Community-created
Write to Think: Clear Essays the Way Real Writers Make Them
by MonaA self-paced Socratic series where you learn writing by writing: each lesson pairs short passages from great essayists with your own drafting, as you develop one real essay from a messy first attempt to a clear final piece. Built for a 12-year-old, and sharp enough for any adult who wants to write and think more clearly.
Library
Thinking on Paper
Lesson 1
The Plan You Were Told to Make
Thesis first, outline second, draft last - that's the plan school hands you. Today you run an experiment on your own head to find out whether it's how writing actually works.
StartLesson 2
A Question Worth Answering
Two essay openings about the same subject - one pulls you in and one puts you to sleep. What is the difference, and does your essay have it?
StartLesson 3
Say It in One Breath
You have a full page of writing, and a friend with thirty seconds asks one question: what's your point?
StartSentences a Reader Can See
Lesson 4
The Fog of Big Words
A sentence can sound serious and official and still leave your mind blank, so what is missing from it, and why did the writer leave it out?
StartLesson 5
Who Did What?
Some sentences hide the person doing the action. Can you find them in famous prose, and in yours?
Locked till you take the prior lessonLesson 6
The Strongest Words, Not the Fewest
Cutting words sounds easy. So why do some cuts make a sentence worse?
Locked till you take the prior lessonIdeas That Hold Together
Lesson 7
The Glue Between Paragraphs
Shuffle an essay's paragraphs. Would anyone notice? Test it on a great essay, then on your own.
Locked till you take the prior lessonLesson 8
Poke Holes in Your Own Argument
Your reasoning feels airtight. How would your smartest opponent take it apart?
Locked till you take the prior lessonLesson 9
The Reader in the Room
You know what you meant. Your reader only has the page. Hand your draft to a stranger's eyes.
Locked till you take the prior lessonLesson 10
Second Draft, Second Thoughts
Put your first draft beside your latest. What changed in the writing, and what changed in your mind?
Locked till you take the prior lessonReview and assessment
Lesson 11
Test: Write to Think: Clear Essays the Way Real Writers Make Them
Review the course ideas by applying them to new situations, with kind feedback after every answer.
Locked till you take the prior lesson