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In this course, on Tips to Writing Stories About Ourselves creative nonfiction writers will explore traditional storytelling methods, especially those which overlap between fiction and memoir.
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About this Course
By looking at examples from a wide range of genres, including film, song, painting—even the theme music for Jaws!—we’ll practice exercising the creative muscle that sees ourselves as characters and the experiences we’ve had as tales in Tips to Writing Stories About Ourselves.
We’ll focus on critical elements, like how to begin a story, what makes for worthy content, the essential use of detail, the strengths and limits of dialogue, the power of the white space. The ultimate goal is for us to become aware of an “audience” when we write, so that the documentation of our lives will begin to resemble a “performance” crafted onto paper rather than a private entry in a journal.
Syllabus
WEEK 1
2 hours to complete
Tips to Writing Stories About Ourselves: What Can We Learn From Fiction?
In this week, we’ll learn what sorts of techniques we can borrow from fiction and how to overlay them onto our personal stories.
5 videos (Total 37 min)
WEEK 2
2 hours to complete
Tips to Writing Stories About Ourselves: Train Your Eye Like a Filmmaker
In this week, we’ll learn how to create powerful scenes and vivid details by seeing precisely what we’ve put on the page—and what we haven’t.
5 videos (Total 38 min)
WEEK 3
3 hours to complete
Tips to Writing Stories About Ourselves: Opening the Story
In this week, we’ll learn how to open and frame a story by examining the efficacy of various first lines.
4 videos (Total 20 min)
WEEK 4
3 hours to complete
Tips to Writing Stories About Ourselves: The Joys and Pitfalls of Dialogue
In this week, we’ll learn when and where to use dialogue, and what makes for the best soundbites.
5 videos (Total 25 min)
