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Personal Essay Boot Camp

Course is closed.

DURATION/TIME
8 weeks
Thursdays
October 14-December 9
(Skips November 25 for Thanksgiving)
7-10 p.m.

LEVEL
This class is taught at an intermediate level. At least one year of journalism experience is required.

LOCATION
Soho

PRICE
$499 ($475 for )
more info

Course Details

From Anna Quindlen to Adam Gopnik, the work of personal essayists is increasingly filling the pages of newspapers and magazines, offering readers a tantalizing glimpse of inner worlds, and, in the process, casting a light on the larger world around them. But what separates a compelling personal essay from mere navel gazing? This class will explore the basics of writing and selling first-person narratives, starting with short (2- to 4-page) opinion and slice-of-life pieces appropriate for The New York Times op-ed page, and moving on to longer, reported piece written in the first-person. We will read and discuss student work in class and prepare it for pitching.


In this class, you can expect to learn:

  • How to find a narrative voice to weave throughout your essay
  • How to tell a personal story without being whiney
  • How to tell someone else's story
  • How to know what to leave in and what to leave out

By the end of class, students can expect to have:
At least two complete and saleable personal essays

Admission Requirements:
To apply, you must submit a letter of interest, which includes a brief work history, and a writing sample of 2,000 words or less.

Instructor Bio

Paula Derrow's Courses

No courses available at this time.

Paula Derrow
Paula Derrow is the articles director of Self magazine, where she edits the "Self Expression" column as well as investigative, general-interest, and psychology features. (One of these features, "I gave up my breasts to save my life," by Lauren Slater, was nominated for a 2003 National Magazine Award award in the Best Essay category.) She has more than 20 years of editing and writing experience at a variety of women's and general-interest magazines and Web sites, including Glamour, American Health, Harper's Bazaar, The New Yorker, and Lifetime Television for Women (lifetimetv.com). Her first book, an anthology of essays by women about sex in real life, Behind the Bedroom Door, will be published by Bantam in 2008.

Testimonials



Paula's course resulted in my being published in The New York Times' Modern Love column, which for the rest of my career I'll always credit Paula. Before working with her, I had never had the confidence to send my writing out...and thanks to her I got not only the confidence, but the quality work! (And have been successfully freelancing ever since.) Paula's suggestions inevitably take a personal essay from 'a good idea' to publishable. -- Liza Monroy, freelancer, novelist, mb instructor

"Paula Derrow gets to the heart of the personal essay. She inspired me to finish essays I had been toying with in my mind for a long time, and I have submitted my first essay for publication. I couldn't recommend this class more highly." -- Glenn Michael Gordon, former editor, Reader's Digest online

"I took Paula's 1-night workshop and was immediately impressed with her deceptively laid-back style. Delivered gently and considerately, her feedback was incisive and powerfully focused on the heart of each person's story. I left the class not only feeling as though I had unique experience worth writing about, but was also in possession of the tools to write about it and sell the essay -- which I promptly did, writing a piece shortly after the class that ran in the June 2006 issue of Runner's World. Thanks, Paula!" -- Bill Braine, editor and freelancer

"Paula convinced me that what I was writing was not only publishable but also worth publishing. With her encouragement -- and unremittingly honest critique - I was able to hone pieces I've since placed in the NYTimes City Section, and the My Word (person essay page) of the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine. I am also now hard at work on a proposal for a memoir, which, without her, I would never have even thought I could write. She launched me on a new career path. I can't commend Paula highly enough." -- Erica Rex

"I had a student loan op-ed piece that was originally very dry. Paula helped me to turn it around by explaining that an op-ed should be as personal as a regular essay -- not stiff, didactic rhetoric. I'd recommend this class to anyone interested in developing their own authentic essay writing voice in a supportive creative environment." -- Anna Marrian, freelancer

"Paula manages to be candid and encouraging at the same time. Most of all, her classes are extremely helpful. Her comments are incisive and insightful, and helped me also to read my own essays from the perspective of editors and readers, which was invaluable. Paula's advice is also practical, including suggesting venues for publication. In fact, I ultimately sold my essay to SELF! I couldn't recommend her class more highly." -Mindy

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