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Online Courses
In the spirit of "competitive cooperation," The Christian PEN presents online courses taught by contributing members of the network. These courses are designed especially for editorial freelancers, to enhance their professional skills and boost their income. Lessons are posted once a week, usually on Mondays; students view the lessons at their convenience. Some classes have optional "homework assignments" to which the instructor will respond with corrections and suggestions. Some courses are interactive, encouraging members to participate in online discussions. Other classes simply involve reading and studying the lessons. Contributing members of The Christian PEN receive discounts on all online courses! NOTE: Contributing membership in The Christian PEN is only $30 per year. Click here for an Application (a Word doc), or here for the pdf version.
If you are interested in taking any of these courses, click here to e-mail Kathy Ide. Or go to PayPal and submit the course fee, using Kathy's e-mail address. Click on the links below to find out more about these courses. Copyediting and Proofreading for Clients Polishing the PUGS Establishing Your Freelance Business Web Site Writing and Editing Typing without Pain Copyright and Permissions Developing Your Editing Specialty Editing Fiction Marketing Your Services The Train-of-Thought Writing Method Ghostwriting and Collaborating Business Building for Editors Get Organized for Greater Efficiency Possible Future Courses Click here for an overview of the benefits of taking an online course through The Christian PEN. Copyediting and Proofreading for Clients This course is for those who wish to learn the basics of copyediting and proofreading for paying clients. You will learn: The difference between proofreading, line editing, substantive editing, and critiquing References to use for different types of manuscripts What to look for in nonfiction manuscripts What to look for in fiction manuscripts How to mark corrections using editor's and proofreader's symbols How to use Microsoft Word's "Track Changes" feature for electronic editing Proofreading Scripture quotations How to make helpful suggestions for improvement. Click here to see what students have said about this class. Instructor Kathy Ide has been a full-time freelance copyeditor and proofreader since 1998. Books she has edited and proofread have been published by Moody Publishers, Thomas Nelson, WaterBrook, and Barbour/Heartsong. One of the books Kathy helped edit, 10 Lifesaving Principles for Women in Difficult Marriages by Karla Downing (Karla's first book), received a Silver Medallion at the 2004 Christian Booksellers Association.
Polishing the PUGS Writers depend on their freelance editors/proofreaders to catch their errors in Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling ("PUGS"). This course covers some of the most common errors writers make in these areas. Rules for books (and short stories that are to be published in books) are based on The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, the industry standards for book publishers in the United States, and on The Christian Writer's Manual of Style used by Christian publishers. Rules for articles are based on The Associated Press Stylebook and Webster's New World College Dictionary. Click here to see what students have said about this class. Instructor Kathy Ide has been a full-time freelance copyeditor and proofreader since 1998. Books she has edited and proofread have been published by Moody Publishers, Thomas Nelson, WaterBrook, and Barbour/Heartsong. She has presented "Polishing the PUGS" at writers' conferences across the country and is the author of Polishing the PUGS: Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling.
Establishing Your Freelance Business This course is for those who wish to start a freelance editing business or improve an existing one. You will learn about: Advertising your services Finding jobs Contacting potential clients Following up on potential clients Making the deal When and how to refer jobs to others Staying in touch with established clients Keeping track of your time and money Managing your workload Balancing the "feast or famine" Click here to see what students have said about this class. Instructor Kathy Ide has been a full-time freelance editor since 1998. She has done editing and proofreading for Moody Publishers, Thomas Nelson, WaterBrook, Barbour/Heartsong, WinePress, CLASServices, and other publishers and organizations, in addition to numerous aspiring and established authors.
