Writing Well I @ Your Desk

Overview

Writing Well I @ Your Desk is an instructor-led and -supported online course. The course runs for two weeks, and each week you’ll be able to access the core content whenever is most convenient for you. You’ll learn from interactive presentations, quizzes, discussion boards, exercises, and printable support materials. Optionally, you can take part in the two live video sessions scheduled during the workshop. The course is delivered on a robust and secure Moodle platform, and all you need to access it is internet access and an up-to-date browser.

This online course is equivalent to the in-class version of Writing Well I, delivering the same quality content and instructor support. It requires approximately 6 hours per week for two weeks to complete.

It can be a challenge to develop and keep a crisp, clear writing style when we work in a culture where buzzwords abound, and complex, long-winded sentences seem to be the writing norm. Yet everyone appreciates writing that is clear and direct. It saves readers time and energy leaving them free to concentrate on the message without distractions from fuzz or ambiguity.

This course provides the tools to help you write clearer, simpler, and more precise sentences without sacrificing content or becoming simplistic. It shows you how to identify and fix trouble spots that muddy meaning, cut out words and phrases that serve no purpose, and fine tune the ones that do. It will help you develop good habits you can rely on to keep your writing clear and sharp.

Topics

• Sentence structure: what makes a sentence work, choosing structure that reinforces meaning
• Sentence logic: diagnosing and fixing shifts, mixed constructions, and errors of sentence logic that make writing unclear
• Clarity: rephrasing complicated, wordy, and unclear constructions, editing out ambiguous and vague pronouns
• Precision: choosing precise and concrete words over empty and abstract ones
• Punctuation: punctuating for accuracy and clarity Individual focus: analyzing your own style and clearing up your problem areas

Audience

• Anyone who writes in English and wants to write clear and professional prose
• Anyone who wants to clear up problems with lack of clarity or wordiness
• Anyone who reviews or edits other people’s writing

Duration

Cost

• $1095 (plus tax)

Featured Instructor

Melanie Sexton, Ph.D. is a seasoned and diversely experienced writing instructor. Her workshops are informed by her practical experience as a writer and editor in both government and the private sector as well as her thirty plus years of teaching experience. She creates and delivers workshops that emphasize the writing skills people need to thrive in today’s fast-paced workplace. She offers workshops both in person and remotely in her signature “@ Your Desk” format.

She is a passionate advocate for abolishing bureaucratic, misleading, and empty writing and believes that good writing makes a difference in the world.

Sessions