Personal Narrative Essentials: Writing Great Scenes - Remote!

Class Description

The filmmaker Howard Hawks once said, "A good movie is three good scenes and no bad scenes." Substitute "essay" for "movie" and we might have a prescription for how to beef up your writing. In this course, we'll look at great examples of scenes in personal narrative—what I call "live moments"—where things are happening, characters are interacting, stuff is being said, action is going on, and big things change. Learning from master writers like Jaquira Diaz, Michelle Kuo, Cheryl Strayed, and others, you'll see how to shape your scenes so they have a beginning, middle, and end as well as a turning point that ups the drama. We'll also look at how to deftly interweave necessary expository information. During in-class exercises, we'll practice some techniques and write new scintillating scenes you can apply to a current writing project.

Part of The Personal Narrative Essentials series taught by Ethan Gilsdorf. Take every class in the series or simply choose the craft topics that are relevant to the challenges you face in your work. Classes include:

• Personal Narrative Essentials: Writing Great Scenes
• Personal Narrative Essentials: The Close-Up Detail
• Personal Narrative Essentials: Summary & Reflective Voice
• Personal Narrative Essentials: Building Characters

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.