guided me to be a better writer. My dream as a writer is to get a novel published, a goal I continue to pursue, but writing features articles is where I started.
Joanne is responsible for introducing me to National Federation of Press Women, an organization of which I've been a member for nearly thirty years. She was an advocate for women and was active in organizations that assisted women. She started several programs that helped the underpriveleged.
She will be missed, of course, and I will always remember her as the person who thought enough of my writing to hire me to write feature stories for a legitimate newspaper.
I had sent a story to my local paper, The Star in Chicago Heights, IL, and that editor passed it on to Joanne, who was features editor. She called me, said they would publish the article and asked if I would like to write more stories for the paper. That was my entree into journalism.
The first assignment I got was to write a story about autism. I had no idea what autism was, but I learned with Joanne's guidance. Over the 13 years I wrote for the paper, three of them on staff, I interviewed school children, medical professionals, local residents who had a story to tell, and any number of other people Joanne considered newsworthy.
The most fascinating story I ever wrote was about abdominal aortic aneurysms! That's because I was able to enter two operating rooms to witness the operations. Since Joanne hired me, I have written more than 1,000 articles for various publications.
The irony is that I never wanted to write for newspapers. My forte, however, has been feature writing. Joanne fostered that. She encouraged me and never criticized. She guided me to be a better writer. My dream as a writer is to get a novel published, a goal I continue to pursue, but writing features articles is where I started.
Joanne is responsible for introducing me to National Federation of Press Women, an organization of which I've been a member for nearly thirty years. She was an advocate for women and was active in organizations that assisted women. She started several programs that helped the underpriveleged.
She will be missed, of course, and I will always remember her as the person who thought enough of my writing to hire me to write feature stories for a legitimate newspaper.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Scrapbooking and Writing
It wasn’t until I covered a story on the hobby of scrapbooking that I considered composing a scrapbook of my own. The 25 people who attended a semi-annual event titled "Scraptacular" in Myrtle Beach, S.C. convinced me scrapping was worthwhile. They, however, did traditional scrapbooking. I thought I'd go in a different direction, so I bought My Memories Suite, a digital scrapbook program. I love it! The program isn't intuitive, but a bit of practice and frequent references to its "Help" pages will produce a professional-looking book.
Another way I'm not a traditional scrapbooker is that I have limited my scrapbooks to travelogues. My first one was on our vacation to the New England states and Eastern Canada. I'm compiling my second one on our trip to Eastern and Northern Europe.
How does this help me in my writing? I have instant information about all the places we visited. I don't always have the exact name of the buildings or museums or highlights of the places we visited, but the Internet has them all. A picture I had of a lovely building in Aarhus, Denmark proved to be the city's theatre. Another of a huge pink building turned out to be the Toompea Castle in Tallinn, Estonia. I can include a specific location in one of my stories with first-hand references to any number of sights, buildings and other attractions.
The best result is a life-long keepsake and a sense of accomplishment--just like writing a book.
Another way I'm not a traditional scrapbooker is that I have limited my scrapbooks to travelogues. My first one was on our vacation to the New England states and Eastern Canada. I'm compiling my second one on our trip to Eastern and Northern Europe.
How does this help me in my writing? I have instant information about all the places we visited. I don't always have the exact name of the buildings or museums or highlights of the places we visited, but the Internet has them all. A picture I had of a lovely building in Aarhus, Denmark proved to be the city's theatre. Another of a huge pink building turned out to be the Toompea Castle in Tallinn, Estonia. I can include a specific location in one of my stories with first-hand references to any number of sights, buildings and other attractions.
The best result is a life-long keepsake and a sense of accomplishment--just like writing a book.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Keeping up with Technology
I was at an event recently that several 30- and 40-somethings attended. I commented that I had bought "iPhone for Dummies." A young woman responded, "And you admit it!"
