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Personal Essay Writing Intensive

  • All levels
  • 18 and older
  • $200
  • 555 8th Ave, New York, NY
  • 7 hours

Start Dates (0)

  • $200
  • 555 8th Ave. @ 555 8th Ave 14th Flr. Ste 1402, New York, NY 10018
  • 7 hours
  • Price includes Registration fee of $25, paid once per term
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this more writing class:

What do you think about X or Y or Z? And how have your life experiences informed your views on these topics? That’s the essence of a personal essay: viewpoints filtered through the lens of your personal experience. Any topic goes, from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Unlike the stiff essays you may have written in school, these should feel personal, imbued with your unique voice and observations. Here you will learn techniques for crafting personal essays and how to market your work.

Whether you seek to write about things major or minor, stimulating or tickling, we’ll show you how to write personal essays that do you proud.

Notes: A personal essay is similar to a memoir; both incorporate elements from the writer’s life. But a personal essay focuses more on the viewpoint, and a memoir focuses more on the story. 

Refund Policy

All Classes (except One-day and Zoom Intensives and Write-Ins):

  • For a refund or credit, contact us three business days or more before your class starts. You can either choose to hold a full credit with us good for one year on other Gotham classes OR you can opt for a refund less a $25 administrative fee and your $25 registration fee ($50 total).
  • If you need to withdraw after your class has started (or two business days before it starts), you won’t receive a refund, but you’re welcome to a Gotham credit less the price of Week 1 and your $25 registration fee, but we need to hear from you three business days or more before Week 2 meets for that to happen. After that point, no credits are available.

One-day and Zoom Intensives:

  • You may reschedule a One-day or Zoom Intensive one time, if you notify us two business days before the class begins. After that first reschedule, there is a $25 rescheduling fee.
  • If you notify us three business days or more before your class begins, rescheduling is free. If you notify us less than three business days before your class begins, there is a $25 rescheduling fee. If you don’t notify us until after your class begins, we cannot reschedule you.
  • You may get a refund (minus a $50 fee) if you notify us three business days or more before your class begins.

Write-Ins:

  • If you withdraw 1 business day or more before it begins, you’re welcome to a full credit good for one year toward another Write-In. No refunds are available.
  • If you simply don’t show up and don’t notify us in advance, you forfeit your money.

A few more things:

  • Credits are valid for one year and cannot be changed into refunds down the road.
  • Simply not attending class or notifying the instructor does not mean you've officially withdrawn.
  • Some exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis for medical emergencies with a doctor's note.
  • Refunds take up to six weeks to process.

Please understand, we can't issue a refund after classes have started, even if you miss your first class. Similarly, we can't offer you a credit one day before your second class or after that. We understand that other obligations get in the way of attending class, but these policies allow us to get other interested writers into class early enough to have a good experience, and this allows us to offer our classes at a reasonable price.

Important Notes:

  • Students are allowed to join a class in the second week.
  • Only those who pay the tuition in full can be guaranteed a place in class.
  • Class dates and times may be subject to change. A substitute may be assigned or make-up classes added to the end of the term.
  • Auditing and the recording of classes are not allowed.
  • For all classes, students receive a record of payment and registration.
  • Gotham reserves the right to remove any student at our discretion.
  • Gotham does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, socioeconomic status, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, or marital status.
  • Our courses are not intended to provide instruction that will result in the student's acquisition of occupational skills.

In any event where a customer wants to cancel their enrollment and is eligible for a full refund, a 5% processing fee will be deducted from the refund amount.

Reviews of Classes at Gotham Writers Workshop (745)

(4.4-star rating across 745 reviews)
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Thomas R. on 1/29/2019
    Good experience. Felt a little behind the rest of the class but I enjoyed listening to experienced writers.
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Larissa U. on 9/17/2017
    Learned a lot and had a great time
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Anonymous review on 8/20/2017
    Too much talking. Not enough writing.
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Jennifer B. on 3/26/2017
    This class was awesome! Well worth the money, as the advice and instruction helped me figure out the path ahead for essay writing and how to refine and improve my work
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Adriana S. on 11/2/2019
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Adreanna L. on 3/2/2019
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Janaki K. on 3/25/2017
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Griselle O. on 2/26/2017
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Angie D. on 7/24/2016
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Euletha D. on 6/24/2016
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by Cynthia A. on 2/24/2015
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Reviewed by . on 1/27/2015
  • Personal Essay Writing Intensive

    Anonymous review on 11/16/2014
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Review Summary by CourseHorse

Students who attended the Personal Essay Writing Intensive had many opinions about their experience. Many were impressed by the quality of their fellow students and feared they didn't compare. Even these students reported that they learned a lot and enjoyed themselves during the class. They found the advice and instruction to be valuable in developing their essay writing skills and gaining clarity on their future path in writing. Overall, the class seemed to have a positive impact on students' writing abilities and provided them with insights on how to refine and improve their work. Quotes: 1. "This class was awesome! Well worth the money, as the advice and instruction helped me figure out the path ahead for essay writing and how to refine and improve my work." 2. "Learned a lot and had a great time." 3. "Felt a little behind the rest of the class but I enjoyed listening to experienced writers."

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Questions & Answers (1)

Get quick answers from CourseHorse and past students.

Question from Alice
Hello, I'm trying to determine if the personal essay or memoir one-day intensive is the better format for me. Let's say I wanted to write a story about job loss after 20+ years at one company. I want to tell the story of what happened, but also reflect on the learnings and themes from that experience. Is it a memoir or personal essay? Thank you!
Answer from Josh S.
Hi Alice, My name is Josh, I work at Gotham Writers Workshop. To answer your question, you'll find some overlap in both classes, but in general, Memoir is a story about your life, told from your point of view. Personal Essay is more outside of your life, but still how you see something through your particular lens. I hope that helps! Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions.
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Gotham Writers Workshop

Gotham Writers Workshop is a creative home in New
York City and Online where writers develop their craft and come together in the
spirit of discovery and fellowship. We’ve been teaching creative writing to
students since 1993.




We believe that everyone has a story to tell.
Indeed, many stories. Keep your...

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Gotham Writers Workshop

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