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Welcome to Write The World Workshops: Writing Camps and College Essay Courses

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Complete your college essay online course & college essay review service.

Journey through dozens of prompts, videos, and resources to explore and reflect on YOUR story, in YOUR own words. You’ll walk away with a fully drafted, stand-out Personal Statement in hand, as well as a plethora of writing resources for college and beyond.

With Write the World’s College Essay Review, you’ll have a college essay editor on your side – anytime, anywhere. Submit drafts to our team of Expert Advisors for review, and receive fully personalized, multi-page reports within 48 hours.

Virtual Summer Writing Camps 2024

About write the world.

Write the World is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2012 at Harvard University, that provides online supplemental educational programs and a writing community that serves young writers, their educators and schools. 

For over 10 years, Write the World has reached and improved the writing of over 101K+ teens and educators from 125 countries. We’ve empowered young people to develop their voices, refine their editing skills, and publish on our global platform. We pride ourselves on offering a supportive environment that prizes self-expression, safety, and privacy for young writers aged 13–19.

Our students access opportunities for recognition through our blog, online journal, and free monthly writing competitions that feature noted guest judges such as United States Inaugural Poet and Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman ; former speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama  Sarah Hurwitz ; and United States Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.  

We created Write the World Workshops & Services to further inspire young writers to express themselves, write in a variety of genres, and boost their confidence. Our intuitive writing process and curricula are designed to improve students’ writing, critical thinking, and communication skills—essential for success in college readiness, career, and life.

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Our on-demand  Complete Your College Admissions Essay Online Course  guides Juniors and Seniors through a step-by-step roadmap toward college essay success and develop standout essays. We also continue to offer our popular  College Essay Review  services, where students receive a comprehensive feedback report within 48 hours and have a college essay editor on their side – anytime, anywhere.

Our  virtual creative writing camps  also return every summer, where students (ages 13-19) experiment with the written word, try their hand at new styles of writing, and work with notable professionals to create pieces they’re proud of from the comfort of their home.

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We are on the lookout for partner educators, counselors, schools, and consultants, “write the world taught our students the essentials of writing a college essay in an efficient, student centered, and supportive way. our students left this workshop with more confidence in their writing and a sense of ease regarding their essay. the small groups and 1:1 guidance from wtw advisors allowed for our students to comfortably open up and connect themselves to their writing.”.

–  Genesis T., Partnership with TRIO Talent Search | GEAR Up Massachusetts , Lowell High School 

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Writing a strong essay can make a huge difference in job and college applications. Here are 15 online classes and books to learn how to do it.

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• Communicating ideas in a clear way is a crucial life skill no matter which field you work in.
• Writing personal essays can help perfect your storytelling and presentation skills.
• Below are 15 online classes, books, podcasts, and resources to start with.

Everyone has a story, but not everyone knows how to tell their story. One place to start is finding the perfect container for your experiences and insights. Enter: the personal essay. 

Well-crafted essays mark the difference between a meandering group of paragraphs and a clear, resonant idea. Almost every occupation can benefit from stronger communication, research, and persuasion skills — all of which can be sharpened from essay writing classes.

Think about the application prompts you've muddled through or the chances for publication you've felt too intimidated to attempt. The confidence to explore a topic, land on a perspective, and express it effectively is universally valuable, whether you're writing a personal statement for college, crafting a cover letter for a new job, or giving a presentation at work. 

The essay writing resources below range from 200-page books to eight-week online courses. Some require submitting original work to receive feedback, while others are prompts meant to inspire new ideas. 

15 essay writing online courses, workshops, and books to strengthen your storytelling skills: 

For the basics.

How to Write a Personal Essay (CreativeLive)

Joyce Maynard is a celebrated memoirist and personal essayist who knows what it takes to get an essay noticed for publication. In five hours of video instruction, students will learn how to identify ideas that could become pieces, how to build an outline, create an interesting character, and even end an essay to emphasize the final discovery. With a review rating of 100% from former students, this course is the perfect place to start your next essay. 

How to Write an Essay (edX)

This UC Berkeley class hones in on the hidden mechanisms of essays. The five-week course is more academic than creative, but ideal for those hoping to write with immaculate grammar and rigorous self-editing habits. The course (which is free to audit) provides both instructional videos and readings, and students will produce one essay as a takeaway from the class. 

Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself Specialization (Coursera)

Presented by Wesleyan University, this four-month specialization is instructed by four published essayists and memoirists. Through 16 writing assignments across four courses, students develop an approach to their own storytelling skills. And for those looking to take their writing out of the classroom, this course leaves you with a portfolio of work upon completion. 

"The Situation and The Story" by Vivian Gornick

Drawing on her experience from teaching MFA programs, Vivian Gornick challenges the writer to step back and evaluate their role in relation to the work. Are they the same person as the narrator? What details matter to the story? It's an invitation to look below the surface of life as it unfolds and ask questions of larger significance. The book is short, but explores diverse greats of the genre, from Joan Didion to Oscar Wilde. 

For coming up with ideas

Creative Writing for All: A 10-Day Journaling Challenge (Skillshare)

Seasoned journalist, novelist, and publisher Emily Gould only wants ten minutes of your time a day. In a 10-day course described as "perfect for writers and enthusiasts eager to rekindle creativity in a personal and artful way," she packs in countless creative prompts and revision tricks. It's great for writers who are crunched for time and looking to discover a new topic right under their nose.

