Elements of Effective Writing II: Form and Composition

Using proper grammar, punctuation and mechanics make your writing correct. In order to truly write well, you must also master the arts of form and composition. From sentence structure to polishing your prose, this workshop will enhance your writing – no matter what type of writing you do. 

Course level:  Beginner 

Required Book:  None required 

Workshop Length:  6 weeks 

Tuition:  $250.00 ($225 for VIP)

Start Date: View Elements of Effective Writing II: Form and Composition Course Schedule

Course Structure
The workshop will consist of six one-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures (text based) and creative and practice exercises. You will have an opportunity to evaluate your own progress with online, self-graded “tests.” Each session, you’ll submit an assignment to the instructor for private review, and—when appropriate—assignments will be posted for group review and feedback. Throughout the workshop, you will be able to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion and encouraged to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and self-directed writing exercises. (1.2 CEUs) 

You will learn: 

  • How to fix common sentence problems (sentence fragments, run-on sentences, dangling and misplaced modifiers)
  • How using sentence variety can your writing interesting.
  • How to build paragraphs, sentence by sentence, to write engaging prose.
  • How to polish your prose to write an original composition.

Who should take this course: 

  • Beginner writers who need to learn how to apply the principles of proper form to develop coherent stories
  • Writers who want to revisit the skill of composing a story so that it flows both naturally and logically
  • Individuals who would like the assistance of a Published Author as they start their writing journey

Elements of Effective Writing II: Form and Composition Writing Workshop

Workshop Outline

Session One: Sentence Structure

  • Simple, complex, compound, compound-complex
  • Fixing common sentence problems (sentence fragments, run-on sentences, dangling and misplaced modifiers)

Writing Assignment:
This assignment has four parts (be sure to label them accordingly):

Part I
Rewrite the following, correcting the run-on or fused sentences (please number your answers accordingly).

  1. Why should I spend so much money on a new outfit for the dance, I have plenty of clothes in my closet already.
  2. Summer is an exciting time of year for children, school is out and the pool is open.
  3. Tissues are a necessity in the winter, people always have colds.
  4. Once in a great while, a writer comes along who changes the way we look at things James Joyce is a good example.
  5. Freelance writing is an arduous career path to follow the rewards can be great but it’s hard to make time.

Part II
Rewrite the following, correcting the sentence fragments (please number your answers accordingly).

  1. With compasses in hand, the Boy Scouts trekked through the thick woods of central Kentucky. Where they practiced their orientation skills.
  2. Ethnocentric movements are resulting in the death of some population members in several former Soviet republics. So that in many other parts of the world, people are starting to protest.
  3. In front of the couch the cat crouched. Waiting silently for the mouse to reemerge.
  4. Ronald is suffering from manic-depression. A disease caused by a chemical imbalance.
  5. Children may act out their frustration by complaining to their parents that the neighbors are mean, if they get healthful snacks instead of candy in their Halloween bags.

Part III
Rewrite the following, so that the modifiers are no longer misplaced or dangling (please number your answers accordingly).

  1. Though only thirteen, the Olympic Committee decided to let Tonia compete.
  2. Opening the window to let in some fresh air, the room quickly became too cold.
  3. Even after completing combat training, women’s access to the front lines has often been denied.
  4. Though a writer all her life, the newspaper did not hire Stacey.
  5. Upon entering the boutique, the perfect black dress caught my attention.

Part IV
To give your instructor—and the class—an idea of what kind of writing you’re most interested in, compose a brief sample (up to 250 words). If your interest is business writing, for example, you might want to submit a business letter or product proposal. If you want to write fiction, try a short character sketch or scene description. If you’re interested in personal writing, start an essay or describe an important memory. This is a short exercise, so don’t try anything too complicated. If you’re not sure what kind of writing you’re interested in, or if your writing goals are varied, you may just want to write 250 words describing those goals. Whatever you write, pay special attention to the mechanics of grammar and punctuation, and try to incorporate what you learned in this session about handling phrases and clauses.

Session Two: Sentence Form

  • Variety
  • Order (normal and inverted)
  • Loose vs. periodic sentences
  • Parallelism 

Writing Assignment:  Take a few minutes to think about the last good book you read, and then write a short (250 words or so) review telling a specific audience why that book is so good and why they should take the time to read it. Write this without paying attention to sentence structure. Just write it down or type it into your computer. When you’re done, go mow the grass, shovel the sidewalk or enjoy a snack, and then come back.

Welcome back. Now read your review, paying close attention to the words and sentence lengths and structures you’ve unconsciously chosen. Do you recognize a pattern in your writing? Are the words and sentence structure appropriate for your chosen audience? Are there places where you might vary the sentence structure to make the piece more interesting? Can you use (but not overuse!) parallel construction in words, phrases, tenses and conjunctions? Make your revisions and submit the revised work for your instructor’s comments.

