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STILETTO – a high pointed HEEL on a woman’s shoe or a small dagger. WHEELS – a medieval instrument of torture or a vehicle for personal mobility. |
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I have just finished my latest online course: Getting Started in Creative Writing. I uploaded my last assignment and now wait only for the feedback on it and my overall assessment rating. I cannot recommend the Oxford University Online short courses highly enough. This was the fourth that I have done and, for me, they have really cracked the online approach to studying as well as providing a forum environment that is friendly, accessible and supportive. Even where a course has not entirely met my objectives, I have got something from it, although not always an ‘academic’ something - ‘Bioethics for Beginners’ convinced me that limiting written forum contributions by word count is a necessity rather than an option. Man, did those guys ramble on! Although I enjoyed the Creative Writing course, I found the forums a bit ‘nice’ and very clique-y - too much ‘how wonderful/brilliant/fabulous you are, darling’ and not enough objective criticism. Obviously, that’s just my personal view and I was definitely in a minority as some of my fellow students have set up a writers group called ‘The Tufties’! Yeech, I’m sorry if this sounds offensive but I have to ask, what grown adult wants to be part of a group called ‘The Tufties’? Yes, I do know that sounds unpleasantly judgmental … I’ve never been good with group dynamics: bite me! Despite this minor quibble, the course did make me try some alternate approaches to my writing, to the point where I am re-thinking much of my – vast, epic, still very unfinished – novel (the improvement of which was my principle reason for being on the course). For now, I am glad it is over. It was only ten weeks but I feel as if a load has been lifted and now I am free … free at last … or at least until I decide on the next course that I want to do. |
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