This fourth and final course in the “Good with Words: Writing and Editing” series will help you master perhaps the most important step in the writing process: revising. You’ll learn about the difference between editing and proofreading. You’ll practice “un-numbing the numbers” so that data and statistics you use are clear and compelling. And you’ll be introduced to a framework for giving and receiving feedback that helpfully systematizes what should be cut and what should be kept from each draft.
As with the other three courses in this series, you will also get access to a wide range of books and other resources you can use even after you finish the course. These include: (1) the readings and exercises provided to the students who have taken the in-person version of this course at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago; (2) two digital libraries of excellent writing from a diverse collection of journalists, scientists, novelists, poets, historians, and entrepreneurs; and (3) a monthly “Good Sentences” email.
Overview
Syllabus
- Editing and Empathy
- This week, we will focus on becoming better readers of our own writing.
- Uselessly Accurate
- This week, we will focus on eliminating uselessly accurate information.
- Writer→Reader
- This week, we will focus on how to better communicate statistics.
- Feedback Loops
- This week, we will focus on improving the reading inputs that affect our writing output.
Taught by
Patrick Barry
