Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome!

    • Welcome!

  • 2

    The Most Important Rule

  • 3

    Wedding Speeches and Other Moments at the Podium

    • Wedding Speeches and Other Moments at the Podium

    • Wedding Speech Template

    • Don Lesco When Heroes Played

  • 4

    How To Write Academic Essays

    • How To Write Academic Essays

  • 5

    How To Write A Great Column

    • How To Write A Great Column

    • Three Portraits of Bruce Lee by Daniel Chin

    • Buekers and UConn by Katie Barnes

    • The Raptors by Bruce Arthur

  • 6

    Writing a Great Movie/ Book Review

    • How To Write A Great Review

    • Roger Ebert Review Lost In Translation

  • 7

    How To Write A Persuasive Piece

    • How To Write A Persuasive Piece

  • 8

    How To Write a Blog/ Podcast

    • How To Write A Blog/ Podcast

  • 9

    Storytelling Basics

    • Storytelling Basics

  • 10

    How To Self Edit

    • Self Editing Cheat Sheet

    • Self Editing

  • 11

    Avoiding Beginner Mistakes

    • Avoiding Beginner Mistakes

Why Writing Matters

(P.S. It's hard)

Perhaps you’ve been asked to write a wedding speech. Or a eulogy. Or do a work presentation. Or maybe you’re in school and essays are keeping your grades down. You took all the English classes but they haven’t taught you how to write well. Not really. And you’re nervous and frustrated because it seems like too much. It feels like you’re being asked to do something you haven’t been trained for and aren’t capable of doing. Whether it's your friend's wedding or those essays at school or the blog that just doesn't seem to garner any interest or that business website that won't write itself.

We Are A Writing Culture

There’s no getting around it. This culture communicates through writing more than any society in history. And at some point, you will be asked to use written language to communicate. But if you ignore it, if you don’t address the elephant in the room and understand you need these tools to grow, then you are going to struggle, particularly in those critical moments when writing really matters. And as with any craft, without the tools, you won’t get better. That essay won't write itself. And that new website for your business won't get any better, unless you hire someone and pay a lot of money for them to do something you can learn to do yourself.

You Were Never Taught

I will teach you how to write competently, using basic tools that educators ignore. With this course, you’ll be equipped to write a great wedding speech, that eulogy, that column. You’ll be able to write excellent essays and lift your grades. You’ll be able to do the one thing this world now demands on an everyday basis, but particularly in critical moments. And that is to write well.

This Course is Unique

Some of you may have picked up a book on writing. Or watched a video on Youtube about speeches. That isn’t enough. More importantly, it isn’t specific enough. And that’s the issue. As a writer, editor and professional educator for over two decades, I realized that there was nothing out there for short forms of writing. Nothing out there for the practical day to day forms of writing that impact our lives. Oh, I found plenty of classes and videos for novels and screenplays, but nothing for the basic short forms. Speeches. Eulogies. Columns. Essays. Reviews. Letters. And nothing in regards to self-editing in those forms.

The Reason For This Course

They are two fold. One, it was watching people fail in key moments, be it a speech or presentation, simply because they didn't have the tools. And two, it was seeing students, be it in elementary school or high school or university, who lacked the requisite craft-like skills to write well. For over two decades I have had teachers come to me to check their writing, the same teachers charged with teaching English. This course is a response to that gap. That massive gap of writing utility. That is, functional writing we do every day that can change a moment, and in doing so, change the course of our life.

The Promise

Watching people struggle and fail in critical times because they don't have the tools to succeed is hard. It took me over two decades of writing and editing to get to this point. So this is my promise: this course will get you there much quicker. It is a condensed version of thousands of hours writing and editing and learning to help you make a leap in how you communicate. By purchasing it, you’ll be able to write that amazing wedding speech. You’ll learn the secrets to a great essay. You’ll learn how to start your own blog or podcast. You’ll know how to write a good column, what separates mediocre reviews from great reviews, and if you're a small business owner, you'll learn how to write copy for your site. Above all, you’ll learn not only how to self-edit your work, but the key ingredients behind great writing.

