From Ordinary Life to Extraordinary Personal Essay

Note: This is primarily a lecture class with some in-class exercises but not everyone will get to share their writing for feedback due to the seminar format.

Dreaming of publishing your essay in a top newspaper or magazine, but feel your experiences aren’t unique enough? You’re not alone. Most of us have never moonlighted as a pirate or worked for the CIA, but in this 1 Day Online Personal Essay class, 2x NY Times Modern Love Alum Sara Eckel will share her pro insight to help you get your name in print. Through informative craft lectures and fun in-class exercises, you’ll unearth the universal truth in your particular experience, figure out the specific POV that makes your story stand out, and most importantly, impress editors with your ability to make a common experience seem fresh and new. By the end of class, you’ll have a better understanding of the direction in which you want to go, a start to your essay, and some personal essay ninja skills to get you through the draft.

You’ll be well on your way to joining the ranks of the 159 Writing Pad Alums (14 of whom got into the NY Times) who have sold essays and articles with Writing Pad’s help! You can read some of the essays here:

New York Times Modern Love, New York Times Well #1, New York Times Well #2, New York Times Well #3, New York Times Well #4, The New York Times Well #5, New York Times Well #6, New York Times Well #7, New York Times Well #8, New York Times Well #9, New York Times Well #10, The New York Times Well #11, Los Angeles Magazine, New York Magazine, Boston Globe, Brain, Child, Daily Beast, Cosmopolitan, DAME, Elle #1, Elle #2, 5280,Huffington Post #1,Huffington Post #2, Huffington Post #3,LA Times #1, LA Times #2, LA Times #3, LA Times #4, LA Times #5, LA Times #6, LA Times #7, LA Times #8, Marie Claire #1, Marie Claire #2, Men's Journal, Morning News #1, Morning News #2, Narratively, Nerve, Role Reboot, Salon #1, Salon #2, Salon #3, Salon #4, Salon #5, Salon #6, Salon #7, Salon #8, Salon #9, Salon #10, Salon #11, Salon #12, Salon #13, Salon #14, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Self #1, Self #2, The Beauty Bean, Shine, The Date Report, The Smart Set, Vice, Washington Post #1, Washington Post #2, Washington Post #3, Washington Post #4, Washington Post #5, Washington Post #6, Whole Life.