Writing the (Modern) Love Essay

Writing the (Modern) Love Essay is a nonfiction course for writers of all levels interested in transforming their lived experience of romance into an essay. You’ll learn how to transfer your story of love onto the page in a compelling, authentic way, while avoiding the pitfalls of cliché.

We will read essays from the New York Times’s Modern Love and Tiny love series; excerpts from longer form memoir by Ocean Vuong, Sophie Calle, and Elizabeth McCracken, among others; poetry by Frank O’Hara; monologues from documentary theater by Leigh Fondakowski. Always, we’ll be searching for the methods and tactics other authors used to tackle the challenge of finding fresh ways to write about love. Always, we’ll be looking for how you can steal their tools. You will look at how specificity, voice, and form hook the reader and keep them reading. Then, you will apply these lessons to your own work.

Over five weeks, you will work your way from concept to a full draft of an essay. Your piece will be workshopped by the group, providing concrete feedback for revision. We will also talk about the personal essay market, how to know when your work is ready for submission, and how a short essay can be a jumping off point for longer work.

At the end of the class, you will have taken the raw material of life and shaped it into a tight and intriguing piece of nonfiction writing.

Learning Goals

• Learn to use specifics to fend off the danger of falling into clichéd language or imagery
• Discover how a clear voice carries the reader through a piece
• Identify the mechanics of how different forms of essay support different stories

Writing Goals

• Write and workshop a full essay
• Revise essay, based on feedback, into a submission-ready essay

Zoom Schedule

We will meet on Zoom Thursdays, starting February 6th, from 8-10pm Eastern. 

Weekly Syllabus 

Week 1. Devil’s in the Details: Specifics

The specifics of a love story are what make it unique, what make the reader really feel like they’re there, and what allow you to avoid the dreaded cliché.

This week, you’ll map out specifics of your love story: not just what happened, but how it felt—across all five senses.

Assignment: Pick a moment—or a few—in your love story. Write down each specific thing you can remember surrounding that moment, making sure to pay attention to every sense.

Week 2. Comic, Tragic, Epic, Other: Container

You’ll explore different forms for the love essay—from tiny to full-length, comic to epic—drawn from the New York Times’ Modern Love and beyond. You’ll consider how they work as vehicles to get their stories of love across to the reader.

This week, you’ll identify an ideal form for your love essay.

Assignment: Imagine your essay in at least two different containers. Sketch an outline of what facts each would include.

Week 3. Siren song: Voice

How does the “voice” of a love essay drive it? How does it keep the reader moving along?

This week, you’ll zero in on the voice of your love essay.

Assignment: Write a full draft of your essay. 

Week 4. Workshop, Round One

How can you craft active questions to get the information you need out of a workshop? How can you give effective feedback? This week, we’ll talk strategies for workshopping and begin to workshop your essay.

Assignment: Prepare for second class workshop. 

Week 5. Workshop, Round Two

This week, we’ll finish workshopping essays and talk strategies for revision: how to make the most of the feedback you’ve received; how to come back to the work with fresh eyes; how to keep going when you hit the doldrums.

By the end of the two weeks of workshop, you’ll have a plan for revising your essay and actionable notes to get you to your next draft.

 

$395.00 Original price was: $395.00.$340.00Current price is: $340.00.Enroll Now