Dear Writers:

I’m delighted you’ve arrived here. You may not think of yourself as a writer. Or you may love to write but worry about getting too personal. But I believe everyone has a unique voice worth sharing.

Finding Your First-Person Voice is a webbook of self-paced lessons, so you’ll make your own discoveries as you go. First, let me highlight a few things for a successful journey. The main one is:

Make sure you understand how the lessons work before you start.

You’ll be tempted to jump around or to skip the instructions. I know I would, wanting to dive right into the writing. If this is your first time here, however, please avoid that impulse.

Begin by reading all material in the “Introduction” and “Get Ready to Write” sections. Click around the Contents to see the chapters in each section. The chapters are short, but they provide an overview of my approach, the main lesson activities, and self-evaluations.

You’ll also be asked to set up your Process Notebook, which is both an ongoing journal and a private portfolio for the writing you’ll do.

Once you can check off all the items in this list, you’re ready:

• I have set up my Process Notebook.
  
• I have listed three goals in my notebook.
  
• I will do the four steps in each lesson in order.
  
• I will have fun and not be too hard on myself.
  

Go forth and be yourself!

Martha Nichols