Those under 50 may not want their peers to know they aren't up on all the latest functions on every device available, but I'm not embarrassed to admit I'm jogging to keep up with modern technology. The number of devices a functioning adult is expected to learn and know how to use can be overwhelming. I've had my iPhone for ten months and up until now used it to make phone calls, send text messages, check the weather and use the calculator. I knew there was more to it, but since companies, including Apple, believe three sentences of instruction is more than enough to learn the device and no longer give instruction manuals, I put off learning the full extend of my smartphone. What a lifesaver the "Dummies" book is.
I have a great time reading a chapter each day. I play with the phone as it is meant to be used: as a modern adult toy. I synchronized my itunes album with my iphone for the first time since I got the phone. I logged appointments on the calendar. I wrote "to do" lists in the Notes menu. I flipped to the end of the book and downloaded new apps I didn't know existed.
It isn't work. It's my avocation!
How can you get excited about technology?
* Admit that it's here.
* Choose a device or topic that you feel you should learn.
* Look up the "Dummies" library. There are a multitude of subjects covered.
* Enjoy the experience.
Those under 50 may not want their peers to know they aren't up on all the latest functions on every device available, but I'm not embarrassed to admit I'm jogging to keep up with modern technology. The number of devices a functioning adult is expected to learn and know how to use can be overwhelming. I've had my iPhone for ten months and up until now used it to make phone calls, send text messages, check the weather and use the calculator. I knew there was more to it, but since companies, including Apple, believe three sentences of instruction is more than enough to learn the device and no longer give instruction manuals, I put off learning the full extend of my smartphone. What a lifesaver the "Dummies" book is.
I have a great time reading a chapter each day. I play with the phone as it is meant to be used: as a modern adult toy. I synchronized my itunes album with my iphone for the first time since I got the phone. I logged appointments on the calendar. I wrote "to do" lists in the Notes menu. I flipped to the end of the book and downloaded new apps I didn't know existed.
It isn't work. It's my avocation!
How can you get excited about technology?
* Admit that it's here.
* Choose a device or topic that you feel you should learn.
* Look up the "Dummies" library. There are a multitude of subjects covered.
* Enjoy the experience.
Friday, February 10, 2012
"Gold Beneath the Waves," self-publishing your way
Jim Brouwer of Myrtle Beach, S.C. had an idea. He searches for gold and other metals on the beach with a metal detector and wanted to share his ideas with other gold seekers by writing a book. He was leery of the traditional publishing route so chose to self-publish. He went about his quest in a methodical way. He studied how to accomplish his goal, and the result is "Gold Beneath the Waves: Treasure Hunting the Surf and Sand."
He recommends other self-publishers read about how to do it. "The Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit!" by C Pinheiro, Nick Russell and Cynthia Sherwood, "Perfect Pages" and "Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing," both by Aaron Shepard, are tops on his list of how-to books.
He recommends a self-publisher becomes a "Word Nerd" because you have to do everything: format, choose font and size, do page layout and understand the entire spectrum of getting a book published.
He recommends http://www.createspace.com/ to get on your road to self-publishing.
"This is very hard work! This is rocket science," he says.
For those who are determined to get a book published, Bouwer's route is the means to an end. Check out his suggestiions. And by the way, if you don't really care about writing a book but want to find gold, read his book. His suggestions work.
He recommends other self-publishers read about how to do it. "The Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit!" by C Pinheiro, Nick Russell and Cynthia Sherwood, "Perfect Pages" and "Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing," both by Aaron Shepard, are tops on his list of how-to books.
He recommends a self-publisher becomes a "Word Nerd" because you have to do everything: format, choose font and size, do page layout and understand the entire spectrum of getting a book published.
He recommends http://www.createspace.com/ to get on your road to self-publishing.
"This is very hard work! This is rocket science," he says.
For those who are determined to get a book published, Bouwer's route is the means to an end. Check out his suggestiions. And by the way, if you don't really care about writing a book but want to find gold, read his book. His suggestions work.
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