Class Title: Secrets of Personal Essay Writing Instructor: Giulietta (Julie) Nardone Class Term: We are not accepting any more enrollments for Giulietta's class; the class has started. Synopsis "You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke." —Arthur Polotnik Do you long to reveal your stories, the ones that burn deep inside? Do you want to make sense out of your life's stranger-than-fiction moments? Do you have the courage to share your words with others? Yes? Then consider exploring your stories through Secrets of Personal Essay Writing. Class Description In this five-week writing journey, you will be encouraged to see yourself as a writer, mine your life for juicy stories, develop your writer's voice, quiet the inner critic, get in touch with the universal truth that touches the souls of others, and rewrite your story to make it clear to yourself and others. At the end of the class, students will be able to craft a personal essay they can submit to non-paying or paying markets. Class instructions will be delivered via Yahoo Group and emails. The instructor comments extensively on each student's weekly writing submission. The stories are posted on the site and sent to all students via Yahoo's automatic email process. Students will see and be able to comment on each other's work. The instructor encourages student commenting. She provides links to relevant essays and a list of books. All reading is optional. Outline Unit One: Understanding the personal essay. Unit Two: Mining for juicy stories. Unit Three: Developing the inner writing voice. Unit Four: Discovering the universal truth. Unit Five: Rewriting stories. Student Skills, Equipment, and Time Required All writing levels welcomed. No matter how much writing you've done, you can provide other writers with valuable insights. Students will need access to a word processing program for the writing assignments as well as access to the Internet and an e-mail address. The time spent on each writing assignment will vary from student to student. On average, students spend 1 to 2 hours per assignment. Reading assignments are encouraged but optional. Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $160. Non-SCN members: $200. Instructor Bio Giulietta (Julie) Nardone's stories have been published in Flashquake, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, Skirt! Magazine, Underwired Magazine, The MetroWest Daily News, Common Ties, and on NPR via WGBH. She describes herself as an "inspirational rebel" whose transformative life shops enable middle-agers to take back their power, their lives, and their selves. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts, with her husband, five pinball machines, and two playful cats. Visit her website. Praise for Giulietta's Classes Giulietta Nardone's comments were insightful, in depth, specific, and very helpful. The materials and additional readings were closely related to the topic, illustrative, and helpful. Definitely an easy and enjoyable way to go deeper in developing essay writing content and technique...The class was much better than online classes I have taken from a large, reputable, local community college. —Carol N., Leawood KS Very insightful and caring personality. Giulietta Nardone put a great deal of time and thought into her comments and suggestions. Found her to be helpful and encouraging. —Anne R., Berlin MA