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WOW! Women On Writing
Classes & Workshops
Spotlight Newsletter: The Unwilling Grammarian
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Greetings!
Who says grammar can't be fun? With Karlyn Thayer anything is possible! She makes grammar and punctuation easy to learn with her humorous lesson plans and delightful assignments. She's taught grammar and story-writing for over 20 years and enjoys directing students through grammar difficulties. Her class, The Unwilling Grammarian, starts next Wednesday, May 25th and is limited to 10 students. In the article below, Karlyn shares some grammar tips in her usual, amusing way. You'll see why her students love her! We're also gearing up to post some new summer and fall classes before the end of the month. Stay tuned! Happy writing, Angela & Marcia  Angela & Marcia Classroom Managers WOW! Classes & Workshops
classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com
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Babies, Chocolate, and Bubble-Baths
vs.
Broccoli, Public Speaking, and Grammar
By Karlyn Thayer
According to a national survey, American women adore babies, chocolate, and bubble-baths. The same survey says we hate broccoli, public speaking, and grammar.
Like them or not, those items pop up in our lives and we can't always avoid them. We can put a cheese sauce on the broccoli, but what can we do about the grammar? Take a class? Many grammar classes are prohibitive because they're full of complicated terms. What can we do?
The best way to understand grammar is to start with the basics, and those basics are two terms only: subjects and predicates. Once you grasp those two terms, you can sail through the study of grammar. Let me show you how easy grammar can be with these sentences:
Babies cry.
Chocolate melts.
Bubble-baths soothe.
Ready? Babies, chocolate, and bubble-baths are each subjects. Subjects are usually things you can touch.
Cry, melts, and soothe are each predicates. Predicates are usually action words.
Those two words--subject and predicate--are all you need to know to get started understanding grammar.
Why, though, is it so important to understand grammar? The importance depends on your goals. The business of writing and publishing these days is vicious. On any given day, an editor of a magazine or website might have as many as 100 submissions piled on his desk or crammed into his email, all crying out for publication. Anyone who is serious about getting her work published needs every possible advantage to have her work burn with blue fire among all those manuscripts.
Think about it. Let's say an editor has two stories that are entertaining and timely. One is "clean," while the other is full of grammar errors. If that editor has space for only one article or story, she's obviously going to choose the "clean" one, the one that needs less work to make it ready for publication. The one with grammar errors is going to be tossed out right away.
WOW's grammar class, The Unwilling Grammarian, offers a means to create a clean manuscript. Here's what recent graduate Sherezada Wyndham-Kent had to say about The Unwilling Grammarian:
Thank you for all your help and attention in this class. I feel like I learned quite a bit in these 4 weeks. The lessons were clear and easy to understand, yet also engaging and (dare I say it) fun. I never thought I'd say that about grammar!
The classes may not be quite as enjoyable as a bubble-bath, but as Sherezada says, they can be fun. Even better, you can nibble on chocolate while studying grammar. It's a win/win proposition!
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The Unwilling Grammarian 
Instructor: Karlyn Thayer
Workshop Length: 4 Weeks
Price: $140
Start Date: May 25, 2011
Limit 10 Students
Course Description: Do you hate grammar like you hate snakes? This class, "The Unwilling Grammarian," takes an easy and fun approach to grammar. Other grammar courses require students to learn dozens of complicated terms. This course begins by asking you to learn two terms only, and shows you how those two terms can be the key to writing success.
I don't want to mislead you. In no way will the study of grammar ever be a ride on a carousel or even a walk in the park. But in "The Unwilling Grammarian," you'll be asked for homework that will amuse you rather than frustrate you and send you screaming from your computer.
Students will look at grammar with a new perspective--not as a necessary evil, but as a study that's understandable and satisfying. Who knew that punctuation, often considered to be beyond understanding, could actually be fun?
Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing, testimonials, and what you'll be learning week by week. 
About the instructor: Many different roads have led to publishing success for Karlyn Thayer. Her published literary stories include "From the Halls of Montezuma to Manhattan," which was nominated for the Pushcart Literary prize.
While most of Karlyn's publishing success has been in the field of romance, she enjoys writing in other genres, including science fiction, horror and humor. Her short stories have been published in Stories and Letters Digest, Shahrazad Literary Magazine, Romance Writer's Report, Best Friends Magazine, Chinook and Orpheus Romance (an electronic publication), among others. She has written many novellas, among them, Love With French Fries, Fighting For Love, Under Castle Peak, Aspen Holiday, and Stardust Nights, which have appeared in Five Great Romances, Love Treasures and World's Greatest Love Stories. Karlyn is a member of Romance Writers of America and Toastmasters, and has received numerous awards for her humorous speeches. She has taught story writing at Otero Junior College in Colorado and in the community education program at the University of California Riverside. She's also been an instructor for Writer's Digest since 1994. She offers seminars on mental flexibility and creative thinking and writing. She lives in Southeast Colorado where she raised and raced Thoroughbred horses. |
Upcoming Classes & Workshops
All the classes operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or group listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--so you do not need to be present at any particular time (unless a phone chat is scheduled and arranged with your instructor). You can work at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or email us at: classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com Enjoy!
May 24
Writing for Children: Everything You Need to Know About Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers | 7 Weeks | $200 | Limit: 15 Students
May 25
The Unwilling Grammarian | 4 Weeks | $140 | Limit: 10 Students
May 31
Independent Publishing: The Definitive Course On Achieving Self-Publishing Excellence and Profitability New! | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students
June 3
How to Write Children's Picture Books and Get Published New! | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 15 Students
June 6
Empower Your Muse, Empower Your Writing Self | 4 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 25 Students
Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting | 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students
Introduction to Playwriting | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students June 10 Intro to Book Reviewing | 4 Weeks | $100 | Limit: 16 Students
Summer and fall classes coming soon!
Click here to see all of our upcoming workshops |
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