Public Writing Spring 2018 Room 1208
Week 16 (2018.06.18) Reminder:
At the end of the semester, expect to give me your three best pieces of blog writing, along with your column/letter tothe editor and submission documentation. These will be graded for quality points.The deadline is your class day and time during Week 16. You can put your papers in my mailbox in Room 106 of the Main Building. Please remember to indicate your class time on your paper.
Thanks for a great semester!
JBH
Week 15 (2018.06.11) Notice to Public Writing Students
There is never enough time, especially at the end of the semester. And I can't write it for you.
But I do want to do whatever I can to help you write your best blog posts and columns or letters to the editor.
As we wind down the semester, here are a few of my open slots where I'd be glad to meet with you in my office, Main Building Room 404, to talk about your writing for a few minutes:
Friday, June 8th 12:30-4 p.m.
Tuesday, June 12th 1-3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 13th 10 a.m.-12 noon
Thursday, June 14th 1-4 p.m.
Friday, June 15th 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Please email me to make an appointment during the above times. DO NOT assume you have an appointment until I respond to your request. It's a good idea to arrange your appointment a couple days in advance.
Thanks for your help this semester!
JBH
Week 11, 12, 13, and 14 (2018.05.15)
We spent some time this week going through the text, looking at our classmates' blog posts on daily life, and listening to JBH continuing to talk about writing tighter, keeping it conversational, and using shorter paragraphs and more white space to invite readers to want to read.
Remember: Interesting counts!
We will continue blogging and you should improve and submit your letters to the editor/columns to a real print source of some type in the next few weeks. See me if you want individual feedback.
Apart from that, we will continue to create and refine posts on our blogs, as well as posting the links in the Canvas discussion area for feedback. We also need to be working on our own to refine and submit for publication our letters to the editor or columns. Please document any efforts you make to get your writing published.
Our tentative schedule for the rest of the semester is:
Week 12: Sense of Place: Write about a place, using as many of the five senses as possible. While it may seem easy to do a favorite place from memory, it's usually more real if you go spend at least 20 or 30 minutes in the place and soak in the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations. We don' t meet in the classroom this week, so you don't need to meet the usual early deadline, but please be sure to get your link posted in Canvas by Wednesday so two of your classmates have enough time to give you helpful feedback.
Week 13: Write About a Person: Again, it may seem simple just to write what's in your head about a person, but if you spend some time interviewing them about what you think makes them interesting, the quotes and
your notes about the meeting will make the piece much more alive. Early deadlines apply this week, as well as giving feedback to two classmates.
Week 14: Food Post: Every blog needs a food post. You choose the direction and topic. But it should have something to do with food and fit your blog's personality. Early deadlines apply this week, as well as giving feedback to two classmates.
Week 15: Open Topic: This one is up to you. Make it great. Early deadlines apply this week, as well as giving feedback to two classmates.
Week 16:?
At the end of the semester, expect to give me your three best pieces of blog writing, along with your column/letter tothe editor and submission documentation. These will be graded for quality points.The deadline is your class day and time during Week 16. You can put your papers in my mailbox in Room 106 of the Main Building. Please remember to indicate your class time on your paper.
See you in class!
JBH
Week 10 (2018.05.08)
By now, your blog should have a focus
It also should feature an About Me page with a photo of you. The About Me page should not just be another blog post, but there should be a link to it on your front or home page when readers first see your blog.
Also by now, your first blog post should be complete and perfected.
Your second blog post, on Daily Life (HUFS/Korea/Something interesting), is due week 11 by the early deadline, and you need to give feedback to two classmates in Canvas before class time. We will be looking at some blog posts in class.
Please get your posts up ASAP (definitely by Saturday midnight) so two of your classmates have time to give you feedback before our next session.
Also, please bring hard copies of your second blog post to class so we can talk about them in class.
Keep your columns/letters to the editor around. We will be collecting final drafts for a grade and I will be asking you to submit and verify you submitted them to some print source. More details soon.
