Brian Phillips has been a published writer for more than thirty years. His work has appeared in publications such as Reason Magazine, The Objective Standard, The Houston Chronicle, and The Orange County Register. He has contributed thousands of posts to a number of blogs, and is the author of four books.
Brian brings a unique perspective to his writing course. He understands that writing is primarily a thinking skill, and if the writer’s thoughts aren’t clear and organized in his own mind, then they won’t be clear and organized when he expresses them on paper. Much of his course is aimed at improving and clarifying one’s thinking.
Communicating effectively requires clarity and precision. Accurately identifying what we want to communicate is a crucial step in the writing process. We must know what we want to communicate before we start writing. If we don’t, the result is often a series of disconnected ideas that leave the reader confused (if he even bothers to finish reading).
I loved this writing class. I have a much better understanding of writer’s block now. Also, how to not censor my subconscious part of my brain. Transitions were always a struggle for me, so I particularly enjoyed that section. Kelly
Because writing is primarily a thinking skill, writing well is beneficial in any career or occupation. Thinking clearly and being able to concisely and effectively communicate one’s thoughts and ideas can help one in any endeavor. Like any skill, clear thinking and effective communication require ongoing effort and practice. In this course, you will learn skills that will improve your thinking, and thus, your ability to write better. The focus of the course is non-fiction, though the basic principles apply to fiction as well.
Course Topics
- Lesson 1: Introduction, Pre-writing
- Lesson 2: Brainstorming, Thinking on paper
- Lesson 3: Context, Theme
- Lesson 4: Psycho-epistemology
- Lesson 5: Outlines, Structure
- Lesson 6: Drafting, Editing
- Lesson 7: Clarity, Delimiting
- Lesson 8: Integration, Transitions
- Lesson 9: Ambiguity, Pronouns
- Lesson 10: Motivation, Practical tips
This is not a remedial writing course. Brian will not discuss grammar, punctuation, or other basic aspects of writing. He will, however, discuss grammar and punctuation as they pertain to clarity. The focus of the course is clarifying and organizing your thoughts.
This is an online course consisting of ten lessons. Upon payment, you will receive an email providing immediate access to the course. The lessons average about 40 minutes long. You can see an excerpt of a lesson by clicking here.
Assignments will be made at the end of each lesson. Assignments will be essays with a limit of 250 words. If you wish for Brian to comment on your essay, you should email it to him in a Word document. This will allow him to make comments directly into your essay. He will normally respond within 48 hours.
I liked the overall structure of the course. I think it flowed very well and the content covered several aspects of writing that I had not considered or at least weren’t explicit in my mind. Glenn
Brian offers this ten-lesson course for $200. Payments are made through Paypal and will be made to BEP Enterprises.
Brian will also offer “office hours” via a Zoom call for students wanting a one-on-one discussion of a lesson, essay, or other topic pertaining to the course. These sessions will last approximately 45 minutes. The cost is $50 per call, or $125 for 3 calls. Click here to order office hour calls.
If you have questions, you can email Brian by clicking here.