Free Writing Course . . . and It's Good!

Several years ago, our English department spent some of its small, precious budget to buy the Annenberg Media series English Composition: Writing for an Audience. Today, you can watch it for free on Annenberg's Learner.org web site.

The interesting thing about this series is that it features conversations with and advice from writers from all fields of endeavor: authors, journalists, teachers, musicians, judges, nurses, engineers, scientists, and athletes.

For instance, author Frank McCourt (pictured, Angela's Ashes) talks about revising sentences; Emmy Award-winning scriptwriter David Mills (NYPD Blue and ER) and humorist/grammar expert Dave Barry describe how they use revision; writers and actors from the television series MAD TV outline how they write collaboratively; and humorist Tom Bodett discusses organizational techniques.

See: English Composition: Writing for an Audience (free registration required)