If you don’t want to write a book review, try a review of a concert, movie or television show instead. Or if there’s something that would be more relevant to your own writing, write a “review” of that: describe a new product your company is launching; write about the capabilities of a new software application; critique a restaurant; detail the effectiveness of an administrative procedure you’ve implemented at work.

Session Three: Paragraph Structure

  • Topic sentences
  • Summary sentences
  • Division sentences
  • Transitional sentences 

Writing Assignment: Write a 250-word essay arguing that you deserve a raise at work. Your audience is your boss. The first thing you should do is make a list of your accomplishments: how you’ve helped the company; how you’ve been a team player; why sales are up because of you; etc. These points should figure in your topic sentences, as you’ll want to introduce each topic then explain it in the rest of the paragraph.

Remember to write succinctly; that is, don’t belabor the issue. Just say what needs to be said and then move on to the next paragraph. After all, you don’t want to lose your boss’ attention! Keep in mind periodic sentence structure from Session Two—keeping the good stuff for the end. Apply that to paragraph structure as well, building up to finish on the strongest note possible. Use clear, strong transitions so your boss can easily make the connection between each of your great qualities as an employee, and finish off with a summary sentence restating all your stellar qualities.

When you’re finished, walk away for a while and think about how it would be if you could actually give this to your boss! Then come back and revise it before sending it in to your instructor for feedback, paying attention to grammar, word choice, sentence structure, etc.

If you don’t have a boss, or you don’t need a raise (you lucky devil), present a case for something else you feel strongly about—a community swimming pool, a change in the electoral system, your child’s curfew. Think about your subject and the audience for your “argument” carefully, and present your points logically and clearly so that you make the best possible case for your position.

Session Four: Kinds of Paragraphs

  • Descriptive
  • Narrative
  • Expository
  • Argumentative
  • Beginning
  • Ending
  • Transitional
  • Anecdotes 

Writing Assignment: Imagine that you’ve just finished Thanksgiving dinner, Seder, Sunday brunch for twenty, or any other large meal involving mounds of food and lots of dirty dishes. (If you don’t want to use a meal or holiday setting for this assignment, choose a setting that has special meaning to you.)

For Part One of this assignment, write a 250-word description of the scene that elicits a specific emotional response. Engage all of the reader’s senses and select the details that contribute to the emotion you’re trying to convey.

For Part Two, imagine a story or essay that incorporates this setting and write the first 250 words. This can be a fictional scenario involving characters interacting with each other, or a nonfiction piece that could be anything from a how-to article about preparing a no-fuss holiday meal, to an essay about how family gatherings can be emotionally stressful.

Either way, this should be a long enough excerpt for you to write an opening paragraph that grabs the reader’s attention and at least one or two paragraphs that move forward into the body of the piece. Don’t worry about telling a complete story or writing a complete article—you won’t be able to in this short of an assignment. Just concentrate on setting the scene and writing a strong beginning.

(Please label your assignment Part One and Part Two)

Session Five: Paragraph Form

  • Unity (of thought, of point of view, of mood and voice)
  • Coherence (transitional expressions, repetition, parallelism)
  • Order
  • Length 

Writing Assignment: Write an original piece of fiction or nonfiction of 500-750 words. Because this session deals with paragraph form, coherence and unity, be sure that your piece consists of at least three paragraphs (it may contain more, of course). Concentrate on the use of topic sentences to set the reader’s expectation of what this piece is about. Try not to include any information—no matter how interesting—that doesn’t fulfill the reader’s expectations. And don’t forget to use appropriate transitions to move your reader smoothly through your paragraphs.

If you don’t have a topic at hand, try an essay about a friend or relative using the following topic sentences to form the main organizational structure of your essay:

1. [Subject] has been an important part of my life.

2. Nevertheless, there have been times when [Subject] and I have not seen eye to eye.

3. But when I think of [Subject], it’s the good things I remember.

Chances are you will have a lot more information about the subject than will be appropriate for the theme of this essay as defined by these topic sentences. Keeping in mind paragraph unity, coherence and order, carefully select what information to include in each paragraph, and what to leave out. Choose details that will give your reader an accurate “portrait” of your subject’s appearance and personality, but that also follow the direction of the essay established by the topic sentences.

Session Six: Polishing Your Prose and Putting the Pieces Together

  • Wordiness; Redundancy
  • Frequently confused homonyms
  • Frequently misused words
  • Putting it all together to write an original composition

Writing Assignment: Write up to 1,000 words on the topic of your choice. Make the most of this assignment by submitting a portion of a work-in-progress, or a sample of the kind of writing you are most interested in pursuing.

If you write primarily for work, submit part of a business proposal, project outline or employee handbook you may be working on. If you’re a fiction writer, try the opening scene(s) of a story or novel. If you’re leaning more toward memoir or personal writing, consider a brief reminiscence piece or a family anecdote. If you’re a technical writer, submit the beginning of that software manual you’ve been assigned to write.

The principles of good composition apply to all writing, so let yourself go. (If ideas still fail you, you could discuss what you’ve learned in this workshop, and how you plan to work on improving your writing even further!)