Whether you’re a student or you’ve finished school decades ago, the back to school season can spark a creative flame, with notebooks and colorful pens on display at stores and advertised online.
But what should you do with all that creative spirit?
The Highlands County public libraries have many resources to help guide you through scrapbooking and writing projects.
From traditional books to e-books and even online classes, there are many options to help you improve your writing, scrapbooking and cardmaking skills.
To take a free course through Universal Class, visit myhlc.org and click on the “Language & Learning” tab.
Click the black rectangle that says “Universal Class,” and either sign in or register.
You can search for classes by clicking “Course Catalog” at the top of the page and typing a specific keyword or browsing by subject you want to learn about.
Keeping Memories
If you’re interested in saving memories in an artistic way, Universal Class has several courses that can help. Those are:
-“Western Calligraphy”
-“Traditional Scrapbooking 101”
-“Wedding Crafts and Projects”
You can also check out books from your local library. There are many options available, including:
-“Scrapbooking Baby’s Cherished Moments: 200 Page Designs”
-“Scrapbooking With Recipes: Ideas for Preserving Kitchen Memories”
-“Better Homes and Gardens 365 Days of Scrapbooking Ideas”
-“Modern Calligraphy Workshop: The Creative Art of Pen, Brush and Chalk Lettering”
-“Ultimate Cardmaking: A Collection of Over 100 Techniques and 50 Inspirational Projects”
-“Ready-to-Use Calligraphic Ornaments”
-“Calligraphy Now: New Light on Traditional Letters”
Writing Creatively
And there are plenty of creative writing courses as well!
Maybe you’re an aspiring author or maybe you just want to write a short story for your grandkids. Whether you’re interested in writing poems or mystery novels, there are Universal Class courses for you.
Some of the options include:
-“Creative Writing 101”
-“Novel Writing 101”
-“Romance Writing”
-“Mystery Writing”
-“Historical Fiction Writing”
-“Poetry Writing 101”
-“Journaling and Memoir Writing”
-“Nonfiction Writing 101”
The libraries have books on creative writing as well. You can check out one of these books or try one of the many other options:
-“The Writer’s Digest Handbook of Novel Writing”
-“How to Write and Publish a Successful Children’s Book: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply”
-“You Can Write a Cookbook”
-“The Art of X-Ray Reading: How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature Will Improve Your Writing”
There are also e-books on writing available through Overdrive. Just go to myhlc.org, click on “Ebooks & Audiobooks,” click “Subjects,” and then click on “Writing” under non-fiction.
Call (863) 402-6716 if you need help logging into Overdrive.
Writing Professionally
Whether you write a lot as part of your job or just send occasional emails to friends, it can be embarrassing to find a typo in something you wrote after you’ve sent it.
By learning some general writing tips, you can not only sound more professional but also communicate more easily.
If you want to improve your writing, you might enjoy one of these Universal Class courses:
-“Writing Basics 101: Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Writing Structures”
-“Writing Improvement 101”
-“English Composition 101”
-“Speed Writing 101”
-“Essay Writing 101”
There are also multiple English as a Second Language writing classes for those working to improve their English.
Universal Class also has many courses about writing in different careers.
And you can always check with your local library for help finding books on the type of writing you want to improve.
So get started today on improving your writing skills.
Whether you want to write a novel, a business proposal, or even a cookbook, the Highlands County libraries have many resources available.
If you want to learn more about calligraphy, scrapbooking, or another papercraft, the libraries have many books to help you out.