The New York Times' Writing Prompts

This archive of questions inspired by the NYT's own stories is a perfect place to start, since jumping in can often feel like the hardest part. The Learning Network is targeted towards students, but the conversations following each prompt can be helpful for writers of all ages. After all, many essays begin as questions. Why not borrow some from the Times? 

Personal Essay Independent Study: Generating Fresh Ideas for the Personal Essay (Catapult)

Writing from life can make it difficult to be objective. What's interesting? What could become a full length essay? Led by essayist and editor Lilly Dancyger , this independent study is the perfect place to start coming up with fresh ideas. Self-guided, with three separate lessons ranging in topics from perspective to conversation, is an ideal fit for new writers looking to demystify the craft of storytelling via essays.  

"Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg

The best writers are always avid readers and this book is a great start. With over one million copies sold and translations in 12 languages, it's hard to deny the creative jumpstart writers find from "Writing Down the Bones." The tone of the book is conversational and approachable, and it's full of compelling personal narratives and prompts. Goldberg integrates tenets of Zen meditation with writing in order to create what she coins a "Writing Practice." The practice includes self-interrogation, creating a specific space, and carving out time to read. 

For developing style

Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact (Skillshare)

Let The New York Times bestselling author and revered professor Roxane Gay inspire your writing to ask questions of deep resonance. Her one-hour masterclass is an insightful lesson on transforming your personal essay with cultural context. Learn how to take yourself (and your essay) seriously by expanding your story and connecting with the audience you want to reach. The class comes with a downloadable worksheet and links to additional resources. 

David Sedaris Teaches Humor and Storytelling (MasterClass)

No one writes humor like David Sedaris . With 10 bestselling essay collections under his belt, there's hardly a more qualified teacher. In his MasterClass, he explores how to pull meaning out of the mundane, how humor helps us move through the dark subjects of our stories, and how everything depends on an attention-grabbing opening. Prepare to learn, laugh, and be charmed for over three hours of his beautifully shot video lessons.

Begin with the Body (Skillshare)

Chelsea Hodson's essays have been described as, " anchors for the themes  —  identity, sexuality, loss  —  we so often see reflected back at us ." In under 45 minutes, you'll be inspired to examine a strong starting point for any essay — your own body. Plus, Hodson's demonstration of her editing process in real time and analysis of other creative works leaves you with no excuse but to, as she says, "write without expectation." She also occasionally offers feedback on essays submitted through the class.

For practice and feedback

8-Week Personal Essay & Memoir Writing (Sackett Street Writers)

For writers with some experience or an essay ready to be workshopped, writing workshops like Sackett Street 's are an excellent option. This particular class is taught by published author Anna Qu , exploring the responsibility of nonfiction writing while learning literary techniques to create a compelling story. On top of Qu's guidance, the comradery with fellow students, even online, can lead to new perspectives and creative inspiration through in-class writing prompts.

"Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life" by Anne Lamott

Few books reign supreme when it comes to authors' favorites "books on books" like "Bird by Bird." Lamott's down-to-earth, homespun advice on life and writing has sold over a million copies. Simultaneously practical and profound, the book leans on the basic tenet that the most important practice is sitting down every day and simply writing. As Lamott writes: "One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore. Another is that writing motivates you to look closely at life, at life as it lurches by and tramps around."

Memoir Monday (Substack)

Every Monday, a collection of the best essays published the previous week on sites like Granta, Longreads, and Literary Hub are mailed directly to your inbox. A monthly reading series, plus interviews with notable authors provide a dose of inspiration and a curated look at up and coming work. 

WMFA Podcast hosted by Courtney Balestier

" Writing can be lonely work ," and this podcast sees conversation as a combatant to that problem. Writers across all genres and walks of life are interviewed by writer Courtney Balestier , and talks range from craft practices to book recommendations. There's also a minisode (around five minutes) on a single topic, like paying attention or restraint, released every other week. The conversation continues in a monthly newsletter featuring links, news, and recommendations. 

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The Art of Personal Essay Writing 6-Week Zoom Workshop, Starts Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

• Begins Tuesday, April 9th, 2024
• The class will meet weekly on Tuesday nights via Zoom, 7:00PM - 9:30PM EST

Open to All writers!

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Taught by Blaise Allysen Kearsley, a Black-biracial writer and teacher based in Brooklyn. Her writing has appeared in Catapult , Longreads, the Boston Globe, Electric Literature's The Nervous Breakdown, Elle, Midnight Breakfast, The Weeklings , and in the anthologies Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic , Nonwhite and Woman , and Cringe: Teenage Diaries, Journals, Notes, Letters, Poems, And Abandoned Rock Operas . Blaise is a contributing editor at Vestal Review , the oldest flash fiction journal on the planet.

This workshop is about finding and forming your stories and exploring the shape, texture and craft of personal essay writing .

You know the stories you want to tell. But how will you tell them? How do you follow through skillfully on ideas? What makes well-crafted essays and why are yours worth reading?

In this workshop we'll explore the art and craft of the personal essay. We'll experiment with researched, collage, braided, micro, crab, and "standard" essay forms to expand and deepen your writing practice and find the shape and texture that best serves what you want to say.

