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Frequently Asked Questions about the Writing Essentials Program
How does the Writing Essentials Program differ from other writing courses? The Writing Essentials Program combines mechanics with style. Some courses concentrate on grammar only; others concentrate on style. Writing Essentials Program gives you both because no one writes with consideration only to mechanics and structure or to style. Strong writing takes into account both ends of the writing spectrum. In addition, your trainer evaluates every piece of writing you submit for style, mechanics, and content. You're supported through every part of the program. Who should take the Writing Essentials Program? Anyone who is interested in becoming a stronger writer should take the Writing Essentials Program. Maybe you like to write letters. Maybe you have a blog. Maybe your dream is to write the novel that's inside you. The Writing Essentials Program will help you hone those skills you have and make sure that the real you comes out of those words. Even if you write for your job and you feel there's no need to write creatively, the Writing Essentials Program will help you improve your writing so that your words and meaning are clear. How do I know the Writing Essentials Program is for me? The Writing Essentials Program is for anyone who writes and with an interest in writing. If you're only interested in the grammar and mechanics, but you don't have an interest in writing, then the Writing Essentials Program is going to be too intense for you, and you'll find yourself frustrated. English is not my first language. Will your program help me improve it? The Writing Essentials Program is for those who are fluent in English and want to become stronger writers. Please see our Resources for our recommendations for English as a second language programs. How long is the Writing Essentials Program? How many sessions are there each week? The Writing Essentials Program is 24-weeks long. There is one orientation call, twelve content sessions, and eleven Work Well sessions in between the content sessions. Content sessions are 90-minutes long, and Work Well sessions are 30-minutes long. For example, one week after orientation, you'll have Class 1, which is a 90-minute content session. The next week, you'll have Work Well 1, a 30-minute session, to cover homework questions. So, each week, you'll have either a content session or a Work Well session. For a sample two-week calendar, click here. (See the glossary to the right for a more in-depth explanation of content sessions and Work Well sessions.) You could take a one- or two-day seminar, but how much of that information would you actually retain? The Writing Essentials Program introduces concepts, gives you exercises to drive the material home, Work Well sessions to work on and strengthen what you've learned, one-on-one coaching sessions to cover your specific issues, and personal evaluation of each piece of writing you complete in the program. You incorporate each new idea and concept into the whole of your writing, the first week through the last week. How do the classes actually work? You'll meet by phone on a telebridge line with your trainer and your other classmates once a week. During the content sessions and the Work Well sessions, we'll also be connecting via GoToMeeting to collaborate on in-class exercises and materials. You'll send your grammar reports and writing assignments to your trainer in Word through e-mail. You'll be asked to find examples of writing that demonstrate various writing methods, and you'll post those in your class forum. (See the glossary to the right for a more in-depth explanation of the technology behind the Writing Essentials Program.) How many students are in each class? Our Writing Essentials Program group class ranges from three to five students. We keep the class sizes small to continue to provide individual attention to each student and evaluation of each piece of writing. Can you explain more about the feedback the trainer provides? Sure! You'll have writing exercises to complete after each content session. Your trainer will read and evaluate each piece of writing, looking at idea development, word choice, voice, sentence fluency, organization of ideas, and writing conventions. You'll get feedback on your writing successes, specific mechanics misuse, and recommendations for improvement. In addition, throughout the duration of the program, you'll receive three evaluations from your trainer covering the following areas:
How much time should I plan to spend on homework? Be prepared to set aside significant time to do the reading and writing required. Why is there reading required when this is a writing program? So that you can see how other writers practice their craft. The writing homework is for you to practice your craft. Our students spend an average of two to four hours a week on the reading, grammar exercises, and writing assignments. What kind of writing will we be doing? Much of the writing is creative, meaning from you. This isn't a place where you'll write business plans, company reports and memos, or marketing letters. The purpose of the Writing Essentials Program is to help you hone your writing skills and discover your writing voice, the things that make your writing yours and no one else's. You don't have to think up things to write about on the fly, though. You're provided with plenty of writing prompts and ideas. Click here for a sample writing prompt. Will my writing