Accelerator: Get to the Point: Learn to Write Well

Self-doubt and jargon are two impediments to good writing. That little voice that says, “This stinks,” when you write can be silenced. And jargon can be translated into English. Steps toward accomplishing those things and many other hurdles along the path to effective writing will be addressed in this course. You’ll learn to:

• Do your homework. The best writing comes from the best reporting and research. You can write with authority when you know your stuff. (When you don’t know your stuff, readers can smell BS a mile away.)
• Picture an audience and write for it. (Your mother, neighbor, or co-worker who knows virtually nothing about the topic, for example.)
• Write tight, as editors say. Focus on the key points, and be concise while addressing them.
• Write conversationally – to tell a story as you would to the person sitting in the church pew or on the barstool next to you.
• Use details and descriptions, as well as quotes to humanize your writing and make it relevant to your audience.

This accelerator program has 4 hours of contact time. To earn your badge of completion, you must attend and participate in both sessions.

WHEN & WHERE:

Tuesday, August 9th & Thursday, August 11th

6 PM - 8 PM ET

Virtual, Via Zoom

COST:

$100*

INSTRUCTOR:

Alan Miller teaches journalism at Denison University, where he has taught for 22 years. Miller served as executive editor of The Columbus Dispatch and regional editor for USA Today Network Ohio’s 21 newsrooms across the state from 2015-2022. He was inducted into the Ohio Journalism Hall of fame in April 2022. He started at The Dispatch as a reporter in 1984 and has covered regional news, urban affairs, Columbus City Hall, and higher education. He was an assistant city editor, state editor, and assistant managing editor before becoming managing editor in 2004 and editor in 2015. He previously worked at The Repository in Canton, The Daily Record in Wooster, and the Orrville Courier-Crescent. He has bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Ohio University.

*This program is free for students attending Bluffton, Capital, Denison, Heidelberg, Kenyon, Marietta, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, Wittenberg, and Wooster. Contact your career center for the promotional code.