Writers!
Do you like writing personal essays? Are you looking for personal feedback on your essays? Do you want to start producing more essays for submission? If this sounds like something you’d like to explore, we have an online course that’s for you!
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1-2-3 PERSONAL ESSAYS AND WEEKLY FEEDBACK by Kandace Chapple starts on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. For each of the 3 weeks (1-2-3!), you can submit a new essay or re-submit an essay you’ve revised. You might also consider using pieces you’ve already written and use this class for personal feedback and a professional editor’s eye to polish them. At the end of three weeks, you will have at least one completed essay ready to go out on submission.
In today’s newsletter, Kandace Chapple shares her experience with having a very personal essay published, and how she handled her fears about going through with it. She also offers several writing tips to make your own personal essay the best it can be. Check it out below!
Write on!
Marcia & Angela
Classroom Managers
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The fear of having a (very) personal essay published and how to see it through |
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By Kandace Chapple
In September 2018, I squeezed my eyes shut and hit “submit” on one of the saddest essays I’d ever written. And when the editor at Motherwell said “yes” two days later, I felt two things: glee and terror.
I wasn’t sure, suddenly, if I should let that essay see the light of day.
There was only one thing I could do: I had to give myself a talking to. I knew that I had written the truth. And, just as importantly, I had kept the essay in my point of view, framed from my very own eyeballs and heart. Even though not everyone would be happy with my publication credit, I knew that this was still my story to share.
I told the editor YES, I would love to publish it. And I shared what turned out to be a pretty universal experience. I received several emails from women who had gone through something similar. (I got one last week – two years after publication!)
No one in my family said much about that essay; it died a quiet death around here. But inside I knew I had done something special: I had told my story. The people who needed to read it, found it. They were my readers, not necessarily my family.
WRITING TIPS FOR GOING ‘THERE’:
1. Conflict – Don’t Skip the Break-Up
Conflict, you need one! You need some moment of tension. If it’s a personal essay on your mom’s ratty old jacket, it better be hanging off a woman you just met, (haha!!). That squeeze, that’s the moment your readers’ hearts will squeeze too.
Don’t skip over the hard stuff. Yes, you might have to edit or condense because it’s too private. But don’t short-change your readers.
Have you ever watched a movie where there’s a big breakup coming between the man and woman? Next thing you see, she’s packing her bags and telling her best friend they broke up? WHAT! We just followed her through everything, but missed the moment of conflict?
Don’t cheat us! Take us through the big moment. That’s the part your reader will cry with you or cheer for you, but, more importantly, identify with you!
2. POV: Your Eyeballs Only
For my essay in Motherwell, I had to narrow my focus – what can I see with MY eyes? What did MY heart feel? What were MY actions? Ask yourself the same things. That keeps you safely within your POV.
For example, you might want to say “My husband left me.” But consider saying it like this, “I knew it was over on the first night I spent alone.” YOUR eyes and actions, not his actions. I love that slight shift. You’re on safe ground and it’s your story to tell. (And editors are very leery of any accusations or scandals aired in their pages.)
Focus the piece on how YOU felt, healed, survived. It can’t be a revenge story. Instead, be in the driver’s seat. Stay in control of your own story and play the hero, so to speak. This is no one’s story but yours!
3. Come Around Again
Your essay will need to have a “point” – why should your reader care? What are you showing them? It doesn’t have to be anything monumental, but it can’t be a rundown of Mom’s fashion choices either. Often the best way to see if you have a “point” is to make sure your essay has a callback at the end.
Back to my mom’s fashion – I wrote about her clothes (Did readers care at first? Probably not!), but there’s tension (The new woman is wearing them!) and then at the end of my essay, I had an epiphany about those same clothes (I didn’t need her stuff after all, I had my memories.).
Many times in my essays, I find that when I force myself to return to my opening line, a theme will appear… the reason I showed up on the page to start with. The callback is key to making sure you have a theme and not just a story.
And many, many times finding that callback will soften a very personal essay because suddenly, without notice, you reveal the beauty that came from your struggle.
TRY IT!
Select a topic and write about it. Shoot for around 800 words. A regional magazine like Grand Traverse Woman Magazine, for example, likes essays around 600-1000. Chicken Soup likes 1200 words or less. Publications typically list how many words they prefer or you can scan their pages and count out an essay yourself.
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1-2-3: Personal Essays & Weekly Feedback |
Instructor: Kandace Chapple
Workshop dates: Wednesday, September 9, 2020 - Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Duration: 3 Weeks
Location: Private Facebook Group
Feedback: Instructor feedback via email
Cost: $150
Limit: 12 students
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Description: Do you love writing personal essays? Are you looking for personal feedback on your essays? Have you already taken a “how to” class on personal essays and want to start producing more pieces for submission? This class is for you! The value of this class comes with working one-on-one with the instructor on your individual essay(s). For each of the 3 weeks (1-2-3!), you can submit a new essay (600-1,200 words) or re-submit an essay you’ve revised. You might also consider using pieces you’ve already written and use this class for personal feedback and a professional editor’s eye to polish them. At the end of three weeks, you will have at least one completed essay ready to go out on submission. This class is for those who feel comfortable with the personal essay format and want to further improve their writing skills. This class will offer writers growth, a sense of accomplishment... and the most valuable thing of all: accountability to be productive throughout the month!
View the full listing for weekly curriculum and testimonials.
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Kandace Chapple is the editor and publisher of Grand Traverse Woman Magazine, a regional women’s publication in Michigan. She has spent 15 years coaching writers in her publication and helping them polish their personal essays. Her own essays have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Literary Mama, Motherwell and more. She hosts weekly #Friday500 coaching sessions where writers submit 500 words every Friday (or else!). She is also a well-known freelance writer for publications in Michigan, including Traverse Magazine. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Education with a minor in Journalism and a Bachelor’s degree in Business. She loves to mountain bike on Northern Michigan trails, hike with her dog, Cookie, and spend time with her husband and two sons. Visit her at www.kandacechapple.com. |
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Upcoming WOW Classes & Workshops |
Below are some classes and workshops that are starting soon. Click on the links to be taken to a full listing that includes a week-by-week curriculum, testimonials, instructor bio, and more. Keep in mind that most class sizes are limited, so the earlier you register the better.
All the classes operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or group listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--so you do not need to be present at any particular time (unless a phone chat or webinar is scheduled and arranged with your instructor). You can work at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or email us at: classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com. Enjoy! |
Ongoing - Starts Upon Ordering:
Submissions Consultation | Return time: 1 Week | $25 | Submit up to 12 pages (4,500 words) of your writing and receive 5 or more suggestions of where to submit your piece and formatting for each market | Editor: Chelsey Clammer
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Starts the First Tuesday of Every Month (next date: Sept 1):
How to Write a TV Pilot | 4 Weeks | $150 | Location: Email | Feedback: Instructor Feedback | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett
Starts the First Friday of Every Month (next date: Sept 4):
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Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults
Biographies, science, history, how-to, and more. Nonfiction is published in book form, online and in both magazines and e-zines. Not only do teachers and school librarians seek nonfiction for their students, children and teens read it for fun. In this course, you will learn how to organize your material, write and revise not only the manuscript you workshop in class but future projects as well. Led by instructor Sue Bradford Edwards, an author with over 600 sales to her credit and 25 traditionally published nonfiction books for young readers.
4-week workshop with Sue Bradford Edwards
August 3 - August 31
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August 3, 2020
August 5, 2020
August 10, 2020
September 1, 2020
September 2, 2020
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Structuring the Narrative of Your Memoir with Confidence
Memoirs often travel in and out of time. A scene that comes alive in your head might struggle chronologically on the page. Narrative structure is a critical aspect for memoirists to figure out in relation to the sequence of life events so that your readers can follow your progression as a character and understand the storyline. Structuring Your Memoir with Confidence is an intensive hands-on, visually guided five-week class that covers the ins and outs about how to keep track of narrative structure in memoir, so you’ll feel more confident in your narration. By the end of this class, you’ll walk away with a greater understanding of structure in memoir along with a first draft of table of contents and timeline of turning point moments.
5-week workshop with memoirist Dorit Sasson
Sept 2 - Oct 7
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Face Your Fears: Women Writers Anonymous
Face Your Fears II: Women Writers Anonymous is a 6-week online creative nonfiction class in which all of the participants are anonymous (with the exception of the instructor). Students will face the stories and situations in their lives that they swore they would NEVER write about, and then not only write them, but also receive feedback based on craft, not content. Students will read assigned essays to see how authors have written about traumatic/shameful events. By the end of the class, students will have a complete draft of their brave essay, as well as the knowledge and skills to help them revise a personal essay in a more objective way.
