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Some students have uninformed opinions they don’t hesitate to
express. For example, in an on-line class at Gotham Writer’s Workshop,
where you post sections of your manuscript for classmates’ comments, a
woman insisted that the Chanel suit one of my characters wears should be
spelled ‘Channel.’ (I don’t object to anyone correcting my spelling, but
those doing the correcting should make sure they’re right.)
Some distance learning courses require the student to send the
instructor a certain number of pages of a novel at specific intervals,
such as 45-50 pages a month. Problems can arise if the instructor
doesn’t keep copies of earlier chapters. I’ve had instructors tell me to
put material in a chapter that had already appeared, but had been
forgotten by the instructor. (The instructor can be surly when this
error is brought to his/her attention.)
Size of class is important. I found an on-line Vermont College class
taught by Shawn Merwin useful. Shawn was a good teacher, and there was
only one other student in the class, so it was more efficient than other
on-line courses I’ve taken. A big on-line course can be a nightmare,
with everyone scrambling to express him or herself.
Antioch University used to have a distance learning program with a
novel twist: the student designed his/her own curriculum, and found
his/her own faculty. (This program may or may not still exist; the
University has undergone a major restructuring.) I learned a lot from my
experience with this program. I arranged courses (each with a faculty
member I knew in New York) on Mysteries Set in the Art World;
Books and
Films Set in the Business World; Mysteries Set in Closed Societies
(schools, hospitals, etc.); and Golden Age Mysteries. I also wanted to
study technique, so I set up courses on Creating Suspense; Authentic
Settings; Character Development; and Writing Effective Dialogue. I tried
to identify the best books of the types I wanted to write, the best
writers of dialogue, the most successful plotters, the most brilliant
builders of suspense, and the most creative designers of settings. I set
out to learn from each of them. The experience was useful and made me
long for more.
When I searched for other writing classes, I learned that some
colleges with distance learning programs allow non-enrolled individuals
to attend their residences. When we read about Spalding’s 2008 residency
in Bath and London, we signed up. It was a great learning experience,
and we decided to apply for enrollment at Spalding. We were accepted,
and for two years, we were full-time (distance learning) students. Reba
had a great learning experience with Kenny Cook, her mentor, as teachers
are designated at Spalding, who challenged her to write some of the
essays on this website. Dave, studying nonfiction, enjoyed working with
his mentors—Bob Finch, Roy Hoffman, and Richard Goodman.
We remain on the lookout for new classes and teachers who can help us
improve our writing.
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