Course Details

From Glamour to Good Housekeeping, women's magazines are among the most lucrative and high-profile markets, which is why this is one of our most popular classes. In this intensive workshop, you will learn how to wow editors in the so-called "pink ghetto" with the stories they want (and need). Each week, you'll produce a different story, each a type of article which is a mainstay at women's magazines. You'll also workshop pitch letters, editing them to perfection to ensure they get read by the editors of your dream publications. Your goal in this class is to send articles out immediately after workshopping them. You can expect to complete, over the course of eights weeks, a short service item, a Q&A, a human interest profile, an "In Their Own Words", a full-length service article, a personal essay, a quiz, and an independent project.

In this class, you can expect to learn:

• How to write in the voice of the magazine in which you want to be published
• Which editors to pitch stories to
• Which sections of the magazine are easiest to break into and most "freelancer-friendly"
• How to write perfect pitch letters
• How to find sources
• How to rewrite and self-edit
• How to network in the industry

By the end of class, students can expect to have:
A complete portfolio of publishable articles that will impress any women's-magazine editor.

Instructor Bio

Celeste Mitchell's Courses

Celeste Mitchell has been a women's magazine editor and writer for 15 years. A former deputy editor of Cosmopolitan and senior features editor at Family Circle, Celeste is currently a freelance writer in both New York and Los Angeles. Her work at Cosmopolitan involved crafting and editing articles on such subjects as trends, celebrities, style, decorating, dating, careers, and women's issues. While at Family Circle, she edited and wrote essays, human-interest features, profiles of inspirational women, and service articles on a broad range of topics including personal finance, relationships, education, travel, parenting, health, and fitness. Her work has been published in a variety of national magazines including Fitness, Shape, Woman's Day, Teen, and Walking, as well as in newspapers nationwide. She has been a guest speaker on journalism at New York University, The New School, and University of Oregon, as well as a panelist at American Society of Journalists and Authors conferences.

Testimonials

Celeste is a gem, a writer's editor. She knows how to assemble the key ingredients that make a magazine story memorable and she does so in a way that keeps reporters and writers cheerfully plying their craft. -- Rob LaFranco, freelance writer and former editor, Forbes and West Coast bureau chief, Red Herring

"While still holding down my full-time job, I was able to explore and develop my writing skills. I sold the first article I wrote in this class to Woman's Day. Celeste's seasoned expertise and thoughtful guidance gave me the confidence I needed to make my first pitch." -- Christine Rand, editor and magazine writer

"Celeste helped build my confidence and guided me toward writing new pieces that I may not have attempted on my own. She clearly loves helping students become stronger writers. She is positive, enthusiastic, pragmatic and of course, a keen editor. I learned a lot in the assignments, in the chats, and from her thoughtful editing." -- Laura Bond Williams

"Celeste is just about the best editor I have ever had. She is the reason I continued being a writer. She is kind, gentle, and remarkably astute with her remarks." -- Amanda Gardner

"Taking this class not only kept me focused on my ultimate goal, it also kept me hopeful. I realized through feedback from Celeste that I needed to keep plugging. Within a couple of months, I landed a job at WWD editorial working as an associate beauty editor at Beauty Biz magazine." -- Bryn Kenny, associate beauty editor, Beauty Biz magazine, Woman's Wear Daily

"Celeste is incredibly savvy and able to communicate publication trends while at the same time being encouraging and receptive to new ideas and pitches. Her critiques are extremely helpful and on-target, and I appreciated the grace with which she conducted class and gave constructive criticism." -- Jessica Alpert

"Celeste had thoughtful, helpful answers to questions during the class and in course feedback from her perspective as a true editor." -- Erin Anadkat