WHEN 8 weeks, Tuesdays, June 3 - July 22, 7-10 pm WHERE New York (Downtown) LEVEL Intermediate 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 (2-4 page) 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. We will read and discuss student work in class and prepare it for pitching.

In this class, you will 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, you will have:
At least two complete and salable personal essays

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Instructor Bio

Andrew Craft's Courses

Andrew Craft has taught personal memoir writing at the 92nd St Y and the Makor Steinhardt Center. He also created a class designed to access the creative writer's voice. He recently completed ghostwriting a memoir about to be sold to a major publisher. He has run three writer's groups, the members of which are all writing personal memoirs of various length -- some full length autobiographies, some shorter essay pieces.

He has taught screenwriting at beginners, intermediate, advanced, and master class levels at NYU for seven years. Andrew is a busy screenwriting consultant and script doctor and has two films currently in development. He also teaches creative fiction and nonfiction. Andrew is an Englishman who has lived in New York for eighteen years.

Testimonials

This class is an excellent introduction to screenwriting. Andrew Craft provides great context and content, engages each attendee individually and personally, and is a highly entertaining and informative teacher. -- Beth Amorosi

"When it comes to working with a wide range of story ideas in the classroom, Andrew Craft is a master craftsman." -- Steve Govoni, president, Connecticut Center for Patient Safety

"Andrew Craft is at the top of his game. He is a talented, lively, well-informed teacher who brings perspicacity and humor to his teaching. He was able explore the specifics of screenwriting and give illustrative examples from movies that really helped to clarify the points he was making. Andrew's class was also extremely motivational. I'm already on my way to writing my story thanks to him." -- Susan Schwartzman, Susan Schwartzman Public Relations

"Andrew Craft got to know a little about all of our stories at the beginning of the seminar and was able to tailor the discussion around our writing. That approach was really helpful, and made it easier to understand the storytelling and screenwriting concepts and helped individual students start thinking about how to focus their scripts." -- Katie Petro

"Andrew not only knows his stuff, but he knows howto teach it. I sent him an e-mail last night telling him that I actually learned something that I'm going to use in my script right away." -- Nelly Sidoti