Writing for Social Media: Starting Your Blog or Newsletter (with Anita Gill) - ONLINE
Writing online is a great way to write about your personal experience or expertise on a topic. Whether as a personal blog or a newsletter, self-publishing has its benefits in allowing you to connect with others. In some cases, it has been the impetus for writers to acquire an agent and a book deal.
Medium, Substack, Wordpress. You’ve certainly heard of these–perhaps you’ve read items on these platforms. Maybe you even have a site yourself that you've left dormant. Whatever the case is, this course is designed to help you start or revamp your online writing, to think up dynamic topics, play to your strengths, and generate endless posts that bring in a healthy following.
Over the course of six weeks, students will learn about numerous formats of online writing and discover strategies to build their own platforms. Each week, students will complete in-class writing to generate ideas of what their platform will be about. Students will also share and receive encouraging feedback on three pieces (length 400-600 words) during the course of the workshop.
For writers of all levels and genres. Students should expect 1 - 2 hours of work each week.
WHEN: 6 Weeks: Thursdays, May 4 - June 8 ( 6 - 8pm EST)
WHERE: Online, via Zoom video conference
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
ANITA GILL is a Fulbright Scholar whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, Kweli, Prairie Schooner, The Offing, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Her writing has been listed as Notable in Best American Essays and has won The Iowa Review Award in Nonfiction. She holds an MA in Literature from American University, and an MFA in Writing from Pacific University. She currently serves as Nonfiction Editor for Hypertext Review while working on a novel. Find her online at www.anitagill.ink.
COURSE GOALS
- Learn about the varieties of writing that can be produced online
- Dig into finding your personal niche for your platform, along with your title and author voice
- Establish consistent writing practices that will promise a strong engaged following and readership
COURSE OUTLINE
WEEK ONE: INTRO/ABOUT ONLINE WRITING
We will get to know each other and the organization of this course. We will start to look at a variety of online writing.
WEEK TWO: TYPES OF POSTS
We will dip into the multiple writing formats authors use to generate endless engaging posts. Students will begin to read and comment on peer writing in workshop.
WEEK THREE: BRING THE READER IN
We will look at the importance of a good hook and discuss how a catchy sentence can grab our attention. We will continue in-class workshop.
WEEK FOUR: FINDING YOUR VOICE
We will discuss the importance of finding and keeping a consistent voice that is uniquely you. We will continue in-class workshop.
WEEK FIVE: PROMOTING YOUR COLUMN
We will discuss strategies for your sharing your platform online and gaining a following. We will continue in-class workshop.
WEEK SIX: CREATING YOUR COLUMN
We will discuss the best websites to get started building your platform. We will continue in-class workshop.
RECEIVING THE ZOOM LINK: For one-day workshops, we send out the link to attend the Zoom session 1 - 2 days before the event, via email. For multi-week workshops, you should receive info and the link about 3 - 5 days before. Please mark your calendars when you first register and look for our emails. If you don't see the email in your inbox on the day before the class, please check your spam and junk mail folders (and search all folders) for an email from joy@pioneervalleywriters.org before contacting us. We have found that very often our emails end up in those folders. This is based on your own email settings, and you can prevent this by adding our email as a contact.
ONLINE SESSIONS happen remotely, via Zoom video conference. All you need is a laptop, computer, or phone with functioning audio and a webcam. Those who RSVP receive directions and a link to "join" the session via email (please see above note about receiving the Zoom link). All online instructors will log on to the video conference a few minutes before the start of the session, so please plan to log on early if you'd like assistance! We'll do everything in our power to help you get comfortable with the Zoom format, though we are not able to offer technical assistance beyond basic Zoom orientation.
REFUND & CREDIT POLICIES AT PVWW
Because of non-refundable fees that we, PVWW, must pay for every transaction that happens, we are not able to give full refunds to those who register then withdraw from a workshop or class. If you withdraw from a workshop ten days or more before the start of the class: You'll receive full credit toward another workshop or class of equal value OR a refund minus 10%. If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive full credit toward another class OR a refund minus 30%. If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of a class or after the class has begun: We are not able to offer you credit toward another class or a partial refund, unless in the case of a medical emergency. If we have to cancel a class for any reason, you will receive a full refund, or if you choose, a credit in the amount of your payment, to be used for any future PVWW class. Anyone who does not specify whether they would like a refund or a credit for a cancelled class within 3 months will automatically be refunded. Please contact Joy (joy@pioneervalleywriters.org) for all matters concerning credit and refunds.