In-class time will include prompt-based writing and feedback. There will be take-home assignments on certain weeks (but not all).

Finally, we'll examine essays from a decolonized and inclusive selection of writers, including Saachi Koul, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, Deesha Philyaw, Maggie Nelson, Alexander Chee, David Sedaris, Emily Bernard, Roxane Gay, Abigail Thomas, and Jesus Colón.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Find your stories, expand and deepen your writing practice.
• Step out of your comfort zone.
• Try out new craft tools.
• Identify your story goals and intentions.
• Generate a ton of material to work with.
• Week 1: Your Stories
• Week 2: Flash Essay
• Week 3: Researched Essay
• Week 4: Braided Essay
• Week 5: Collage Essay
• Week 6: Crab Essay

TAKE THIS CLASS IF :

• You're finding the constraints of your current writing practice too limiting.
• You want exposure to a range of new approaches to bring to your writing practice.
• You want an expanded sense of what is possible in your work in 2024 and beyond!

TESTIMONIALS:

"I love the readings we do, and especially that they so often feature writers of color. The written feedback from you is always so helpful and in-depth. The prompts helped me to develop a lot of content. I always look forward to workshop nights -- it's a safe space to share."

"I felt so often in college, that I was writing against these very confident men who were forthcoming about the problems within my work and style. Working in your group has been restorative and has allowed me to trust myself without fear of being torn apart."

"Working with Blaise has made me a more confident writer. She's helped me to see my writing as a larger work, and creates a safe, inclusive, encouraging space to share and connect with other writers."

"Blaise is such a skilled reader and editor, and her notes are always valuable. She offers wonderful perspectives, and assembles groups of writers with keen perspectives of their own."

"I really loved the class. You treat every question with such a genuine desire to give the best possible answer and it made me happy every time. I admire that you focus on building people up. For someone like me, that means the world."

"During quarantine I had to show up for myself and others who counted on me, even when I felt like all I wanted to do was hide under my couch. Being part of this creative group of writers saved me."

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class meets weekly via Zoom. Come prepared for a super fun class with live interaction on Zoom each week and plenty of writing, reading, and talking!

• Instructor: Blaise Allysen Kearsley
• Class size limited to 10 writers
• Course is fully ONLINE .

Instructor Blaise Allysen Kearsley is a Black-biracial writer and teacher based in Brooklyn. She comes from a long line of teachers, builders, visual artists, and writers. Her writing has appeared in Longreads, the Boston Globe, Electric Literature's The Nervous Breakdown, Elle, Midnight Breakfast, The Weeklings, and in the anthologies Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic. (Simon Spotlight Entertainment) and Cringe: Teenage Diaries, Journals, Notes, Letters, Poems, And Abandoned Rock Operas (Crown Archetype). She has essays forthcoming in Catapult and the anthology Nonwhite and Woman in February 2022. She is the creator/producer/host of the How I Learned storytelling series and has performed at The Moth, Literary Death Match, Risk, and The Liar Show. Blaise is a contributing editor at Vestal Review, the oldest flash fiction journal on the planet. Learn more about Blaise here .

• #Nonfiction
• #Online-Class

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| Writing the Personal Essay (Online)

A 6-week generative online writing class for crafting compelling personal narratives, guided by jenny o’connell..

There are no available registration dates at this time.

Note: This workshop will be held in a live, online format utilizing the Zoom platform. Class meets on 6 Thursdays, Apr 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16 & 23 from 4-6pm ET.

The best personal essays create empathy, engage the reader with authenticity and vulnerability, and illuminate, through the lens of the self, universal truths that run through us all. The experience of reading—and writing!—personal essay allows us to feel seen, connected, and deeply human. What stories from your life are asking to be written?

In this six-week course, you’ll uncover your most resonant personal stories and take one of those stories from an idea to a polished piece of writing. Together, we’ll explore the ways the identities we hold overlap with the things we most want to say and learn how to focus those ideas into an essay-sized chunk of writing. We’ll read a diverse range of well-crafted personal essays to inspire us, generate pages of essay starts through in-class writing prompts, and choose a story to expand and polish. You’ll learn how to manage tension, find the best structure for your story, write with a compelling narrative voice, and craft vivid scenes.

Students will leave the course with a developed personal essay, polished with peer and instructor feedback. We will also cover the next steps for submitting your work for publication.

This class is for intermediate and advanced writers who want to write, develop, and supercharge their personal stories.

Materials Needed:

A notebook, writing utensils, and your laptop or computer.

Student Testimonials:

“The instructor was simply fantastic. Jenny O’Connell met and exceeded every expectation I had for my time here. She got us writing right away, expertly covered a huge amount of the writing process in such a short amount of time, and provided a space for us to take chances with our writing and to come together quite quickly as a supportive community. And her critiques were always supportive and spot on.” – Maine Media Workshops student, September 2023

“Jenny has a way of helping me get out of my own way. Through her coaching and guidance, I was able to push aside the judge that camps out in my head, and write freely and authentically. She helps me write in my own voice.” – Johanna Sorrell

“Jenny is able to create a special magic in her classes: a product of both her multitude of natural gifts and her finely-honed teaching craft. She creates a warm, loving, deeply personal container which, when combined with the varied structure and thoughtfully curated prompts and themes, really lays a potent ground for magic to arise. I did some of my best writing in years with Jenny. She helped me discover abilities and insights I didn’t know I had.” – Mira Manickam

Instructor: Jenny O’Connell

Jenny O’Connell is an adventure writer, freelance journalist, creative writing teacher, and outdoor guide from Portland, Maine. Her debut book project, Finding Petronella, traces her 2014 solo trek across Finland following the footsteps of a female legend beyond the Arctic Circle. 

