Class Title: "What to Keep: Connecting with Future Generations" Instructor: Robin Reger Class Term: enroll in this class Class Description You're special; absolutely unique. No one else's life has been exactly like yours. But your experiences are universal: everyone has felt the disappointment of a goal not realized, the joy of a new friendship, the love for a special someone, the delight in something new. These universal experiences, these memories, can create a connection between us, a bond between writer and reader. In this course we'll explore how to choose from our life experiences to write stories that resonate with our readers. Through individual attention, one-to-one editing, and maybe a little proofreading assistance, we'll consider our purpose for writing and focus on how to achieve that purpose. We'll investigate what to include for an effective story, what to leave out for an even better story, and what to keep in mind for the best story possible. We'll practice our craft in a safe and supportive environment, improving our skills and gaining knowledge. Each week I'll send you an email focusing on a technique. Then you get to practice, writing an essay of 800-1500 words, and sending it to me as a Word attachment to an email. I will read it and respond with in-depth feedback within 48 hours. If, after you read my response, you choose to rewrite any piece, I'll be happy to look at it again. I can't say how much of your time this course will require because I don't know how fast you write, but please be prepared to work hard. If you're interested in pushing your skills to another level, I promise you'll enjoy this experience. Class Outline Unit 1: Here's the plan: how memoir differs from journal entry. Unit 2: Step up to the plate: letting the real you come through. Unit 3: Take 'em by surprise: choosing original topics. Unit 4: Consider the big questions: keeping your reader's attention. Unit 5: Throw out the excess: eliminating the extraneous. Unit 6: Blend for effect: combining experience with emotion Unit 7: Keep this in mind: considering the bond between writer and reader. Student Skills, Equipment required I've worked with writers of all skill levels. If someone wants to improve her writing, I'm prepared to do whatever I can to help. Students will need Word, Internet access, and an email address. Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $0. Non-SCN members: $. Instructor Bio Robin Reger is a professional writer and teacher who has encouraged and improved the writing skills of traditional university students, nontraditional college students, and nationally known corporate leaders. A graduate of Texas Christian University's acclaimed MA/PhD program in rhetoric and composition, she is currently restoring a century-old farmhouse and writing about it in Archer City, Texas, home to eighteen hundred people and five hundred thousand antiquarian books. Praise for Robin's Classes This class was excellent and suitable for writers of all levels. Robin offered warm encouragment to each student to develop their abilities no matter what their writing experience. I am looking forward to studying with Robin again. —Edith O., Greystones, Co. Wicklow Ireland I thoroughly enjoyed "meeting" Robin in cyberspace! I found her knowledge and skills in editing my story to be extremely helpful in developing my ability as a memoir writer and I look forward to participating in another online class with her. —Julie D., Bunkers Hill Victoria Australia