Master writing by writing mindfully
What you’ll learn
Tips to improve your writing
How to have a positive and mindful attitude in writing and in life
The benefits of mind wandering (really!)
How to overcome writer’s block
Concrete tips for improving your writing style
Requirements
Access to a word-processing software
Patience (no one becomes a good writer over-night!)
Description
What is this course about?This is an unconventional course. I take a different approach to teaching writing skills. Sure, you can memorize a bunch of grammar rules and fancy-sounding words; you can read the classic writing style guides. Those are good uses of your time, and obviously you need a decent grasp of grammar. But memorizing rules and words won’t make you a better writer.I’ve read tons of style books and websites, and took several writing courses in university. And what did I learn? I learned that all good advice on being a better writer is basically the same, except no one says it in a straight forward way. So let me spare you the time and effort: Good writing comes from mindful writing. What is mindful writing? It’s basically taking principles of mindfulness and applying them to writing and editing. I take a psychological and experiential approach to becoming a better writer. I think this is much more fruitful than taking a purely technical/academic approach. That’s because I believe that being a good writer comes from having the right mindset. And that mindset is what I focus on in this course.What will you learn in this course?You will learn about mindfulness and acceptance and how to apply these to your writing. You will learn different kinds of mind wandering and how the right style of mind wandering can promote creative problem-solving. You will learn how to deal with writer’s block. And you will learn concrete tips along with real examples of improving sloppy writing.Why is the instructor qualified to teach this?I’ve published four books (and am working on two more right now!) and over 100 research articles. I’ve received praise for my clear and easy writing style for decades. And several of my teachers when I was a kid told me I should be a writer when I grow up 😉
Overview
Section 1: Introduction
Lecture 1 Improve these sentences!
Lecture 2 Why master writing?
Lecture 3 Mindfulness and writing
Section 2: What is mindful writing?
Lecture 4 What is the mind?
Lecture 5 The self, thinking, and writing
Lecture 6 Mindfulness aspect 1: being present
Lecture 7 Mindfulness aspect 2: acceptance
Lecture 8 Exercise: focused-attention mindfulness
Lecture 9 The myth of multitasking
Lecture 10 How to write mindfully
Lecture 11 How to edit mindfully
Lecture 12 Start with an intention and a goal
Lecture 13 The perfect environment for writing
Section 3: Mind wandering for creative insight
Lecture 14 Mindfulness vs. mind wandering for writing
Lecture 15 What is mind wandering (day dreaming)?
Lecture 16 Types of mind wandering
Lecture 17 Exercise: Deliberate positive mind wandering
Lecture 18 Exercise: Spontaneous mind wandering
Lecture 19 Common misconceptions about mind wandering
Lecture 20 The “incubation effect”
Lecture 21 Your brain while mind wandering
Section 4: The five stages of writing
Lecture 22 Stage 1: Brainstorm / freeflow
Lecture 23 Stage 1: Brainstorm practice
Lecture 24 Stage 2: First draft
Lecture 25 Stage 2: Tips for writing the first draft
Lecture 26 Stage 3: Editing
Lecture 27 Stage 3: Tips for editing
Lecture 28 Stage 4: Feedback
Lecture 29 Stage 5: Finalizing
Section 5: Write with style
Lecture 30 Forget grammar; focus on style, simplicity, and substance
Lecture 31 Download practice sentences
Lecture 32 Omit needless words
Lecture 33 Avoid fancy words
Lecture 34 Use unambiguous terms
Lecture 35 Write simple
Lecture 36 Use the active voice
Lecture 37 Phrase in the positive
Lecture 38 Use agentive verbs with agent nouns
Lecture 39 Avoid ambiguities
Lecture 40 Put the most important information first
Lecture 41 Use action and visualization
Lecture 42 Engage the reader
Section 6: Overcome writer’s block
Lecture 43 The two causes of writer’s block
Lecture 44 Write an abstract/summary
Lecture 45 Back to brainstorming (write something else!)
Lecture 46 Expanding on existing ideas
Lecture 47 Use a speech-to-text app
Lecture 48 Accept your anxiety
Lecture 49 Perfection is the enemy of progress
Lecture 50 Be you!
Lecture 51 Write for one person, not for everyone
Section 7: Improve my writing!
Lecture 52 Introduction and resources
Lecture 53 Writing sample 1
Lecture 54 Writing sample 2
Lecture 55 Writing sample 3
Section 8: Bonus section
Lecture 56 Bonus lecture
Students,Professionals,Yeah, anyone, really
Course Information:
Udemy | English | 5h 12m | 1.93 GB
Created by: Mike X Cohen
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