A Maine Literary Award finalist and Pushcart Prize nominee, Jenny's award-winning nonfiction has appeared in Backcountry Magazine, Creative Nonfiction, Down East, SLICE, Maine Magazine, Decor Maine, and Appalachia Journal, among others. Jenny teaches creative writing at Hugo House, Seguinland Institute, and The Telling Room, and presents career seminars for creative writers at Stonecoast, where she earned her MFA. She guides writing-based adventures in Maine and beyond. 

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55 Best Essay Creative Writing Classes in 2024

Showing 55 courses that match your search.

Creative Writing Course: Memoir & Life Writing

Sydney Community College

Put simply, life experience, combined with a desire to write, qualifies you to tell your own story. Our experiences shape us and inform our world view, and nobody navigates life without struggle. Our personal circumstances, our observations of the world, and our personalities make us all unique individuals, and therefore the narratives of our lives are just as unique.

Website: https://www.sydneycommunitycollege.edu.au/course/WRMM

Categories: Essay

Start date:

August, 2024

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Quilting Together Your Scraps and Pieces of Writing

Anyone else have scraps of writing just sitting in the Google drive or an overstuffed notebook? What do you do with them all? These pieces do all have something in common; you wrote them and you like them, so we are going to have an old fashioned quilting bee.

Website: https://www.writespacehouston.org/creative-writing.html

Sweet & Savory, Salty & Bitter: Memories & Experiences with Food

In this three-hour workshop, we will approach personal essay through memories and experiences with food. In these essays, you can explore your relationship with particular people or with a gathering or event in your life. We will practice several techniques for connecting with food to craft a satisfying personal essay.

April, 2024

How to Write a Novel

Your story matters. Unlock your potential with daily video lessons from bestselling ghostwriter Tom Bromley, and finish your first draft in just 3 months. Learn more →

8-week Personal Essay & Memoir II/III (intermediate & advanced)

Sackett Street Writers

Through group discussion of student work, plus that of published authors, writers in this workshop will examine the art and craft of creative nonfiction. The focus will be on learning to understand and use a full range of literary techniques in order to tell a truly compelling nonfiction story.

Website: https://sackettworkshop.com/writing/2023/12/30/8-week-per...

March, 2024

Online Advanced Essays and the Persona Narrator (Ford)

The Writers Studio

In this eight-week class, we will look at published works by notable essayists to see how their use of persona narrator and other elements of craft help them both to live into their material and to welcome the reader.

Website: https://courses.writerstudio.com/courses/online-advanced-...

Introduction to Writing Speculative Nonfiction Essays

Clarion West

As writers and readers we all bring something different to the page and have our own lens with which we view not only the world, but the media we consume. Learn how to leverage your unique perspective and expertise into a well crafted essay on your favorite media.

Website: https://clarion-west-online.teachable.com/p/gilmore-specu...

Open all year round

Blog and Text Writing for Scientists and Scientific Entrepreneurs

Scientists and scientific entrepreneurs need to inform the public about their work. They are also now aware of the need to do so in the online content world. This course focuses specifically on blog writing. We touch briefly however on how one enters into this type of work.

Website: https://www.skillshare.com/en/classes/Blog-and-Text-Writi...

A Comprehensive Guide To Writing a First Class Scientific Essay

This class is designed to guide beginner writers on how to write a high-quality literature review and research article for STEM subjects. The class is designed to give students a clearer idea of the best practices in scientific writing.

Website: https://www.skillshare.com/en/classes/A-Comprehensive-Gui...

Using the Tools of Fiction in Nonfiction

The Writer's Center

Whether you are crafting an essay or writing a memoir, the tools of fiction can bring depth and suspense to your work. This class will cover four tools of fiction. We will examine contemporary examples of each tool used in nonfiction, and then we will practice them with generative exercises.

Website: https://writer.org/event/using-the-tools-of-fiction-in-no...

Writing Motherhood

This workshop is for writers who have become mothers (self-defined), or mothers who need to write. In this six-week class, we will read and discuss texts on the topic of motherhood from a diversity of perspectives, and explore and interrogate our own relationship with motherhood through our writing.

Website: https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/class/writing-motherhoo...

6 Weeks, 3 Essays

When it comes to writing about our lives and the wider world, it can be difficult to know where to begin. This course is for writers who are ready to produce new essays, but need the inspiration and accountability to get started.

Website: https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/class/6-weeks-3-essays-9/

Prerequisites: For writers age 13 - 18 ONLY.

The Braided Essay (seminar)

Lilly Dancyger

For essays that tell more than a single story or incorporate research, reporting, or criticism, writers can turn to the braided essay format. An expansive and complex form, the braided essay can accommodate these additional elements, but it also takes skill to pull off with cohesion. This 4-week seminar by Lilly Dancyger will help guide you through the entire process, from idea to drafting to weaving strands together.

