8-WEEK WORKSHOP | Finding and Telling Your Personal Story: A Crash Course in Writing Your Personal Narrative
March 5 @ 1:00 pm – April 23 @ 4:00 pm EST
Write with purpose. Find your story’s core.
[Limited to 12 students]
For Personal Essay, Book-length Memoir, Creative Nonfiction
Live On Zoom | Thursdays, Mar 5 – April 23 | 1-4 pm Eastern
In this 8-week writing workshop, you will practice writing drafts and parts of a personal narrative, be it personal essay, book-length memoir or works of creative nonfiction. Emphasis will be placed on focusing your story around a central question, drama, conflict, tension, emotional “heat” and an undercurrent or “inner story”; developing your story and narrative “engine”; understanding the role of scene, narrative summary and reflective voice; exploring formal possibilities to structure your story; looking at chronology and point of view; examining “truth” in memoir; and practicing revision strategies to improve your work.
In class prompts will give you a chance to try out techniques and ideas. Short readings will be mined for craft and inspiration. You will have at least one short personal narrative workshopped in the course and receive feedback from your fellow writers and the instructor, along with an additional opportunity for feedback on revisions.
Class includes in-depth exercises, prompts, readings, instructor feedback, office hours, and Q&A.
Over these eight weeks, you will …
- EXPLORE narrative structure for their personal narrative
- LEARN the fundamental building blocks of personal narrative
- UNDERSTAND and DEVELOP the central heat and tension of their story
- DISCOVER how to focus the scope of their personal narrative
For writers who:
- Want to find shape and structure for their personal stories
- Are stuck on “what my personal story is about”
- Need improvement in writing scene, narrative summary, and reflective voice
- Are beginner or intermediate
Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss a class? No worries, replays will be available. ✔
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
ETHAN GILSDORF is a writer, teacher, performer, and the author of the Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Esquire, Wired, Salon, O the Oprah Magazine, Brevity, Electric Literature, Poetry, The Southern Review, among other publications, and named “Notable” by The Best American Essays. He teaches workshops in essay, creative nonfiction, and memoir at GrubStreet in Boston, where he leads the Essay Incubator program, and at LitArts RI. He is also on the faculty of the Solstice MFA Program at Lasell University.
Testimonials from past students:
“His enthusiasm for the craft is contagious, his experience is impressive, and his teaching style is highly engaging.”
“One of, if not the best teacher I’ve ever had in my life. … I would probably rearrange my entire schedule so I could be in his class again.”
“Ethan Gilsdorf is the real deal: a great writer and also a great instructor, two skill sets that sometimes do not overlap. He’s smart and organized, and has extraordinary classroom management skills.”
“I got more out of your 6 week class than I did out of some of my semester long MFA classes.”
“Nurturing and challenging … You are masterful at creating an atmosphere for both. I loved the class, and I can’t wait for the next one!”
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 first class, you may request a refund (less a $25 processing fee).
After class begins, you may request a refund for the remaining value of the course (less a $25 processing fee).
No credits or refunds will be available after the 4th class.
Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com
