SEMINAR | Writing Your Modern Love: From Idea to Draft
February 7 @ 2:00 pm – February 14 @ 4:00 pm EST
Starting with the right material is 90% of the battle when it comes to Modern Love. Understanding what they want (and what they don’t want) will make success much easier.
Live on Zoom | Saturdays February 7 & 14, 2-4 pm Eastern
For Creative Nonfiction Writers
The most popular personal essay column in the world—spawning countless memoirs, a TV show, and a popular podcast—the NYT’s weekly Modern Love column is one of the writing world’s only true meritocracies. As a result, getting a Modern Love published is a big goal for many writers. Writing a great Modern Love column can be surprisingly straightforward if you have the right tools and techniques. And if you publish one, it might just change your life.
This two-day seminar will focus on the most critical elements of crafting a Modern Love, namely grasping the very specific criteria that the editors are looking for and understanding if your material fits. Learn the simple techniques and craft elements of successful Modern Loves, around pacing, characterization, and balance of scene and summary.
After reviewing hundreds of Modern Love columns over the years, reading great essays about the column, and publishing his own Modern Love column, instructor Peter Mountford will demystify this specific literary form. We’ll look carefully at published examples, and you’ll receive a list of prompts and resources.
Throughout the seminar, there will be dedicated time for brainstorming, drafting, and sharing work, and selected pieces will be live edited by the instructor.
In this 2-day seminar, you’ll:
- IDENTIFY what makes an idea “pitchable” for Modern Love—clear premise, emotional engine, and stakes editors can spot in seconds
- TEST your idea against Modern Love criteria before you draft, so you don’t waste time on material that won’t fit
- DRAFT with intention, using a proven structural roadmap tailored specifically to Modern Love essays
- CRAFT an opening hook that signals confidence and clarity from the first paragraph
- BALANCE scene and reflection to keep momentum without over-explaining or under-contextualizing
- SHAPE conflict into forward motion, even in quiet or interior stories
- UNDERSTAND Modern Love tone—how to sound intimate, self-aware, and honest without sentimentality
- REVISE strategically, using live edits and peer feedback to see what’s working (and what isn’t) on the page
- DEVELOP multiple draft options, so you can choose the strongest version—or pivot if needed
- LEARN how editors read, including common reasons essays are rejected even when the writing is strong
This class is ideal for writers who want to break into the Modern Love column and share their stories with huge audiences.
Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss part of the class? No worries, replays will be available 3 business days after each session. ✔
ABOUT YOUR Instructor
Writing coach and developmental editor Peter Mountford is the author of the novels A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism (2012 Washington State Book Award in fiction) and The Dismal Science (NYT editor’s choice). His next book, a collection of short stories called Detonator, is now out from Four Way Books. His work has appeared in The Paris Review, Southern Review, The Atlantic, The Sun, NYT (Modern Love), Granta, and The Missouri Review. Peter teaches at the MFA program at the University of Nevada, Reno, at Lake Tahoe.
Student Testimonials
“Peter has helped me elevate the quality and power of my work through his exceptional craft courses as well as one-on-one coaching. He has an unerring sense of a story’s center of gravity and the structure that best suits the material. He’s the kind of merciless editor that any serious writer would value. Since working with him, I’ve had a story and two essays accepted by prestigious literary magazines and highly regarded essay columns. In a star rating, he’d get a full 5 from me.” — Robin Reif
“I took Peter’s yearlong course at Hugo House in 2019-2020, and I found him to be an invaluable instructor. His instincts for how good prose works, from craft elements to the realm of publishing, were instrumental in my writing career. He is an honest critic but an encouraging mentor, and I saw him provide acute feedback to short fiction, novels, essays, and memoirs alike. He helped me figure out how to risk sentimentality in my work, to push toward intensity when possible, and how to think about readership when it comes to where I want to publish. I cannot recommend him enough to anyone looking to get more serious about their writing.” — Chad Petrie (MFA candidate at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, class of 2023)
“Peter helped me improve in just about every facet of my writing life. A few specifics that come to mind: he gave me story critiques that encouraged while setting high standards; set me up with a mini-group who were fun, dedicated, and generous; advised on writing life in a way that totally reframed my conceptions about progress. I left class seeing how much more I need to write and read, how much more there is to learn, which is humbling and exciting.” — Michael Barry (MFA candidate at Bennington, class of 2023)
THE FINE PRINT
We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.
Before the class, you may request a full refund.
Please keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins.
Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com