Website: https://www.lillydancyger.com/the-braided-essay

How to choose an essay writing class

Looking to build your writing skillset, learn more about your genre, or finally finish that essay you’ve been working on? You’re in the right place. That’s why we built this directory of the best writing courses.

However, creative writing classes aren’t one size fit all. If you’re planning to join an essay writing class in particular, you’ll want to make sure that it matches what you’re seeking to learn about essay writing.

So make sure to consider the following questions when you’re researching essay writing courses:

• Who is the instructor? How many years of experience do they have in essay writing?
• Is there something in particular you’d like to learn about essay writing? Does this course include it?
• How long is the course, and where is it taught?
• How much does the essay writing course cost? Does it fit into your budget?

More essay writing resources

Whether you’re a new or established author, there are always evergreen resources out there to how to get a headstart on essay writing. 

Free online materials

• How to Write a Novel (blog post)
• How to Edit a Book (blog post)

Recommended books

• For writers in the UK:  Writers' & Artists' Yearbook  
• For writers in the US:  Writer’s Market 2020

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Have you had life experiences or unique perspectives that you’re compelled to share with others? In this 8 week course, you will learn how to write publishable personal essays that have the power to reach a wide audience. Through weekly instruction on literary techniques specific to the personal essay, you will explore topics you wish to write about and create your own personal essays. Topics can include travel, love, health, family, childhood, work, friendship and other relationships, the body, or any other subjects of interest to you.

You will learn about the strengths of your writing and receive detailed instruction on further development through weekly constructive, in-depth instructor and student feedback. We’ll look at a range of personal essays by critically acclaimed authors and discuss the literary techniques that make them successful. By the end of the course, you will have discovered how to access the power and strength of your essay writing skills and give voice to your unique perspective(s) on life and other matters. Included are strategies on how to become your own best editor.

Margo had great feedback, and all her responses to students’ writing were thorough, positive, and extremely helpful. She was encouraging and kind during all interactions, and all her comments were very meaningful. —Rebecca Schechter

Learning Objectives for Students

– To understand and be familiar with personal essay writing as a process

– To critique writing (one’s own and that of others)

– To develop an authentic, individual voice

– To understand basic elements of successful personal essays

– To apply the tools of the workshop in editing and revision

– To cultivate and explore ideas in personal essays with greater assurance and precision

Instructional Methods

The course will be taught through instruction on craft, the examination of a range of personal essays, class discussion, weekly writing assignments, and critique of student manuscripts.

Week One: Structure of the Personal Essay and the Creative Process

We’ll look at what makes a piece of nonfiction writing a “personal essay” and explore different techniques to help you write the best you can.

Week Two: Voice and Point of View

What is your narrative “personality”? What makes your writing most authentic to your own individual sensibility and aesthetic? We’ll also be looking at the ways you can use different points of view in the personal essay.

Week Three: Imagery and Exposition

When to “tell” and when to “show” in a personal essay, and how to strike the most effective balance between the two.

Week Four: Characterization

The people you write about, as well as yourself, are multilayered characters. We’ll discuss how to present them in a nutshell and reveal enough to make the “whole” of them real and engaging to your readers.

Week Five: When to Include Conversation, and Not

A discussion of authentic dialogue and the importance of including what your characters don’t say.

Week Six: The Importance of Setting

We’ll explore how the time and place in which the experience(s) you describe provide vital context, reflection, and “grounding.”

Week Seven: “Real” vs. “Story” Time

This week we’ll be examining a variety of “time” used in the personal essay, including “real” time, and the ways in which is time is compressed and/or lengthened to heighten drama.

Week Eight: Theme/Premise, Beginnings and Endings

We end the course with a focus on the importance of conveying meaning in the personal essay, and how to create the most impactful beginnings and endings.

Student Feedback for Margo Perin:

Margo is a fantastic teacher!  She gave so much attention to every single piece of writing including all the critiques.  I was extremely satisfied with the class content. I was sorry to see the workshop come to an end. I would absolutely recommend it.  Madlyn Springston

This was an excellent class and one that gave me a weekly opportunity to flesh out ideas and get real-time responses. Margo is knowledgeable and compassionate, with a keen eye for strengths and areas of growth.  Tom Lorio

Margo was attentive and understanding as an instructor. She provided useful critiques and wise guidance. She was also kind in giving criticism, a skill not mastered by all instructors. All the lessons were adequately described and the lecture notes and supplemental readings were very detailed and clear. The assignments were challenging and interesting... I would and I have recommended your classes to many friends... Your attention to and care for your students is admirable. I am very happy to have found your website. Sia Corrina Durocher

Margo had great feedback, and all her responses to students' writing were thorough, positive, and extremely helpful. She was encouraging and kind during all interactions, and all her comments were very meaningful. Rebecca Schechter

I found Margo to be highly sensitive to our abilities, both in terms of our gifts as well as challenges as writers.  I really appreciated her attention to subtle but powerful details.  Her suggestion of what seemed like a simple one-word change were profound and helped me see my writing process in new, advanced ways.  Terilee Wunderman

I was very happy with the class content. Margo gave truly helpful comments and was extremely supportive.I would and have extolled this program to many people. I got exactly what I'd hoped for, and I think it's a really high-quality operation. Molly Cheek