Thanks!
JBH
Week 9 (2018.05.01)
1. Re: Columns/Letter to Editors -- Almost everyone needs to CUT CUT CUT what I have seen so far. Main points only. Write tight. Much of what seems important to the writer is very unimportant to the reader. Nobody wants to read all those details. Interesting counts. Not trying to be hard on your, but encouraging you to be a tough editor on yourself. If it doesn’t add something relevant or move the story/essay forward, cut it.
2. Show us your links -- what’s going on so far with blogs/online writing? I’d like to quickly see something from everyone.
3. Column Writing text continue. Ideas for next assignment for our blogs?
Questions about using photos/images? Google for info about "using free images on a blog."
Some info is at https://www.lifewire.com/top-sites-to-find-free-photos-3476732
You may want to Google for more information about Royalty Free and Creative Commons images.
For next week, make sure you have a focus/title for your blog. In addition to fine-tuning your "About Me" page (including a photo that answers the reader's curiosity about who the writer is (YOU)), please write at least one complete blog post that fits your theme.
It might be a good idea to ask for and allow comments on your blog from any readers; that's up to you.
But I do want you to post your entry address to our Canvas discussion page and give feedback to two classmates using the "Sandwich Approach" in Canvas as well.
*SANDWICH APPROACH (for written work)
1. Briefly summarize the main point that you think the writer is trying to say.
2. Give two or three helpful, specific suggestions that you think would improve the writing.
3. Tell the writer about two or three specific things you liked about the writing.
Please get your posts up ASAP (definitely by Saturday midnight) so two of your classmates have time to give you feedback before our next session.
See you in class!
JBH
Week 8 (2018.04.24)
Today, please hand in your finished opinion column/letter to the editor, along with your main point sentence and the first three sentences to gain interest and let your reader know where the piece is going fast.
Then, looking forward, we will also be starting a Blog/Online Presence/Public Writing Portfolio.
Don’t forget images, photos. People like to see as well as read. And because this class is called
“Public Writing,” I am going to strongly suggest (require) you make this blog or page open to the
public. Get tough and enjoy whatever reaction you get. If someone criticizes you, it may well be
because they are afraid to do or say what you are doing/saying.
What to do for next week:
First, set up an online presence == web page, blog, whatever. There are lots of places to do this for free and it’s not too difficult, but if you need help, ask me or a classmate. Post a link so we can see where you are online.
Second, Decide on an overall topic focus for your blog or page (more than just me).
Third, Write a self-introduction “About Me” page to help readers get to know who you are and what kind of things your page/blog will be focusing on.
Please post the above items to the Canvas discussion area by the time we meet next week AND bring a hard copy of the same thing to class.
We will continue with letters to the editor/opinion columns and trying to get something published along with building our online public writing portfolio. There will be more online writing assignments coming, starting next week.
Examples of “About Me” pages:
https://naturallyella.com/about/
http://www.junkfoodguy.com/about/#sthash.5RMQgRv1.dpbs
http://www.adventurouskate.com/about-this-blog/about-kate/
https://www.apetogentleman.com/about/
http://www.lifelongmichigander.com/p/about-jeff.html
Potential upcoming writing topics for our blogs (please make a suggestion next week)
Discuss HUFS -- be careful about criticism, especially of specific people.
Daily Life of a HUFS Student
A Place I Like
A Person I Like
Other ideas? Current Affairs or areas of interest?
Week 6 (2018.04.10)
Workshop Session
In class, we stepped back and took a deep breath to take stock of where we are in the process of writing a letter to the editor or opinion column. We should get some kind of finished product put together soon and we don't need to make our task more difficult than it needs to be. We looked for guidance at some online sources of info about how to write and submit letters to the editor/opinion pieces and shared the important elements of them with the rest of the class. Each student/group took one of the links below, took a few minutes to read and digest it, and then in the second part of the session, we shared what we learned.