Web Site Writing and Editing The course will include: Understanding the Internet, its history and its undeniable potential. Writing compelling content for an Internet audience. Editing an existing Web site to meet the goals of the client. Implementing basic search engine optimization tactics. Learning fundamental HTML codes. Putting these techniques to work on your Web site! Click here to see what students have said about this class. Instructor MeLissa Houdmann works full time as the Director of Content for AllAboutGOD.com. She coordinates a team of 40 volunteer writers to construct compelling Web sites that reach out to skeptics, seekers, and a hurting world with powerful evidence for the Christian faith. She stays on top of Internet reading trends and studies the tactics for Web writing and editing. MeLissa and her husband, Shea, also help small churches and individuals design Web sites that are user-friendly, affordable, and positioned highly on the search engines.
Typing without Pain Writers, editors, and proofreaders spend a lot of time at the computer. If you're not careful about how you do your work, you can easily end up with a repetitive-strain injury that can cause excruciating, constant pain. If you don't respond properly to the early-warning symptoms, computer-related injuries can become permanent, which could stop you from being able to write, edit, or proofread, not to mention perform normal, everyday activities. This course offers tips on: Finding the right equipment and furniture Setting up a proper work station Developing healthy work habits Recognizing the symptoms of a repetitive-strain injury Relieving the pain of computer-related injuries Also included are warm-up, stretching, and strengthening exercises that can help muscles and tendons work to peak capacity without pain. Instructor Kathy Ide has been typing since . . . well, before personal computers were around. After typing in offices for about thirty years, she developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists, DeQuervain's Syndrome in both thumbs, tendonitis in both forefingers, and a rotator cuff injury in her right shoulder. Through her experiences with doctors and physical therapists, as well as her own dedicated research, she has learned how to prevent such injuries from occurring or getting worse. She has presented "Typing without Pain" workshops at writers' conferences across the country and is currently working on a book by the same name.
Copyright and Permissions Whether you're an editor or a proofreader, a critical part of your job is helping your clients understand when and how they can legally use quotations, facts, and statistics from other sources in their own manuscripts. This workshop will cover the following areas: What constitutes "fair use" When material is considered to be "public domain" How to properly document sources (including books, magazines, and Web sites) End notes, footnotes, and bibliographies Copyright laws for songs Quoting Scripture How to request permission from a copyright holder Instructor Kathy Ide has been a full-time freelance copyeditor and proofreader since 1998. She is not a lawyer or copyright attorney. This course will provide basic information that editorial freelancers can offer to their clients. If specific questions arise, authors should seek legal counsel.
Developing Your Editing Specialty While taking every editing job that comes along may seem like the quick route to success, choosing an editing specialty may be more beneficial. Though it might mean rejecting some lucrative-appearing leads, it pays off in the long run by helping you prioritize your schedule and focus on what you do best. This course covers: Understanding Why Writers Hire Specialty Editors Finding Your Specialty Honing Your Specialty Branching Out into Related Specialties Click here to see what students have said about this class. Instructor Katherine Swarts has more than ten years of experience in freelance editing and writing. Her clients include Rainbow Publishers, Carus Publishing, Greenhaven Press, and the Institute of Children's Literature, as well as numerous Christian periodicals for various ages.
Editing Fiction To edit fiction, you need to understand the techniques that are integral to good fiction writing. In this class you will learn the different components of a work of fiction that must be present in both short stories and full-length novels. In this course, we will cover the following: Opening hooks and chapter ending hooks For full-length novels - what needs to be shown in the first chapter Point of View (POV) Proper dialogue, including tags and beats Novel formatting Plot development and research Character development and emotions Showing vs. telling Active vs. passive Proper use of flashbacks or back story Consistency in character traits and scene props Preachiness in Christian novels Overused words that mark the writer as a beginner to publishers and agents Over explanation that insults the reader Uncertainty of character actions Instructor Jeanne Marie Leach is the author of three fiction books and one non-fiction writers' help book. She is a full-time freelance editor, who lives in the mountains of Colorado with her husband of 33 years and their two large Alaskan Malamutes. She enjoys teaching workshops for beginning writers and has mentored numerous writers who have since gone on to win writing awards and are now published authors.