Margo is an excellent teacher, great critiques, motivational and sincere in her feedback. I found this class a perfect fit for me to assist me with my short story writing. The assignments were spot on, the plot, point of view and scene building assignments were eye opening to me. Also, the online classroom was great. I will take another class.  Mike Karpinski

[Margo] has a way of bringing out the best in each of the writers. She always provided constructive feedback. I looked forward to hearing what she had to say and learned a lot from her feedback, not just for me but for everyone. I thought the class lectures and assignments really helped me think about what I wanted to say and how I should say it. They were the right mix of challenging but not overwhelming. I am impressed the course offerings provided by Writers.com. I am currently taking another class and plan to take others.   Abigail Aguirre

“Margo is a fantastic teacher! She gave so much attention to every single piece of writing including, all the critiques. I was extremely satisfied with the class content. I was sorry to see the workshop come to an end.” —Madlyn Springston

About Margo Perin

Margo Perin’s publications include  The Opposite of Hollywood,   Only the Dead Can Kill: Stories from Jail ,  Plexiglass , and  How I Learned to Cook & Other Writings on Complex Mother-Daughter Relationships . She is the poet of San Francisco’s permanent memorial  Spiral of Gratitude . A nominee for the Pushcart Prize, she has been featured in numerous national and international media, including Heyday/PEN’s  Fightin’ Words ,  The San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine ,  O, The Oprah Magazine , Mexico’s  El Petit Journal , Holland’s  Psycologie ,  KRON 4 TV ,  NPR’s Talk of the Nation , and  KALW, KPFA , and  WAMC . Her passions are teaching and writing, especially memoir and autobiographical fiction and poetry. She has taught for more than thirty years, including M.F.A. and M.A. Creative Writing at USF and New College, at UC Berkeley Extension, California Poets in the Schools, and in the U.K., Mexico, and Italy. She is pleased to be back at Writers.com after a hiatus when she focused on teaching personal narrative to adults and youth incarcerated in California jails and prisons. Please visit her at  www.margoperin.com  and see her work at  www.margoperin.com/essays–poetry.html , and view her  Writers.com interview  on autobiographical writing.

Margo's Courses

Let’s Get Personal: The Art and Craft of the Personal Essay In Your Own Words: Transforming Life Into Memoir and Fiction Craft Your Story: Short Fiction and Memoir Live Workshops

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Women's Personal Essay Writing: A Workshop

Course details.

• Location: Online
• Duration: 9 weeks
• Times: Evenings

Next Start Date:

January 21, 2025

About this Course

We write to be seen and to see the world anew. In this generative writing workshop taught by the award-winning author, journalist and essayist Kristen Millares Young, you’ll practice the art of crafting a compelling personal essay. You’ll master the steps toward becoming a published essayist, including how to generate ideas, develop drafts, offer and receive constructive feedback, revise your own work, pitch and submit to editors, and build and sustain a writing community.

We’ll read and discuss essays by Elissa Washuta, Melissa Febos, Ada Calhoun, Jane Wong, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Gloria Anzaldúa, Audre Lorde and Elizabeth Rosner. Then you’ll write in response to timed, instructor-designed prompts based on these writers’ works. You’ll leave our time together with two workshopped essays that are ready for submission.

Three accomplished guests — New York Times-recognized editor Margot Kahn Case, Salon TV critic Melanie McFarland and Welcome to the Writer’s Life author Paulette Perhach — will share their paths and expertise with you during interactive lectures and discussions.

Designed For

Those interested in writing and publishing personal essays and adding new ideas to our social discourse.

See Requirements

Requirements

Admission requirements.

The course is open to anyone looking for a safe space to write and share personal essays.

Time Commitment

Including time in class, you should expect to spend about seven to nine hours each week on coursework.

English Proficiency

If English is not your native language, you should have advanced English skills to enroll. To see if you qualify, make sure you are at the C1 level on the CEFR self-assessment grid . To learn more, see English Language Proficiency Requirements – Noncredit Programs .

International Students

International students are welcome to enroll in an online offering of this course, which doesn’t require a visa. To enroll in a classroom offering, you must have a visa that permits study in the United States. This course does not enable students to obtain or maintain F-1 visa status. For more information, see Admission Requirements for International Students.

Technology Requirements

• Access to a computer with a recent operating system and web browser
• High-speed internet connection
• Headset and webcam (recommended)

Completing the Course

To successfully complete this course, you must fulfill the requirements outlined by your instructor.

What You’ll Learn

• How to shape a basic concept into a viable essay 
• How to revise a first draft into an effective structure
• How to provide, collect and apply feedback in the revision process
• How to foster relationships with editors and pitch your work to publications
• How to publish and promote your work

Get Hands-On Experience

• Develop submittable drafts of two personal essays
• Craft pitch letters that are ready to send to editors 

OUR ENROLLMENT COACHES ARE HERE TO HELP

Connect with an enrollment coach to learn more about this offering. Or if you need help finding the right certificate, specialization or course for you, reach out to explore your options .

Learning Format

Online With Real-Time Meetings

Combine the convenience of online learning with the immediacy of real-time interaction. You’ll stream courses online and interact with your instructors and fellow students via video conferencing or chat, both in real time. Learn More »

Course Sessions

January 2025 noncredit, want to get the latest.