For next week, please continue reading The Art of Column Writing and wrap up your column or letter. By now, you should have a good idea about your topic, your market, and how you will get it published. Bring hard copies of your finished product to class along with your letter requesting publication. Remember to follow any guidelines or examples from your chosen media outlet as you create your piece.
Below are the links we took a look at and report about to class with a brief highlights presentation.
How to
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/direct-action/letters-to-editor/main
https://www.wikihow.com/Write-Letters-to-the-Editor
https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/480-how-to-write-a-letter-to-the-editor-and-an-opinion-editorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxflXSfOalk
https://www.ucsusa.org/action/writing-an-lte.html#.WsXOwWiWato
https://www.aclu.org/other/tips-writing-letter-editor
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/frontline_advocacy/frontline_public/goingdeeper/editor
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/opinion/tips-for-aspiring-op-ed-writers.html
Great Opinion Pieces
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/30/the-60-most-read-opinion-pieces-of-2015
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2017/12/21/the-op-eds-that-moved-us-in-2017/
https://www.wired.com/story/the-12-most-read-opinion-pieces-in-2017/
http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/best-read-opinion-pieces-on-st
Week 5 (2018.04.03)
"Talk- write, Write-talk."
1. Voice and Matt Furey
http://www.mattfurey.com/bio/
http://www.mattfurey.com/frustrated-wannabe-writers/
2. Talked in groups about our voice examples and shared some interesting ones on screen.
3. Looked over bodies of essays and gave each other face-to-face feedback. The professor told everyone to "write tight" and get to the point quickly. This is not an academic essay. YOu need to get and keep the interest of readers. Nobody is getting paid to read this and give you suggestions. Make it interesting and attractive to readers.
For next week,
1. Complete your column and submit it to the Canvas discussion area, along with as many specifics as you can get about how you will get it printed somewhere. That means you need to research at least two publications where your piece could get printed. Find out their requirements in terms of length, format, style, etc. Try to make your piece fit those requirements and attach a brief cover note explaining who you are and why your piece will be of interest to readers of that publication. You should include addresses of the publication, both email and snail mail, as well as phone contact info. Use your brief cover note as a script if/when you call the publication to pitch your piece.
Week 4 (2018.03.27)
In class, we continued reading and discussing the text material on Voice and Beginnings.For next week (April 3), please find two pieces of writing that demonstrate what you think is meant by the term "voice." You may want to review the pages about voice in the text before you begin. Be sure to add some explanation about the voice you read (hear?) in the writing and what effect of that voice has on readers. Post your examples to the discussion board under the heading “Your Name/Voice” before midnight Saturday and please comment on the posts of at least two classmates.
Also, please continue writing the body of your column, going beyond the opening stages. Post what you have written so far in Canvas before class time.
Finally, think about and research where and how you might get something published in print or online media with an established readership. That does not mean post it to your own blog unless you have several thousand regular readers already. I want everyone in this class to make a real attempt to write something publishable and get it published. While you are not required to get published, you are required to go for something publishable, both in terms of quality and writing something that real people could be interested in.
See you in class!
JBH
Week 3 2018.03.20
- Samples and Ideas -- talk in groups
- Topic Proposals
- Book - Voice and Beginnings
- For next week, play around with some beginnings. Every writer is different, so some of you may want to use the ideas in the book and put together three or four (or more) potential beginnings, and others may want to just write and rewrite one as it goes through a few changes.
Either way, I’d like to see a solid topic idea and first graf in the Canvas Discussion area by midnight Saturday. And keep going in the book through "Telling the Story. We will try to make time to talk about the reading in class. In addition, you need to be thinking about your market. Where might you be able to get your letter, opinion column, or other writing published? Who might be interested in reading it? Look at publication guidelines in at least three newspapers/journals/magazines, etc. and be ready to talk about what you learned when we meet again.
Keep writing and reading examples of good columns, letters, and other kinds of written English that fits your purpose. And while please help each other with constructive feedback and ideas about what you see that works well and ways to improve it. After you submit your ideas by Saturday, please comment with suggestions and ideas for two of your classmates in the Canvas discussion area before we meet Tuesday.
