Dear Naive Creative Nonfiction Writer,

If only I could tell you before you register for this class that Professor Renfroe's expectations of you will be tough, and no matter how much you complain or give excuses, he will not cut you any slack. In other words, his overall objective for you will be that you become a better and more confident nonfiction writer who also uses creativity as part of the process, ultimately resulting in a written work that will be enjoyable for others to read.

At times, you will think that there is no way that you can do all of the work. I mean not only does Professor Renfroe "ask" you to write (and rewrite) your essays, he also requires you to read a lot about creative nonfiction writing techniques and well known essays that incorporate those techniques, and then you will be quizzed on the readings at the most unexpected times. Oh, one more thing, he will also request that you blog, blog, blog every week. If you are like me, you must prepare yourself for the big shock of learning how to blog and then writing about various topics that you think others will want to take their time to read about.

If you get through the class, you will have learned so much. You will have refined your writing to a point that you will feel good about it and also will have developed a thought process where you will have selected topics that could be personal, profile, or immersion (topics you know a lot about) essays. The essay title will need to be good enough to "draw" the reader into a strong introduction; and if they read the whole essay, they will need to feel good about your conclusion. Your writing will reflect timely and timeless information. It will tell a story, contain some humor when appropriate, be informative where the reader will learn something, and, most of all, it will be factual. Detailed descriptions and dialogue will be important in any essay, as well as smooth transitions from one paragraph to the next. You will also see that you will typically use too many words to say even the most simplest things, when only a few words will easily suffice. One last, but very important, thing to remember: If you do not use good grammar, you will not be a successful writer.

Your classmates will also play a big part in helping you get through the class and also become a better writer. They will be required to review your essays and note your strong points as well as any constructive feedback. Be ready, if your classmates are excellent reviewers like mine were, you will be editing your essays a good bit.

All I can end with is this: I am glad the class is ending soon, but the skills I have learned will go with me into my future writings. Thank you, Professor Renfroe, and classmates. Good luck to you, naive writer. You will need it.