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Dairy Arts Center

Writing Workshop: Memoir and Personal Essay (6 Weeks)

Open to all adults anywhere in their writing journey. Class is limited to 12 participants. $280

Instructor: Brenda Kahn Brenda Kahn is a Boulder-based artist, celebrated for her poignant, lyric-driven music that blends personal narratives with broader social commentaries. She gained acclaim in the ’90s with her punk-folk music, leading to a deal with Columbia Records and praise for her album “Epiphany in Brooklyn.” She’s toured with musical greats Bob Dylan and Jeff Buckley and authored “Ode to Chores,” a humorous take on motherhood in verse. Her 2024 single “Alright OK” is available on YouTube and Spotify. Kahn’s memoir, set to explore the transformative power of music and writing against the backdrop of the East Village music scene in the ’90s, is forthcoming.

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Event views navigation, featured featured writing workshop: memoir and personal essay (6 weeks) $280.

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As of today, 3/12/2020, The Dairy Arts Center remains open and operational. Should scheduling changes occur, ticket holders will be directly notified by The Dairy Arts Center.

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Virtual Essay Writing Workshop

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713-348-7423

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M-F 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT

Fulbright Personal Essay Writing Workshop

The personal statement can be one of the most challenging pieces to write when applying for a fellowship or scholarship. What do you share about yourself and how can you make it sound interesting? If you're planning to apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, starting on your essays now gives you an advantage. Attend this in-person writing workshop to better understand the elements to include in the Fulbright Personal Statement and how to get a head start. Tips and advice will be tailored to the Fulbright application, but may be helpful for other competitions as well. Drafts not required, but welcomed. Registration required. Seating limited.

Ticket Information https://2023-2024uhmgdgps.eventbrite.com

Event Sponsor Graduate Division , Mānoa Campus

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The Writer's Workshop @ Authors Publish

Sold out the personal essay workshop with marin sardy, a four week workshop on the art & craft of writing personal essays.

Acclaimed author and instructor Marin Sardy is leading a four-week workshop on the art and craft of the personal essay. Explore the art of the personal essay, get extensive feedback on your writing, and learn the process of finding publication -- all with support from a successful author and instructor.

Four weeks of in-depth lessons on the art and craft of writing personal essays.

Detailed feedback on your writing from Marin Sardy.

Personal guidance on the process of finding publication.

Access to live office hours with all of our instructors, even after the course has finished.

Full access to our private community of writers, so you can network with your fellow students.

Explore the Art & Craft of the Personal Essay

With Critically Acclaimed Author Marin Sardy

You are invited to join Marin Sardy for a month-long workshop on the art and craft of writing the personal essay.

During this course, you will study the craft of writing the personal essay, so that you can share your story in the most meaningful and impactful way possible.

During this course, students will:

• Practice the craft elements integral to personal essay writing.
• Explore the possibilities inherent in the essay form.
• Read and discuss work by writers like Joan Didion, Alexander Chee, and Claudia Rankine, looking to them for insights as we move into increasingly fluid, fragmentary, and innovative approaches to personal essay writing.
• Consider topics ranging from scene building to finding resolution.
• Discuss the writer’s practice, revision process, and paths to publication.

Ultimately, this course will strengthen and expand students’ sense of how an essayist can powerfully convey life experiences and also communicate their lasting emotional and symbolic significance.

Marin Sardy’s memoir was published by Pantheon, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Her essays have been published by Tin House, The New Yorker online and The Paris Review Daily, among many other places.

She is not just a successfully published author, she is also an experienced professor and writing teacher, who cares about connecting with students and helping them grow as writers.

Marin is offering extensive feedback on student writing, as a core part of this course. Each week, you will have the opportunity to submit work for feedback from Marin. She will give you detailed notes on up to 3 essays, totaling 5,000 words. She will also help you revise one essay, and guide you through the process of finding publication.

The course starts on Monday, May 1st and ends on Friday, May 26th. For those who need extra time, students will have a full six months to submit work for feedback. You will also be welcome to attend office hours after the course is officially over.

Because of the extensive personal feedback in this course, enrollment is strictly limited to 22 students. Once the course is filled, we will immediately close enrollment.

If you are planning on joining this course, I urge you to enroll right away.

About Marin Sardy

Marin Sardy is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir The Edge of Every Day: Sketches of Schizophrenia (Pantheon, 2019). Sardy’s book was excerpted in the New Yorker online and her essays have appeared in Tin House ,  Guernica ,   the Missouri Review , the Paris Review Daily , and many other journals, as well as in two award-winning photography books. Sardy has three times had her essays listed as “notable” in the Best American series and has been awarded residency fellowships at Hawthornden Castle and Catwalk Institute.

Workshop Schedule

The course starts on Monday, May 1st and ends on Friday, May 26th, 2023. The course comes with daily lessons you can study on your own time, and interaction with Marin Sardy. Everything is provided online, through the digital learning platform hosted by Thinkific.

Note that you will have up to six months after the course finishes to submit your writing for feedback. Also note that you will have access to office hours even after the course is complete.

Daily lessons, available to study any time on our online learning platform, hosted by Thinkific.

Personal feedback on every lesson via email, our online discussion platform, or our private Facebook Group.

Weekly opportunities to submit your work for detailed feedback from the instructor.

Enrollment is strictly limited to 22 students. The early bird tuition is available until Wednesday, April 19th.

