Fundamentals of Writing Participant Set

This course will help you discover what’s working and what could be improved in any piece of writing. If writing is a challenge for you, Fundamentals of Writing will help you improve your abilities and confidence. If you feel comfortable writing, this course will hone your skills even further! You'll learn specific strategies to improve the ideas, organization, voice, words, sentences, and correctness in your writing.

Clear explanations and examples teach key concepts, and activities for writing and editing help you practice what you learn. Each lesson ends with a wrap-up activity and quiz, and a pre- and post-assessment track your overall learning.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to do the following:

• Understand and use the seven traits of effective writing
• Use an easy, four-step process to draft effective documents
• Analyze each writing situation
• Develop a clear main point and support it effectively
• Use an effective three-part structure, organizing messages to succeed
• Use different patterns of organization depending on the purpose of the message
• Use a writing voice that fits your subject, audience, and purpose
• Use fresh, precise words and get rid of wordiness
• Write active sentences with parallel construction
• Avoid common errors and unclear wording
• Create an effective design and use graphics to make your point
• Create email messages that communicate clearly

Course Materials

• Meyer, V., Sebranek, P., & Van Rys, J. (2021). Fundamentals of Writing (Participant Guide). Lake Geneva, WI: Thoughtful Learning.
• Meyer, V., Sebranek, P., & Van Rys, J. (2021). Grammar at a Glance (Job Aid). Lake Geneva, WI: Thoughtful Learning.
• Meyer, V., Sebranek, P., & Van Rys, J. (2011). Write for Business (Handbook). Burlington, WI: UpWrite Press.
• Meyer, V., Sebranek, P., & Van Rys, J. (2021). Write for Business (Guide). Lake Geneva, WI: Thoughtful Learning, writeforbusiness.com/guide (free online).