WHEN 8 weeks, July 23 - September 10 Chats Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30 pm ET WHERE Online. Click here for more information. LEVEL Intermediate PRICE $499 ($475 for ) more info

Course Details

Readers --and editors -- love a good personal story. Why shouldn't that story be yours? Most magazines and newspapers publish personal essays on a regular basis. By writing personal essays, you can stretch your writing muscles, make sense of your present and past, and move readers. The best part is, you can make money and get great clips while doing it.

• How to decide which stories to tell
• How to shape your story so that it makes a universal point
• How to find the resonance in everyday events
• How to use the techniques of fiction (dialogue, characterization, scene-setting, suspense) to tell a true tale
• How to find the right markets for your essays
• How to pitch your personal essays to editors

• Your instructor's lectures are posted once a week: you can read them online, print them, or download them at your convenience. Supplemental material?readings, examples, or handouts?may also be available.
• Students post completed assignments on the course bulletin board, where the class gives feedback. Students ask questions, share resources, and support each other, creating a conversation that continues all week.
• A regular chat time allows your class to converse as a group via instant message. Transcripts are available when you can't attend, or if you want to review the discussion.
• Technical support is available from mediabistro staff.

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Instructor Bio

Liza Monroy's Courses

Liza Monroy's first novel, Mexican High, was just released by Spiegel & Grau (a division of Random House). Her articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, L.A. Times Magazine, Newsweek, Jane, Village Voice, and Time Out New York. The daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service officer, she has lived, worked, and studied in Mexico, Italy, Holland, the Czech Republic, Greece, and the United States. Liza's writing has also appeared in anthologies, including the New York Times The Best of Modern Love. She's been a travel writer for MTV and was recently awarded a residency by the Kerouac Project of Orlando. Visit her on the web at www.lizamonroy.com.

Testimonials

Liza brings a wealth of knowledge to the class. She suggested publications where our pieces would fit and has an address book of editors that is to die for. I sent my piece out the next day and it was published within a week. -- Tara Bishop, MD

"The class gave me the tools to make my writing better. These are all things not just applicable to the course, but to my whole life as a writer. It's like the course that keeps on giving!" -- Amy Nathan

"I loved Liza's class. Her openess to share names and places for future submissions was most welcome as this is a difficult field to break into. She has quite the rolodex and I'm sure it's from her vast experience in writing, her terrific publishing credits, and her networking expertise." -- Diane Singer

"This class was a gem. In one night, I learned how to carve my personal essay into a saleable piece, and I also gained invaluble insights into where I might look to sell my piece. Liza was so full of knowledge and advice. She knows this market and wants to help you succeed." -- Amy Tucker Carroll