True Story: Teen Creative Nonfiction happens in either a span of 4 weeks (NYC, Zoom), or 6 weeks (NYC, Zoom, Online). The course includes a mixture of lectures and exercises. It’s open to students age 13-17. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.
They say truth is stranger than fiction…and it’s often more interesting. Especially if you can translate that truth into fascinating pieces by learning the craft that goes into creative nonfiction.
Here you will gain an introduction to six major forms of creative nonfiction— memoir, personal essay, feature articles, profiles, reviews, and college essays. You’ll learn what they are and how to create them. Each class is taught by a teacher adept at helping young writers discover and develop their unique voices.
Better writers produce stronger college applications, and an extracurricular writing class is an impressive addition to any profile. When you know how to express yourself well with words, you’ve got a special power.
Note:
- For NYC and Zoom, this course is offered as a 6-week class (with 3-hour sessions), and also as a 4-week class in the summer (with two 2-hour sessions per week).
This course lets you explore types of creative nonfiction, and the techniques that go with them.
Course components:
- Lectures
- Writing exercises
Online classes
- Week 1
- Memoir: An aspect of life. Mining your memory. Telling a real-life story.
- Week 2
- Personal Essay: Any topic goes. Make it personal and universal. Shape and voice.
- Week 3
- Feature Articles: Telling a journalistic story. Feature structure. Feature ingredients.
- Week 4
- Profiles: Selecting someone to write about. Interviewing. Capturing a person on the page.
- Week 5
- Reviews: Purpose of a review. Facts and opinion. Playing to your audience.
- Week 6
- College Essays: Finding a fresh topic. Telling a good story. Enticers—opening, details, scenes.
Note: Content may vary among individual classes.
About
- The Online classes bring students from all over the globe to Gotham—New York City’s most famous writing school.
- The Online classes happen asynchronously—not in “real time.” You can participate in class any time, day or night, but the classes advance week-by-week, and certain things should be accomplished within that week-long session.
- You can take an Online writing class from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. The majority of our Online students are located in the U.S. but we also draw students from practically every country in the world.
- Tech support will be available.
- Aside from the convenience of time and location, you have a record of everything that transpires in class, which you can print out and keep for future reference. (The material is text and image, not video.)