See you in class!
JBH
Week 2 2018.03.13
In class, we started the session by going over the Canvas discussion area and finding out who was having problems with it. If you did not get an email from Canvas or if you don't know what to do with Canvas, talk to me ASAP.
Next, we looked at the first few pages of the book, which introduces the subject of column writing, and started getting into Point of View, a critical element for an opinion piece or any kind of column or personal writing.
We moved on to a small group discussion about possible topics and who might be interested in reading about them.
Then we looked at some samples of column writing and letters to the editor from several newspapers (links below). You should be thinking about what you will write and who you will be writing for in terms of where your audience will be geographically. Korea may seem like the first choice, but it might be better and easier to look elsewhere also.
Finally, we talked about homework for next week:
1. Please share 2 examples in the Canvas discussion area (include links or uploaded documents) and analyze one in some detail. Tell us what you found interesting and make specific comments about the writing. Label your post Your Name/Week 2 Examples.
2. Please bring two writing ideas to class with you. At least one should be outlined in some detail as far as the specifics of the idea, any pre-research you have done or need to do, the potential audience, etc. We will talk about them in class.
3. Keep reading in Section 1 of the text through the units on Voice and Beginnings.
Links we looked at in class:
● http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-mike-royko-column-excerpts-perspec-0416-20170414-story.html
● http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/01/01/AR2007010100864.html
● http://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/
● http://www.todayonline.com/voices
● https://www.greatfallstribune.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/
● http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0320schmich-column-column.html
● http://www.record-eagle.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/
Week 1 2018.03.06
This class is about writing for readers.
Writing to convince others to agree with your opinion, writing to sell them something, or just writing to inform them of knowledge about something you understand that they need to learn.
What does Public Writing mean to you?
This semester, we will be exploring how to express ourselves clearly in writing to people we may not know.
We will look at selling our arguments, selling products, and selling our ideas about the way things are.
We need to get and hold people’s attention, present convincing arguments, and make our messages clear, concise, and on target. It's going to be a challenge, but it’ll also be fun.
Every week, we’ll be writing something. We will be writing something new or improving something we’ve already written.
This is because writing takes time. No writer pumps out perfect prose on the first run-through. Even Especially the fastest writers need to revise, edit and clean up their copy.
You live in South Korea, but I guess you already knew that. That means that you are in one of the world’s most interesting places right now. Kim Jong-un vs. Donald Trump, the Olympics, the growing economic power of big brother China, K-pop, Korean dramas, lots of things about Korea are of interest to the English-speaking world.
So go for it, try to think of things you could write about that would interest readers. Not just Korean readers. Go beyond the frog in the well mentality and explore topics that will interest readers from elsewhere. That means no Dokdo.
The text is The Art of Column Writing by Standring. Get it ASAP on Amazon Kindle or however you can.
We will start by basing the course on the book about column writing, along with several other resources that can help us see things more clearly.
This week, please read the Prologue, Introduction, and first unit of Section 1 on Point of View. In other words, read, review, and be ready to discuss the text through page 17 when we meet next week.
I also want to see a Proposal from everyone about what kind of Public writing they plan to do this semester. I see an initial focal point being somewhat journalistic or opinion column-ish, but you may have other ideas. I think you have a unique place in the world to be writing from with lots of opportunities to write about things that others might find interesting. And interesting counts
The Olympics and its effect on Korea; North Korean geopolitics as seen from Seoul, Trump as seen from Seoul (the good, the bad and the ugly); Korean thoughts about the current situation in China,
Write in class about:
- Your interests and background knowledge (in terms of useful writing topics for this class)
- Possible topics
- Who would you be interested in writing for?
Homework:
*Read Text through page 17, Prologue, Intro and Point of View
*Address questions 1-3 above in the class Canvas discussion area, and respond, conversation-style, to at least two classmates. For the discussion subject or title use "Your Name/All About Me."