6-week workshop with Chelsey Clammer
Sept 14 - Oct 25
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September 1, 2020
September 2, 2020
September 7, 2020
Blogging Made Easy | 4 Weeks | $97 | Location: Email | Feedback: Instructor Feedback | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Karen Cioffi
September 9, 2020
September 14, 2020
Face Your Fears II: Women Writers Anonymous | 4 Weeks | $200 | Location: Private Website | Feedback: Weekly instructor feedback and edits with weekly or bi-weekly peer feedback | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Chelsey Clammer
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Food Writing for Fun and Profit: Blogs, Restaurant Reviews, Recipes, Fiction, Memoir, and More
Famed epicure James Beard once wrote, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” In this five-week course, we will explore the wide and exciting range of food-themed genres. Via the instructional text, Will Write for Food 3rd edition, by Dianne Jacob, students will find inspiration for their own weekly writing assignments. In addition, students will read food writing from some of the top journalists and food bloggers in the industry in Best Food Writing 2017, edited by Holly Hughes. Each week, students will submit a prose assignment based on an exercise from our class text for constructive and supportive instructor feedback. A variety of writing prompts and tips, both in the texts and at the private class group, will be provided. Join us for this cuisine-filled course!
5-week workshop with Melanie Faith
Sept 18 - Oct 23
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Writing Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction: A Study and Workshop
If you’re currently writing or want to write a middle-grade or young adult novel, this is the course for you! Margo has written both, edited tons, taught workshops on how to write these, and shared novels in classrooms and assemblies with kids, too. In this course, you will learn what makes a middle grade or young adult novel successful, how to plot one, how to relate to the audience, and popular novels that kids and teens love. Margo will be referring to popular novels such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Holes, Twilight, Hunger Games, and more. Finally, you will receive a critique on the first two chapters of your novel or up to 20 pages. When you finish this class, you will have a novel plan, understand the genre you are writing and the audience you’re writing for, and have one to two chapters written with feedback.
6-week workshop with Margo L. Dill
Sept 30 - Nov 10
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September 18, 2020
September 30, 2020
October 5, 2020
October 11, 2020
Autofiction I: Exploring Hybrid Writing NEW! | 6 weeks | $185 | Location: weekly Zoom class and email | Feedback: Detailed instructor feedback and critique | Limit: 8-10 students | Instructor: Gila Green
Autofiction II: Workshopping Hybrid Writing NEW! | 6 weeks | $185 | Location: weekly Zoom class and email | Feedback: Detailed instructor feedback and critique, and in-class peer workshopping | Limit: 8-10 students | Instructor: Gila Green
October 12, 2020
October 14, 2020
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Fundamentals of Graphic Novel Creation
Marjane Satrapi, author of the graphic novel series Persepolis, has said: “Graphic novels are not traditional literature, but that does not mean they are second-rate. Images are a way of writing. When you have the talent to be able to write and to draw, it seems a shame to choose one. I think it’s better to do both.” This class will explore the joys of crafting both verbal and pictorial elements to start your own graphic novel as well as tips for 6-pagers and online comics. While we’ll begin doodling our introductory visions for our characters, no previous drawing classes or artistic skills required (you should see how I rock a stick-figure, and keep in mind that some graphic novelists team up with visual artists for their books).
5-week workshop with Melanie Faith
Oct 30 - Nov 27
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The Women Writers' Book Group: It's Okay, You Can Laugh
This month we will be reading Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson and engage in an online discussion about different craft elements of the book, what works and what doesn’t. The book will help to guide our discussions on how we can take a not-so-funny situation or experience (say, mental illness or bad relationships), and approach writing it in a hilarious way. This isn’t to belittle or undercut the challenging aspects of life, but rather to conceive of them differently—something that can bring even more readers to your work! We’ll look at how structure, word choice, organization, and narrative voice can help readers relate to our struggles through a spot-on, call-it-like-it-is, hilarious truth-telling essay.
4-week workshop with Chelsey Clammer
Nov 9 - Dec 6
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October 30, 2020
Fundamentals of Graphic Novel Creation NEW! | 4 Weeks | $155 | Location: Private Facebook Group and Email | Feedback: Instructor feedback and critique on all assignments | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Melanie Faith
November 2, 2020
Blogging Made Easy | 4 Weeks | $97 | Location: Email | Feedback: Instructor Feedback | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Karen Cioffi
November 4, 2020
November 9, 2020
December 2, 2020
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