Marketing Your Services Develop a unique marketing plan for your freelance business using the marketing mix, a powerful analysis tool taught in prestigious business schools. The standard mix has four components, commonly known as the Four P's of marketing: Product, Promotion, Place, and Price. The Christian business marketing mix contains a Fifth P, Prayer. Learn to use the Five P's to come up the perfect formula for marketing your business. Click here to see what students have said about this class. Instructor Emily Akin has a BA in Organizational Communications, a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, and extensive marketing experience in publishing, insurance, retail businesses, churches, and her local chamber of commerce. She is the author of more than 50 articles appearing in numerous magazines. She is a also columnist for Hometown magazine.
The Train-of-Thought Writing Method For beginning writers/editors, based on Kathi Macias's book by the same name. This tried-and-true writing method uses the simply analogy of a train to teach novice writers how best to take their thoughts and dreams and put them into clear, compelling, readable manuscripts, which is the first and most important step toward establishing a successful writing career. Instructor Kathi Macias is an award-winning writer who has authored or coauthored 15 books. She has edited, rewritten, or ghostwritten more than 100 others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing at various schools, churches, businesses, and writers' conferences.
Ghostwriting and Collaborating This session will discuss the rules and ethics of ghostwriting and collaborating, as well as the practical dos and don'ts, contracts and contacts, and other helpful tips gleaned from twenty years of experience. Instructor Kathi Macias award-winning writer who has authored or coauthored 15 books. She has edited, rewritten, or ghostwritten more than 100 others for such notables as Dr. Jack Hayford, Rosey Grier, Josh McDowell, and the late Chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Richard Halverson.
The Train-of-Thought Writing Method For beginning writers/editors, based on Kathi Macias's book by the same name. This tried-and-true writing method uses the simply analogy of a train to teach novice writers how best to take their thoughts and dreams and put them into clear, compelling, readable manuscripts, which is the first and most important step toward establishing a successful writing career. Instructor Kathi Macias is an award-winning writer who has authored or coauthored 15 books. She has edited, rewritten, or ghostwritten more than 100 others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing at various schools, churches, businesses, and writers' conferences.
Business Building for Editors This course is for anyone who'd like to establish a successful business as a freelance editor. It complements "Establishing Your Freelance Business" taught by Kathy Ide. Even if you missed Kathy's course, there is still lots to offer here. This program is designed to help editors view their work as a business, not a hobby, and act accordingly. By taking this course and implementing its system, editors can:
Get Organized for Greater Efficiency Do you wish that you had more work to get your bills paid? Do you wish you had more time to get your work done? Do you wish you could spend more time with your family and less time working? Do you wish you had time to SLEEP!! You're not alone. In this 4 weeks class we will talk about how time management can make you more efficient, but we will also use part of the time to help you find more time to do the things you need to do to run an effective Editing Business: Market, communicate, find projects, and complete projects. There will be short lessons [this is a class on time management after all] and feedback will be given on each lesson! Tiffany Colter is a homeschool mom of four young daughters, freelance writer and writing career coach. So time management is essential. She is a 2007 Daphne du Maurier Award winner. She has written for Today's Christian and Charisma Magazine,and is currently a regular writer for the Toledo Business Journal and Afictionado. She received her BA from the University of Toledo in 1998 with a Summa cum Laude distinction. Her Writing Career Coach Course includes students in the US, Canada, and Australia. She is passionate about not only creating a great story but helping other writers learn how to build a strong writing business. She has a daily marketing blog for writers www.WritingCareerCoach.blogspot.com.
Possible Future Courses Here are some potential Christian PEN course offerings. Please e-mail Kathy Ide if you would be interested in teaching any of these topics or taking any of these courses. Medical Copyediting Copyediting with Microsoft Word Introduction to Substantive and Developmental Editing Is Your Freelance Business Running You? Get Organized for Greater Efficiency Breaking into Corporate Editing If you're interested in online courses on writing, check out these links: Writers Online Workshops Writers Weekly |
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