Q. Is this going to be a pre-canned course, just a lot of one-size-fits-all boilerplate? How can you guarantee me personal attention? First of all, class size is limited to fourteen. I read your work every week, I get to know you, you get to know me, and before we are through, all fourteen will know one another. Second, the day you enroll, you will get an email from me asking three questions: 1. What do you hope to learn in this course? 2. Name one of your favorite books. Why do you like it? 3. Textbooks are usually written third person. Why do you think I’m writing this Intro in the first? Needless to say, there are no right or wrong answers, but what you tell me will help me know who you are and what this class can offer you. I would also ask you to read my reply to Q#2 above, where I say that half of every student’s assignment is to write their own stuff, but equally important they are to critique their fellow student’s work. That is my assignment too. Posted on the bulletin board every week, you will see my individual comments on the work you submitted the previous week. Specific suggestions, editorial comments, names of books and authors I think you might find helpful to read. Plus, though the course is advertised to run six weeks, there is an unadvertised seventh bonus week: An end-term wrap-up giving you my opinion of your overall work, including aspects I feel you may need to improve and suggestions on doing it.  In addition, students often have their own questions, maybe not about that week’s specific topic, but writing in general. I’ve had four different agents, a half dozen publishers and been hanging out with writers all my life. I know how these niggling questions can keep you from putting your concentration where it belongs: getting the writing done.  Are agents necessary? How do I find a good one? Is there a market for my kind of short story? Can I make a living writing non-fiction for magazines? How? What can I do about my writer’s block? (or: overcoming perfectionism) What is the correct form for submitting manuscripts? Writing about sex (with and without four letter words) etc., any real life, practical question that comes to mind including the question of vanity press: Is it ever a good idea to pay to get your stuff published? (Not if you’re my student, never.) My standing invitation to students: you have my email address. Send your questions along whenever they pop into mind, and I will reply. This invitation goes during the course, and after too. Until you become rich and famous on your own, you will always be my student.

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