Class Title: Advanced Writing Family History Instructor: A. Mary Murphy Class Term: We are not accepting any more enrollments for Mary's class; the class has started. Synopsis This course will build on the Research and Interpretation of the introductory course and the Consolidation and Synthesis of the intermediate course and add Composition and Organization. Composition concerns such as grammar, punctuation, diction, and spelling will receive a share of the attention, as will the question of how to configure the story. Chronology isn't necessarily best. Class Description Each week, we will discuss ways to expand the previous week's submission. Classmates will help each other identify gaps and questions that will lead to a fuller, more polished, submission. At the end of the class, students will be able to use their skills and experience to complete their family history, whether they want to stop at 20-25 pages or press on to 200. The assignment instructions will be posted on the course website, and students are encouraged to discuss their problems and discoveries using the Yahoo group. Completed assignments will be uploaded as Word or PDF documents to each student's file on the website, for the instructor and classmates to offer feedback. Outline Unit 1: Expand on Research Sources and Interpretive Aids Unit 2: Consider Story Keys and Episode Selection Unit 3: Configure Organizing Principles and Project Construction Unit 4: Shape Cohesive Chapters and Organic Lives Unit 5: Conclude Life Lessons and Writing Purpose Student Skills, Equipment, and Time Required This course is for those who have completed earlier levels of Story Circle's Writing Family History courses (Beginning or Intermediate) or for very experienced writers. Students should be able to complete assignments using a word processor. E-mail and participation in our Yahoo group are required. Students should plan to commit at least three or four hours per week to the planning and writing stages of each unit, but most will likely spend more than that working on their stories. Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $160. Non-SCN members: $200. Instructor Bio A Canadian, A. Mary Murphy is a lifelong writer whose doctoral work was in life writing. Her group biography of her mother's family, Pierce: Six Prairie Lives, is forthcoming this fall from Temeron Press. Her poetry collection, Shattered Fanatics, was published by BuschekBooks in 2007, and The Business of Marriage and Medals: A Relationship's Journey Through Elite Performance, co-written with Jeff and Aly Pain, appeared in 2010. Mary teaches post-secondary classes in literature and film, leads field schools to Ireland, and has a freelance writing, editing, and mentoring business, Writing Life. Praise for Mary's Classes Mary Murphy provided clever, empathetic and timely reponses. She kept us motivated and constantly challenged us to add color and details to our family stories. —Doris A., Yakima WA Good class. Mary Murphy gave very thought-provoking replies. —Lynn E., Tivoli TX