assignments be shared in class? Twice during the twenty-four weeks, you'll be asked to submit your favorite writing piece. In addition, using a style and mechanics analytic scale, you'll evaluate a classmate's piece of writing, and have one of your writings evaluated by another classmate. My grammar and writing skills aren’t the best. Will this course be too hard for me? The Writing Essentials Program will be perfect for you! We cover basic grammar all the way up to diagramming sentences. Even if grammar is a mystery to you, the Writing Essentials Program represents the grammar and mechanics in a way that's easy to understand. In addition, trainer evaluations of each piece of writing will point out your grammar challenges and successes to reinforce what you've learned. Finally, there's always the one-on-sessions with the trainer to help you with specific issues. I know grammar and structure already. What can I get from this class? You may know all there is you need to know about grammar. However, you may have never looked at how grammar affects style. In addition, the Writing Essentials Program isn't just about grammar and mechanics; it's also about voice and style. No matter your knowledge of grammar and mechanics, we guarantee you'll look at writing from a completely different vantage point. Writers at any level can benefit from the Writing Essentials Program. Do you offer the Writing Essentials Program as a self-study course? We do not. We believe the power in the Writing Essentials Program comes from the relationships formed between the participants and the trainer, as well as with each other. The trainer creates a supportive environment in which everyone feels safe to bare his/her writing challenges and to write authentically. That environment can't be created in a self-study atmosphere. Do I need to take notes, or are notes provided? We've tried to make the Writing Essentials Notebook as comprehensive as possible. However, you may find that you want to take extra notes over and above the information we've made available to you, and we've provided space in the Writing Essentials Notebook so that you can do just that. We envision this Notebook as a handy tool that you bring along with you as you polish your writing skills. It's going to be the most helpful if you use it dynamically. It's not going to do you much good sitting in your computer or on your shelf after the class ends, never to be looked at again. Refer to it, write in it, cross sentences out, jot down notes… do whatever you need to do to make the Writing Essentials Notebook your own. What if I miss a class? Are the classes recorded? If you miss a class, we encourage you to contact one of your classmates to get an overview of what you missed. You can also sign up for one of the one-on-one coaching sessions with your trainer to go over the class material. You'll still be responsible for the homework assigned for that class. We do not record our classes. Do you offer any one-on-one support? We certainly do. Each participant in the Writing Essentials Program can sign up for one-on-one coaching with his or her trainer after every Work Well session. In addition, we offer the Writing Essentials Program in a one-on-one format. How much does the Writing Essentials Program cost? The Writing Essentials Program tuition fee is $2500 for group program. We offer you two ways to pay tuition: via a lump sum payment or with our payment plan of four payments of $675 each. (Our payment plan includes $200 in interest.) The one-on-one Writing Essentials Program is $3700. Again, you can pay by lump sum or make use of our payment plan of four payments of $1000 each. (Our payment plan includes $300 in interest.) For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and checks. Do I need to purchase any books or reference materials? No. Your tuition covers the cost of the 127-page Writing Essentials Notebook, a grammar book, and a writing book. Just bring yourself and your desire to write. What else comes with my tuition? You'll have access to our Class Library, filled with all the homework assignments, grammar reports, class policies, calendar, and resources that you'll need throughout the Writing Essentials Program. You'll also join our class forum where you interact with the other members of your class as well as your trainer. Are there any other costs associated with the Writing Essentials Program? Only any long distance charges you may incur calling into the bridge line. In addition, we'll be accessing the Internet during class with GoToMeeting. If your Internet Service Provider account is a limited monthly service, you'll need to account for at least four hours a month of Internet access as well as any additional time spent on the Internet researching, emailing, and participating in the forum. Do you have any references or testimonials I can read? Yes! Look in the sidebar to the right to see what former students say about the Writing Essentials Program. Will I receive a completion certificate when I’m done with the course? Students receive a completion certificate when they have successfully completed 90% of the homework and have attended at least twenty-two of the twenty-four sessions. We hope to offer continuing education credits in the future, and we're working on fulfilling our requirements in order to do that. How often is the Writing Essentials Program offered? We offer the Writing Essentials Program at various times during the year and according to trainer availability. The next available Writing Essentials