Classes online are very new to me as I am sure they are to others. This one however is unusual because we are not asked to submit finished assignments to an instructor. So my question is, where do we submit completed assignments and who ultimately reads and critiques them? Also, I just joined the class yesterday, 2/4/98. Is my first assignment expected to be finished by Sunday night? (thats nota problem, just need to know)

-- Leta Goldberg (leta@ricochet.net), February 05, 1998

Answers

Hi Leta, The next session of Fiction 98 and Fiction 401 starts Feb. 15th. It would be best to begin then (Of course you can always have a nice head start by doing the lessons now, but sometimes I make changes in the lessons). What makes these classes work is the interaction between students. Everybody helps each other. It is important to join a study group, so you may exchange comments and encouragement with other students. There is also a great group of volunteer writers and teachers; they will be visiting study groups to offer constructive criticism. Weekly chats and bulletin boards are other ways of getting help and asking questions about this class and writing in general. You'll also find that many experienced writers take these classes to tune up, so there is a lot to learn from the students too.

If you'd like to jump in now, then I'd go with the current lesson, #5. Visit and decide which study group you'd like to join, then post your assignment #5 on the study group's page. You should get comments on your work that way (be sure to find one that looks active ... look for recent posts). I hope this helps. Best regards, Bob

-- Bob Hembree (bob@4-writers.com), February 05, 1998.