Freelance Writer
PROGRAM OUTLINE
Instruction Sets
Your program consists of six Instruction Sets written
to take you step-by-step through the techniques and
skills you'll use in your new career.
Here's how it works: Your first
Instruction Set will be sent immediately after
your enrollment has been accepted. Other Instruction
Sets will follow as you complete your exams, so
that you will always have training materials to work
with. Here is an overview of what you'll learn and
the order in which you'll receive your lessons:
- Instruction Set 1
- Learning Strategies
- The advantages of learning at home; types
of study materials; types of examinations;
accessing and using the features of our
website; determining what kind of learner
you are; establishing a study schedule;
using study tips; preparing for and taking
examinations.
- The Freelance Life
- Explains the publishing industry; how
to identify staff-written and freelance
articles, market a freelance product, submit
a professional manuscript, and work with
agents and editors.
- Instruction Set 2
- The Writing Habit, Part 1
- Explains how to discover ideas from
other articles, identify types of freelance
articles, recognize the difference
between objective and subjective writing
and the essential elements of all objective
articles, how to recognize the most
marketable types of fiction and keep
a notebook or journal for writing projects.
- The Writing Habit, Part 2
- Review basic grammar elements, learn
how to distinguish connotation from
denotation, increase your vocabulary,
use language effectively, critique
and revise your own writing, and write
a short feature article.
- Supplement:
- Instruction Set 3
- The Business of Writing
- Explains how to generate ideas for
articles, understand specialized markets,
research markets for your article,
write a query letter, understand the
copyright laws, set up a home office,
keep accurate records of correspondence
with editors and publishers, and tax
receipts.
- Reference Sources for Writers
- Learn how to use library resources,
search the Reader’s Guide to
Periodical Literature and other resources,
recognize the available specialized
periodical indices, use professional
directories to locate expert sources,
contact recognized experts for information
and/or interviews, and understand the
Internet’s resource potential.
- Supplement:
- Instruction Set 4
- Reading for Writers,Parts 1 and 2
- Learn to identify writing techniques
and structural differences in fiction and
nonfiction, trace the genesis of a piece
of writing from initial concept to completed
work, and how to critique others’ work
for structure, focus, and market.
- Textbook:
- Pocketful of Prose
- Telling Stories and Taking Risks
- Supplement:
- Instruction Set 5
- Using the Writer's Market
- How to quickly find information in
the Writer’s Market, understand
the terms used in it, how to request
writer’s guidelines from publications,
locate suitable markets in the guide,
and judge the marketability of your
work.
- Textbook:
- Supplement:
- Instruction Set 6
- Becoming a Professional
- Learn to assemble a writer’s
resume, conduct a successful interview,
get commissions and assignments from
editors, present your manuscript to
an editor in a professional manner,
supply photographs to accompany articles,
guard against accusations of libel,
and maintain high ethical and professional
standards.
- Becoming a Specialist
- Discover how to analyze your life
and educational experiences, know the
requirements of the writing trade and
technical publications and house magazines.
Learn how and when to specialize in
more than one type of freelance writing,
how to present editors with credentials
qualifying you as an expert in your
area, how to discuss your specialty
with editors to obtain publication
opportunities, and learn what it takes
to maintain expertise in your specialty
area.
- Supplement:
- Once you’ve reached this point in your
studies, you’ll be able to choose an area
to specialize in and complete a graded assignment.
The assignment will be a short article or story,
a proposal, outline, or synopsis for a piece that
you could send out for publication.
- These
options
are available:
- Option
1: Literary Fiction
- The
materials include an introduction
to fiction, an overview of
children’s
literature and the short
story, and instructions on
planning a novel.
- Option
2: Genre Fiction
- The
materials include an introduction
to fiction, and an overview
of the mystery, science fiction
and fantasy, romance, and
horror genres.
- Option
3: Nonfiction
- The
materials include an introduction
to nonfiction, an overview
of the essay, feature writing,
writing for the media, and
writing for business.
We reserve the right to change program
content and materials when it becomes necessary.
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