Program starts Monday, March 29, 2010. See the program dates section at the top of this page for complete details. What are the requirements to apply? You must be a fluent speaker and writer of English. This is not an English-as-a-second-language course, and if you don't have a strong foundation in the English language, you'll find this program beyond your abilities. You must have access to both the Internet and a phone line during weekly sessions. When you join the class sessions, you must call from a quiet place. What is your cancellation/refund policy? We offer a refund for cancellation up through the third week of class. If after Orientation, Class 1, and Work Well 1 you feel the Writing Essentials Program is not for you, you can drop out of the program and get a refund, less a $350 administrative fee. After the Class 2 session, no refund is available. I'm still not sure. Is there someone I can talk to? Absolutely. We understand that this is a big decision, and we don't expect people to apply and plunk down their money without talking to us first. We're available by phone, email, and postal mail to answer your questions. Click here to contact us via the most convenient method for you. I'm very sure that the Writing Essentials Program is for me! What do I do now? Great! First, you'll apply. This is a simple application in which you'll answer a few easy questions (name, email, address) as well as submit a writing sample (at least 500 words). Once you submit the application, we'll be in touch to talk to you about your application and the program. If everything is in order, we'll register you for the next Writing Essentials Program session, and you'll choose your preferred payment method. Then, a week or so before Orientation, you'll receive all your materials and everything you need to begin your writing journey.
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Program datesSeptember 2010 Session Content and Work Well sessions begin at 1:00 p.m. eastern. Registration closes on September 20, 2010. Glossary of termsContent Session - The trainer introduces new concepts during content sessions. In the Writing Essentials Program, the content sessions are 90 minutes long. Work Well Session - In between content sessions, the trainer and students come together during Work Well sessions to go over grammar homework and cover any questions on the writing assignments. Work Well sessions are 30 minutes long. Telebridge - Calls via a telebridge use a technology that allows several people to call into one phone number and connect with each other at the same time. It's much like a traditional conference call. Participants can call in from any location and connect with their trainer and classmates. The only fee is whatever long distance charge you may incur. GoToMeeting - GoToMeeting allows anyone with an Internet connection to collaborate online. The trainer runs the classes via GoToMeeting, and all the participants can see what the trainer wants them to see. You may have also heard of this as a webinar, seminar on the Web. There is no additional fee, unless you have a dial-up Internet connection for which you have to pay for usage. To participate in a class that utilizes the GoToMeeting technology, you need the following computer requirements: PC
Mac
For more information about GoToMeeting, please visit their website. Grammar Report - Participants in the Writing Essentials Program have grammar and writing exercises to complete after every content session. All of the grammar homework is self-graded. Students turn in a grammar report detailing their progress. The Work Well session allows students to ask any questions of the grammar exercises they finished and graded. Writing Essentials Program at a glanceCourse length: 24 weeks Praise for the Writing Essentials ProgramWriting is a crucial element in my VA business.
It is something that clients will ask me to assist them with either
in editing or actually writing for them. So, when Dawn Goldberg
created Write Well U and offered the Writing Essentials program,
I knew it was something I had to make a priority.
It is two weeks into the course and I am amazed at how much I have learnt already. On a personal note, writing has brought back so much joy into my life that I have forgotten how cathartic it is. Thank you, Dawn. I look forward to the next 5 months! ~ Petra Boucher, United Kingdom
I am much more aware of how, and what, I write. Prior to this class, I really struggled with getting anything down on paper. Now, I have the confidence, and tools, to be able to write when I need to. The grammar piece of the class is a necessary piece, and it helped me to strengthen those muscles again. I loved the different areas we delved into and then had to write using those techniques. I also enjoyed the book by Roy Peter Clark. This book is staying on my desk! ~ Cindy Hillsey, Virtual Partnering, Kentwood, Michigan
I've always been amazed by Dawn's mastery with words. It's no surprise, then, that I'm dazzled by her brilliance in what she's created with the Writing Essentials Program. I've seen people embarrassed by their lack of knowledge, understanding, and ability blossom in her program. Dawn's deftness with language, her passion in sharing that, and the super program she's created allow her to support participants in creating solid foundations for the writing they'll do for the rest of their lives! ~ Stacy Brice, President and Chief Visionary Officer, AssistU, Cockeysville, Maryland
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