Bonus

Not only am I offering a full 30 day money back guarantee, but when you order today I'm offering a one time short piece edit, valued at $100, for free! That's right! Send me any short piece under 2500 words and I will edit it for you for free!

Is It a Real Guarantee?

We've all seen products advertised that offer a 100% money back guarantee. As I'm doing. We mostly believe it, right? But here's what I'm going to do. If you decide this course has not helped you become a better writer, I'll send you your money back, AND allow you continued access as a student of this course. I know, I know. It's a big risk for me. Pretty easy for people to buy the course and say they're unsatisfied and get the course for free. That's true. But I believe most people are honest. If you register for this course, it will remain yours, and access to it, and to new material I add, regardless of whether or not you request your money back. I believe that writing well matters, that it can change your life, and most importantly, I believe in you.

Testimonials

"Never Steer You Wrong"

by Erin Healy (Professional editor and best selling Author)

"Stephen Burns will never steer you wrong. His instincts are sharp, his insight is wise, and his guidance is gold. The skills he offers in this course will bring everything you write to a higher level."

"They Don't Teach This In School"

by Lindsay Sampson (Teacher)

As a teacher, I feel this course is necessary for everyone! Learning to write well and being able to represent ourselves and our thoughts concisely, is imperative in everything we do.

It is sad that the school system has been letting our students down all these years. I know first hand that the skills taught in this course are not found in what teachers are instructed to teach at school.

From taking this course, I now have the confidence to take on writing pieces that I once would have shied away from, and that I feel much more prepared to teach my students how to write effectively. I am excited to have my son take this course as well, as I know it will have a large impact on his future in school, in the workforce, and in life in general.

"Invest In Yourself"

by Markus Kasunich (Holistic Life Coach and Author of IRAM: A Map for Creating Conscious Relationships)

This course offers transformational writing skills by a seasoned master. I only wish had this course before I wrote my first book. The value in this material is mind blowing for anyone who needs to write anything for any reason.

Stephen R. Burns was instrumental as coach and an editor for my entire process. Working with this talented pro, and utilizing his tools will absolutely empower you to be a better writer. It was one of the best professional decisions that I have ever made. I am recommending this course to everyone I know. Do yourself a favor and invest in yourself.

"He's A Great Teacher"

by Mark Allan Groleau (Creator of Unboring Wedding Academy and Best Selling Author of Wedding Zero to Ceremony Hero)

Stephen Burns isn’t just a terrific author who writes riveting fiction. (I love his books). He’s not just a wonderful editor and 1-on-1 writing coach. (He's edited my books and coached me over the phone.) What makes Stephen so unique is that he’s also a great teacher!

When I saw that he was offering a course “Write Anything in 90 Minutes,” I knew I’d learn a ton. And I was right!

“How To Write Anything in 90 Minutes” covers just about every genre of writing you’ll ever need. And what I really love about it is even if I wanted it for just one particular module, it would be totally worth it - but then there are all the other modules that work like an entire bonus reference library at your fingertips! He’s laid it all out so the course is easy-to-follow and simple to use. I recommend Stephen and this course to anyone who needs to learn good writing from scratch or brush up on their skills. Stephen Burns’s teaching just makes you a better writer.

Instructor

Senior Instructor/ Editor

Stephen R. Burns

Stephen R. Burns is an accomplished author, editor and coach. He has been writing and working as a professional editor for over 20 years. He has had the privilege of working with best selling authors. He continues to offer his years of experience to empower his clients.

“As a society, we now write more than ever, but few people have the most basic writing skills needed in everyday life. Writing is not just for novelists, but for anyone writing emails, blogs, essays and content for their website. My goal is to condense decades of learning and experience in the business into comprehensive tools to help you on your writing journey.”

Remember, folks. There's no risk. Can't wait to join you on this journey!