Full Tuition

Early Bird Tuition

2 x $273.50

Early Bird Payment Plan

Reviews of This Course

Totally appropriate, and exactly what i needed..

I loved this course. I only wish it could be longer. Every selection was interesting. The writing exercises were provocative and enjoyable. The feedback on my essay submissions were good and useful. I want more!! (That's because the essays I submi...

I loved this course. I only wish it could be longer. Every selection was interesting. The writing exercises were provocative and enjoyable. The feedback on my essay submissions were good and useful. I want more!! (That's because the essays I submitted were early chapters of a book manuscript that is under review by a publisher. So any additional help could be very helpful to me.) While Marin's general concept of "the personal essay" doesn't always fit what I'm trying to do, everything she taught was useful to me, and very interesting. It there's a sequel, I would like to sign up!

Inspiring and Instructive

Susan cohen.

Marin Sardy provides excellent examples and instruction on different essay writing techniques while encouraging writers to share their challenges and fears. Her feedback is tactful and clear, with a keen intuition on where a writer wants to go a...

Marin Sardy provides excellent examples and instruction on different essay writing techniques while encouraging writers to share their challenges and fears. Her feedback is tactful and clear, with a keen intuition on where a writer wants to go and how to get there. Great class, highly recommended.

Highly Recommend This Fantastic Workshop!

Dana kinsey.

Marin is a gifted and caring teacher, supplying exactly the right feedback to assist in revision. Her honesty was refreshing and her insight was valuable. I never take courses to learn what I'm doing right; I take them to learn the opposite. Th...

Marin is a gifted and caring teacher, supplying exactly the right feedback to assist in revision. Her honesty was refreshing and her insight was valuable. I never take courses to learn what I'm doing right; I take them to learn the opposite. The pieces she chose as anchors inspired me to reach beyond my current style and really take some risks in terms of content and form. Her suggestions for publishers also proved super helpful. I could say much more, but I think it could be most telling to simply post a link (https://www.prose.onl/read/dana-kinsey) to the first piece I wrote with Marin that was actually published today, one week after the course ended. Without this workshop and Marin's expertise, it would not exist.

Excellent Introduction to Different Types of Personal Essays

Mary atkinson.

Marin Sardy's Personal Essay Workshop covered so much in a short time. She provided great examples of different ways to approach personal essays along with her insightful comments about them. I especially appreciated her emphasis on each writer's ...

Marin Sardy's Personal Essay Workshop covered so much in a short time. She provided great examples of different ways to approach personal essays along with her insightful comments about them. I especially appreciated her emphasis on each writer's personal process. We write to discover what we want to say and why and then dig deeper in revision. She is truly knowledgeable and passionate about the personal essay. I highly recommend her course!

The Personal Essay with Marin Sardy

Isa de quesada.

Excellent...when I started I had no idea how to begin an essay and get it published. This course gave me the tools necessary to funnel my writing into an essay form. The structure of the course was incredibly helpful in organizing myself and my wr...

Excellent...when I started I had no idea how to begin an essay and get it published. This course gave me the tools necessary to funnel my writing into an essay form. The structure of the course was incredibly helpful in organizing myself and my writing. I would love to take a level 2 Personal Essay Workshop with Marin.

Excellent workshop

Anneke campbell.

Marin Sardy's Personal Essay Workshop has been powerful, educational and fun. The workshop is very well organized in bite sized pieces with the right balance of reading, writing and exchange. I particularly appreciate her clarity and the fact that...

Marin Sardy's Personal Essay Workshop has been powerful, educational and fun. The workshop is very well organized in bite sized pieces with the right balance of reading, writing and exchange. I particularly appreciate her clarity and the fact that we have a half year to complete the work and get feedback. Highly recommended.

Marin Sardy's Personal Essay Class

Linda luther-starbird.

I very much enjoyed this class, and I learned that I liked personal essay much more than I had anticipated. This morning I read a review about using personal essay in memoir, which made it all the more interesting. Marin is a very good teacher. Sh...

I very much enjoyed this class, and I learned that I liked personal essay much more than I had anticipated. This morning I read a review about using personal essay in memoir, which made it all the more interesting. Marin is a very good teacher. She was highly organized, had very useful readings and references for us, and her feedback/critique on my homework assignments was very helpful. I would recommend this class to anyone desiring to learn a new form, or to those already interested in personal essay.

The course starts on Monday, May 1st and ends on Friday, May 26th. Each week, we will release five lessons that you can study on your own time. These will be a mix of text-based lessons, recommended essays, and pre-recorded lectures. Each lesson comes with text-based discussion with the instructor and the class.

At the end of each week, you will have the opportunity to submit an assignment to the instructor for in-depth feedback.

There will also be two office hour sessions held via Zoom, which will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. They have not yet been scheduled.

Note, that if you fall behind on the course, you will have a full six months to complete the course and submit your work for feedback from the instructor.

Overall, expect to spend around 30 minutes a day on the course. Some days will require less work, some days will require more.

Lessons are released weekly, which gives you flexibility. Based on our experience with other courses, some students do the bulk of their work in one or two days each week, while others spend a little bit of time each day on our courses.

Because of the personal feedback Marin is providing, the workshop is strictly limited to 22 students. Once we reach that number we will immediately close enrollment.

Enroll in The Personal Essay Workshop with Marin Sardy