UW Certificate: Writers' Program in Nonfiction

by Sonali T. Sikchi

The minute I put my pen down after finishing the last exam of my graduate degrees, I made a mental vow to never put myself through the torture of school again. A year later, I was taking French classes from the Alliance Française in Wallingford. As the summer of 2000 drew to a close, I was again surfing the Web looking for new classes to take. Chance brought me to the Web site of University of Washington Extension's certificate programs. Clicking on that link to the Writers' Programs was one of the best gifts I have given myself.

As I read the program description, I was excited and yet filled with trepidation. Could I, an engineer with no writing background, take a writing course? Would I be able to adequately complete all the assignments? And the more exciting thought: Could I become a writer? There was only one way to find out. I attended the informational meeting conducted by Muriel Dance, senior director of the program. Half an hour later, I was hooked. I need not have written a single word in the past; all that was required was enthusiasm and genuine interest. My exultation took me straight to a pay phone to register for the fall quarter.

Introduction to Nonfiction Writing

The first day of classes was a beautiful, sunny day, but my rising doubts and nervousness cast a pall on my drive to campus. However, instructor Douglas Gantenbein quickly put me at ease with an encouraging introduction whose single message was: anyone can write. Doug's syllabus detailed an overview of the entire ten weeks of the Introduction to Nonfiction Writing, with dates for all the reading and writing assignments. He was very organized and divided the three-hour classes into a half hour discussion of the reading assignments and questions from students, an hour lecture, followed by group workshops. For the workshops, the class was divided into 3-4 person groups, and we critiqued drafts of each other's assignments. Doug would walk around the class and consult as needed.

We learned how to write an attention-grabbing lead and a hook that took the reader right into the article and then through smooth transitions conveyed the message of the article and rewarded the reader in the end with a strong finish. We learned effective research and interviewing techniques, and the difference between a news article and a magazine feature article. Doug handed out copies of published magazine articles to illustrate the different points he made in his lectures.

William Zinsser's On Writing Well, the text for the course, was a classic guide to nonfiction writing that was, at the same time, eminently readable. I rapidly scanned it cover to cover once, and then much more slowly the second time, pausing to highlight and absorb the points that he made with finesse, using anecdotes, examples, and straight prose.

The writing assignments were the crux of the course and revealed what we had learned and what we had failed to absorb in class and from the textbook. For the first assignment, we interviewed and wrote personality profiles of someone we knew a little, but with whom we were not very familiar. The second assignment was to write a personal experience essay based on an event or a group of events in our lives. Comments on the drafts by Doug and other students in my critique groups were instrumental in helping me write the final article.

Intermediate Freelance Writing: The Article

Winter quarter I took Doug's Intermediate Freelance Writing: The Article course. While the first course broadly covered the fundamentals of writing, this course dug deep into the nuts and bolts of leads, hooks, points of view, scenes, transitions, query letters, and writing different types of articles, such as travel, science, service, and narratives. Doug explained the editors' roles, what they look for in articles, how to research past issues of a particular magazine, and how to tailor query letters to match the magazine's editorial style. The assignments for the quarter were a travel article, a how-to article, and a narrative article. With three articles and 2-3 drafts per article, this quarter proved to be the most demanding quarter of the entire program.

The text for the course Magazine Writing that Sells by Don McKinney gave an insider's view on writing feature articles for magazines. Filled with personal experience stories by editors and writers and checklists galore on how to become a professional freelance writer, this book tried to be the final word on magazine writing. However, for basic advice on putting words on paper, which is still the heart of any piece of prose, Zinsser was a far better book. As James J. Kilpatrick says, "At bottom, only two elements make up the writing art. One is to have something to say. The other is to say it clearly."

Advanced Nonfiction: The Long Feature Article

The final course of the certificate was Advanced Nonfiction: The Long Feature Article in the spring quarter taught by Lawrence Cheek. This course was conducted solely as a workshop and in every class we discussed, critiqued, and honed our two required long articles: a personal essay and a feature article. Having input from others at the beginning brainstorming stage was an eye-opener for me—so many ideas that had not even crossed my mind were suddenly fundamental to how the piece would unfold. The most important take-away for this course was the emphasis on using creative active verbs to imbue the reader with the experience rather than telling the reader about it as a disembodied experience.

I only regretted that I was unable to take the Capstone Nonfiction: Personal Essay course by Priscilla Long. All her current and former students I have talked to have high praise for her teaching talents and her ability to enrich fledgling writing skills.

On the road to a new career

Overall the certificate program was fast-paced, but we learned the fundamental skills needed to meet the demands of journalism and nonfiction writing. Over the course of three quarters, we covered the staples of nonfiction articles that we would be called upon to write as freelancers. And we learned the ins and outs of the business of a professional writing life. The program also highlighted the importance of having your work regularly critiqued by a group of peers. And best of all, the certificate was loads of fun.

This excellent program was instrumental in my decision to quit my software engineering career and embark on the road to a new career in writing and editing, which of course, took me back to UW the next fall for another round of classes.

So take the plunge. And discover what this program has in store for you.

Sonali Sikchi is an ex-Microsoft engineer at the beginning stages of her second career as a freelance editor and writer.