Class Title: How to Revise and Edit Your Writing, Part 2 Instructor: Amber Starfire Class Term: We are not accepting any more enrollments for Amber's class; the class has started. Synopsis Do you find it difficult to edit your own writing, or worry about punctuation and grammatical errors? Whether you're writing for yourself, your family, or a broader audience, you want your writing to be the best it can be—especially if you intend to publish. This two-part course, designed especially for lifewriters, will help you hone your revision skills. In "Polishing Your Story" (Part 2) you will learn how to cut the unnecessary, edit for consistency, punctuation and grammar, and prepare your story for submittal and publication. (You may take Part 2 without having taken Part 1.) Class Description Each week, through examples, exercises, and feedback from other writers, you will explore a particular aspect of revising and editing your writing. We will use a Google group for class communication. Outline Unit 1: Putting Your Writing on a Diet. Cutting the word calories. Every word counts. Unit 2: Wordsmithing. Ensuring consistency. Editing for punctuation & grammar. Common problems and how to fix them. Unit 3: Proofreading & Formatting. Techniques to catch those elusive mistakes. Formatting for submission and publication. Student Skills, Equipment, and Time Required All writing levels welcome. Must be comfortable using email and be familiar with email list groups, such as Yahoo and Google groups. Time required: four to five hours per week reading, writing, and responding to other participants. Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $96. Non-SCN members: $120. Instructor Bio Amber Starfire is Publisher & Editor of Writing Through Life and The Writer's Eye Magazine, a freelance editor, writer, & photographer. She earned her Masters degree at Stanford University and has taught at community colleges and businesses for twenty years. She has been a teacher in the online program for several years, and is very well acquainted with the challenges and rewards of teaching online. Praise for Amber's Classes This was a great class. Amber Starfire's exercises were interesting and engaging. I feel like my writing was greatly improved under her instruction. She also created a lovely container for us to engage with other participants. Thank you, Amber. —Lauren R., Austin TX Amber Starfire was gentle in her feedback, very supportive, and very specific. —Ardine M., Tacoma WA Amber Starfire very gently but firmly suggested/ pushed/ encouraged/ inspired me to try different things and learn new things. Most importantly, Amber provided tools and taught me how to edit my own work in the future. I learned much more than I ever expected. Highly recommended course for any writer. —Nancy M., Bellevue WA Amber Starfire again was gentle but pushed me constantly to improve my work and gave me the tools to do it myself. One of the best tools (part of Word) allowed me to look at phrases, sentences, words to edit a sentence at a time without constantly reading the whole piece over and over again—allowed me to keep working without getting sick of my own story. Her comments were supportive while at the same time pushed me to constantly improve. Some tools gave me a lot of insight into my own bad writing habits—which may help me write better in the future, or at least know what to look for. Strongly recommend this course to any writer, even if you have someone else doing your editing. —Nancy M., Bellevue WA I have learned from Amber Starfire's class that there are many folks who have good ideas and get them on paper. Revisions, editing, and formatting take the writing to a level that makes it appealing to a reader. These skills separate the amateur from the professional writer. If you want to share your writing with others, take this class! —Karen C., Northglenn CO This is my second course with Amber Starfire. I will be taking a third course and possibly more. She is clear in her critiques of student work. She keeps us on task. And she manages all of this with a congenial, encouraging, and joyful attitude. Another skill is that she keeps course members connected, and I believe, supportive and willing to give, as well as receive input. The experiences of both courses that I have taken are that everyone learns, improves, and feels good about the journey. Can't beat that in my opinion. —Linda S., Arcata CA Amber Starfire is a clear, knowledgeable, and empathic teacher. I could not recommend a class with her more highly. I am delighted and amazed by how much i learned in such a short time. —Jacqueline H., Sebastopol CA Amber Starfire is wonderful. She has a direct approach to her critiques. She gets at what each writer needs to address in a clear, yet supportive way. She is encouraging, and managed to help us all connect with each other as helpful members of a writing group. I found this amazing given that we only communicated via email. —Linda S., Arcata CA Amber Starfire is a lovely instructor, ready to work with each person individually as well as the group as a whole. —Katherine D., Richardson TX I recommend this course for anyone wanting a better understanding of how to find their authentic voice. Amber Starfire helped me find my strengths which I plan to build upon in my pursuit of becoming a writer. —Shelly T., Edmonton AB CANADA It was great to connect with other writers and to give and receive feedback. I found it challenging and encouraging...so much so that I signed up for Amber Starfire's 2nd session. —Naomi S., Albuquerque NM Amber Starfire's course is well organized and clear, and she is friendly and supportive. —Florrie C., Oroville CA Amber Starfire was a sensitive an encouraging, insightful instructor!!! —Nancilynn S., Austin TX A great course inspiring me to finally start writing! I have taken two other writing courses on line but Amber Starfire's is the first that I can honestly say was worth the (more than worth) the registration fee! —K. Ann W., Nanaimo BC CANADA Heretofore I knew little about the chakras. I came out of this course feeling quite knowledgeable and experienced and with greater insights. I feel that each of the course members are my new friends. Amber Starfire's guidance was excellent and her responses to my/our journaling and conversation was insightful, explanatory and thoughtful. I felt that we were in really good hands. Amber is full of wisdom and understanding, as are the other members of the group. We were able to counsel each other and to share our knowledge about related subjects as time went on, and I learned much from other course members. I highly recommend this course. —PJ P., Austin TX