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Transform Your Existing Talents to the Web

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Aspiring Writers Find Guidance, Support on Web

by Laura Minnergerode

People Learn from Each Other
"Writing is a social process" is the headline on my webpage. From my personal experience as a writer and a teacher, I have observed that community is a vital element in the process of expressing and refining ideas. So what do writing and teaching have to do with the Internet? It's my belief that the electronic community is a perfect home for a community of writers.

Since the primary goal of a writer is almost always to publish, the web is a perfect tool. But to resonate with your readership, you must consider their needs and interests: in short, the community you intend to serve. Here is the story of how I took my expertise as a writer's workshop coach to the web!

Ironically, the concept of community is a two-way street. Several years ago, I taught a "Writing Workshop" at a small school in California. It was a course where fifth grade writers collaborate and revise as the main activity of the course.

During the session, we work together. Depending on the needs of the writers, I model aspects of creative writing—such as good adjectives, using transitions, writing a good lead, first person vs. third person, etc. They practice "out loud" in the chatroom, and then apply that new knowledge in the week's assignment. Kids send their assignments both to me and to the others in the group.

In an adult writing group, I was able to summon a willingness to sweat, agonize, pull my hair out and shed tears over more work than any other time in my life. Support from other people made the process more bearable, but it also made me realize we all had a common goal. We met (and continue to meet) in a chat room once a week.

Online Writer's Community
I had these ideas in mind when I posted my first "call for writers." I also knew that a lot of people who didn't THINK they wanted to write might enjoy it if they could do it on the computer, and in the comfort of their own home. My first class was made up of kids from Pennsylvania, Missouri and Florida. We met (and continue to meet) in a chat room once a week.

Although I thought my idea was one-of-a-kind, there are others, like me, teaching online. Some sources for information are:

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Some on-line courses use chat software; others involve email communication or web delivery of material. For my writing workshop, the chat is the most important forum for writers to work together. Deciding on a meeting place begins with the selection of the software.

To learn more about specific chat applications, see

Besides what I have learned about teaching, I have learned a lot about using the Internet to reach people who want to know about my services. The most important thing is to use the web to capture attention.

If you get that far, you have a chance to make the product (or service in this case) feel "accessible" to the person. How? That's not an easy question.

Finding students for the workshop is a lot like the process in any private lesson or class: word of mouth from satisfied students seems to be most effective.

Some students "found" me because they knew other students in the class. Others are referrals from teachers familiar with my work, or friends of friends spread across the country.

I have advertised in homeschool "malls" and other bulletin boards, but with less success. (To find a mall that might meet your needs, try Yahoo, or another subject guide, and look for a heading about your subject matter.)

Although students may have vastly different backgrounds, they are amazed to learn how much they have in common. Both as readers and as people, they struggle and triumph together. Although I have never seen them or been in the same room with them (I HAVE seen pictures of most of them), I feel I know them at least as well as kids who were part of my "regular" classroom, when I taught fifth grade.

I believe that to transform teaching into a successful internet class, you must mimic aspects of a classroom, but at the same time differ from it. Unlike a traditional classroom situation, parents can be actively involved, which brings the experience into the family.

This makes a vital difference in the child's learning. In addition, kids can send email to the teacher at any time -- with questions, greetings or assignments. Most importantly, the chatroom can be a stage. Not surprisingly, the pressure to perform often makes for better writing.

The first working group was the beginning, and gave me some insight. I have since added a second. Both groups have their own personality, goals and products. Since the students' work determines the course content, each class shapes its final products. In the truest sense, the members determine what their own experiences will be. I am next planning to add classes for students interested in reading and discussing current or classic literature.

This experience has been exciting and meaningful for me, and I think for many of my students as well.. At the end of the workshop, each student has the mission, should they choose to accept it, to write something for a web page.

To visit the published work of my students, see

To learn more about other online courses, see

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