NY Times Worthy Personal Essay

with Laura Cathcart Robbins

Online
Jan 13, Jan 20, Jan 27, Feb 3, Feb 10 (5 Tuesday Afternoons)
5:30pm – 8:30pm Pacific
$475
Limited Spots

Getting an essay in the New York Times is the crown jewel of personal essays in terms of bragging rights and future book deals. In this 5 week NY Times worthy personal essay class, Laura Cathcart Robbins (Real Simple & Elle Best Book, Modern Love) will share her insight into securing this prestigious but elusive prize. Through fun, in class exercises, an informative craft talk, and in-class feedback, you will learn Laura’s secret techniques for approaching this essay, including the unspoken expectations of the format, a compelling romantic hook and a crystal clear theme. By the end of the class you will have everything you need to craft your own New York Times Essay, and send it off to the Big Apple!

In this class you’ll write an essay worthy of the NY Times Modern Love or other essay columns. We’ll workshop one of your essays until it’s perfect. By the end of class, you’ll have a kick-ass essay that is ready to be submitted for publication and a plan of where to submit it. Your goal will be to sell your essay within a couple of weeks after the class ends! You’ll be well on your way to joining the ranks of the 883 Writing Pad Alums (53 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 #1,New York Times Modern Love #2, New York Times Modern Love #3,New York Times Modern Love #4, New York Times Modern Love #5, New York Times Modern Love #6, NY Times Well # 1, NY Times Well # 2,  New York Times Well #3, New York Times Well #4, 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, New York Times Well #11, New York Times Well #12, New York Times Well #13, NY Times Style, Los Angeles Magazine, New York Magazine, Bon Appetit, Boston Globe, Brain, Child, Daily Beast, Cosmopolitan, DAME, Elle #1, Elle #2, Elle #3, 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,The Lily #1 (Washington Post), The Lily #2 (Washington Post), 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, Teen Vogue,  The Beauty Bean, Shine, The Date Report, The Smart Set, Vice, Vogue #1, Vogue #2, