Class

Crafting Story in Personal Essay

We all have stories to tell. But could we be telling them more effectively?

It's easy for personal essay writing to get stuck in the abstract world of reflection or bogged down in accounts of events. While reflection and scene are important tools, an engaging story is what gets readers feeling connected, excited and invested in the journey on the page.

So: how do we "craft a story" when we're writing about our real-life experiences? Through craft lecture, discussion, in-class writing and workshopping, this double-session class will explore the answers to this question. In our first session, we'll talk storytelling skills like strong openings, escalating tension and surprise, then discuss personal essays and memoir excerpts by contemporary writers including Terese Marie Mailhot, Melissa Febos, and Roxane Gay.

In the second session, we'll apply what we've learned through workshopping up to 5 pages of each student's work. Sharing pages for workshop is optional. Students who submit pages for workshop will receive verbal feedback from peers and the teaching artist.

Students will leave this class with practical tips and tools to craft personal essays that create higher emotional impact for the reader and, therefore, better chances of publication (if desired!).