Personal Essay Writing

WHEN Tuesdays, July 23 - September 10, 6:45-9:45 pm - Full Schedule WHERE Mediabistro offices, New York, NY PRICE $550 (or $525 for AvantGuild members - details) Add to Calendar iCal | Outlook ALSO STARTS:  Online - 7/2/2013 Notify me when this is offered again.

Best Value

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20% off if you buy both today: $1,020  $816

Personal Essay Writing  New York - 7/23/2013 (8 sessions)  $550

Food Writing  New York - 5/20/2013 (6 sessions)  $470

Details

From Anna Quindlen to Adam Gopnik, the work of personal essayists is increasingly filling the pages of magazines and websites, offering readers a glimpse of inner worlds and casting a light on the larger world around them.

This class will focus on writing and selling first-person narratives, starting with short opinion and slice-of-life pieces appropriate for The New York Times op-ed page, and moving on to longer, reported pieces written in the first-person. Assignments will be workshopped and ready for pitching.

In this class, you will learn how to:

• Find a narrative voice to anchor your essay
• Tell a personal story without being whiney
• Tell someone else's story
• Know what to leave in and what to leave out
• Self-edit and assess your voice, style, and tone

By the end of class, you will have:
At least two complete and salable personal essays.

Course Syllabus

Personal Essay Writing (PDF) View a sample syllabus for the class here.

Instructor

Whitney Joiner is a senior editor at Marie Claire, where she edits well features, personal essays, and the magazine's Love/Sex section. A former editor at Seventeen and Salon.com, she's also the co-author of The Drama Years: Real Girls Talk About Surviving Middle School--Bullies, Brands, Body Image, and More. Whitney's contributed to ELLE, Glamour, The New York Times, and Teen Vogue.

Whitney Joiner's Courses
Personal Essay Writing – New York (Starts July 23)
Personal Essay Writing: Master Class – (Starts June 19)