Deer Isle/Stonington Workshop in May

A creative writing workshop, hosted by Maine Word, will provide participants a great opportunity to energize their creative spirits through writing. This single-session workshop is a perfect introduction to creative writing or may give you the new spark your writing needs after a long Maine winter.

The workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, May 9 at the Island Community Center in Stonington. The workshop will be offered at the affordable price of $43 per person.

This workshop is perfect for island residents, a special gift for your mom or a weekend getaway dedicated to your writing.

Lunch and Learn in Rumford

River Valley - The River Valley Technology Center, the River Valley Growth Council and the River Valley Chamber of Commerce are proud to present another great Business Lunch and Learn opportunity. This month’s topic is: “Business Writing”.

The seminar will run from 11:00am to 2:00pm on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at the River Valley Technology Center on 60 Lowell Street, Rumford, Maine. The cost is $10.00 and includes your lunch. River Valley Chamber of Commerce members pays only $8.00. Pre-payment is required; there will be no refunds issued. Pre-registration is required by calling Beverly at (207) 369-0396 or email beverly@rvgc.org by April 17, 2009.

Maine Word (www.maineword.com) provides writing and editing solutions from creating the first sentence to editing your final draft. Services include creative content for small business and community organizations, editing all of your written materials and coaching you to develop your personal or professional writing skills.

Caroline King of Maine Word will present a Business Writing workshop. Caroline is a published writer and editor, who understands the challenges facing small business. During this introductory workshop, she will share her professional expertise to help small business convey strong written messages and succeed during these tough economic times. The workshop will help small business owners to tell their business story by developing a mission statement for their business and participants will learn how to express the unique benefits of their product or service on the printed page.

Caroline King is the owner of Maine Word and has a been widely published in the region’s newspapers including the Original Irregular, Rangeley Highlander, Sun Journal and the Franklin Journal. As a small business owner, she brings a wealth of experience to her diverse clients and students from around New England. Caroline teaches both business and creative writing for adults and works with small business to help them to succeed. In addition, she currently serves on the Boards of the Phillips Area Community Center and the Opportunity Center of North Franklin County and provides in-kind support to the American Red Cross. Most recently, Caroline has taught classes at Franklin County Cooperative Extension, Maine School of Masonry and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

The Lunch and Learn Seminars purpose is to provide information to entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing businesses in an affordable way. Anyone can gather resources and information for long-term success. In addition, the seminars are intended to facilitate networking among businesses or entrepreneurs in similar activities.

Sun Journal Article http://www.sunjournal.com/story/311605-3/Business/Lunch_learn_set_for_writing_focus/

Virtual Fiction Class

Virtual Writing Class with Maine Word

Maine Word now offers a virtual Writers’ class with Caroline King. The class has been designed to immerse you in the pleasures and challenges of fiction writing and can serve as a great beginning to the writing the great American story. The class, in eight email lessons, will help you to plan, write, and edit a short story over the next two months. The lessons are all-inclusive and provide writing prompts, ideas and allow you to complete the class on your schedule from anywhere.

If your goal is to write a story – this class will give you the structure and skills you need to succeed. The class will combine strong fundamentals in a fun and supportive virtual environment that provides a variety of writing exercises and feedback as you write your story. If this is your first story or your fifteenth story, the class will conclude with a professional editorial opinion of your work and help you to bring out your story to meet the world. In addition to the lessons, you will have have your own coach to keep you on track and answer your questions during the class.

The email format allows participants to work at their own pace and you can start anytime that is right for you. The cost is $168 and payment arrangements are available. For more information or to sign up, please contact Caroline King at Maine Word (www.maineword.com) or by phone at 207-491-9810.

Lunch and Learn in Rumford

Caroline King of Maine Word, in conjunction with the River Valley Growth Council, will present a Business Writing workshop in Rumford, Maine. This interactive Lunch and Learn workshop will be held on Wednesday, April 22 from 11A – 2P.

For more information or to register, please contact Beverly Crosby at 369-0396.

Maine Word helps out the American Red Cross

Maine Word recently made a donation of $250 worth of programs and services to the Mid Coast Chapter American Red Cross for their annual fundraiser held on March 7. The lucky winner of the Getting Down to Business package will be able to decide what makes the most sense for their business - it might be a new brochure, a press release package or attendance at one of Maine Word's writing classes.

Please join Maine Word in our support of the American Red Cross by making a donation to your local chapter.

Entrepreneurs learn new skills

Maine Word, along with five small business owners in Franklin County, were featured in today's Sun Journal and Daily Bulldog.

Entrepreneurs learn new skills to succeed: http://www.sunjournal.com/story/306234-3/Connections/Entrepreneurs_learn_new_skills_to_succeed/

http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/?p=1686

Entrepreneurs Learn New Skills to Succeed

FARMINGTON--University of Maine Cooperative Extension recently presented the Writing for Your Business workshop series for five Franklin County small businesses. Kim LaRoche (Sunshine Pools), Jean Rouillard (J. & J. Rouillard and Sons), Dick Mitchell (Maine Energy $aver$), Robin Jordan (Robin’s Flower Pot) and Lynn Thurston (Blue Sky Produce) all took part in the three-evening workshop taught by Marc Edwards of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Caroline King of Maine Word.

Writing for Your Business took place in early February and covered a number of topics to help small business owners tell their unique story with words. This workshop gave business owners the skills necessary to write effective and creative marketing materials to use in their growing businesses. Participant created a core statement for their individual businesses and learned how to use that statement other marketing applications.

Dick Mitchell, who is the process of opening his new business, said, “I found better ways to communicate with my customers in print.” While Jean Roulliard’s comments focused on tools that she learned “to distinguish my products and services from my competitors.”
According to participant Robin Jordan, “The class provided me with information on the many resources that are available to promote my business. It also made me look at my business in a different way. Thank you to the Extension for offering this class and Caroline for providing me with many useful tools.”

Kimberly LaRoche said “I found the first class to be especially helpful in getting words out of my head and onto paper where I can use them to create a mission statement and a business plan. This will help us to assemble documents to present to local banks for financing.” According to LaRoche the most significant elements of the class were “the ideas and brainstorming that we were able to do as a class; ideas to advertise for free and how businesses that compliment each other can collaborate to provide support and awareness of each other's businesses to the public.”

Marc Edwards, in his reflections on the class, said, “Having Caroline King, a small business owner herself, partnering with University of Maine Cooperative Extension in providing this program was a large part of its success. The participants really exemplified the entrepreneurial drive needed to succeed as small or home-based businesses, especially in these economic times.”
For more information about future classes, please contact Marc Edwards at University of Maine Cooperative Extension at 778-4650 or Caroline King of Maine Word at 491-9810.

In the News

Maine Word's Writing For Your Business Workshop scheduled for April 10 was recently highlighted in Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association email newsletter.
http://www.mofgastore.org/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=96


In the Morning Sentinel (3/3/09), "Caroline King recently
delivered books to the Phillips Public Library librarian Hedy Langdon as part of an Opportunity Center of North Franklin County project to provide resources to local small businesses."

In the Sun Journal's March 5th edition, Center donates books to 3 libraries

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/306232-3/Connections/Center_donates_books_to_3_libraries/#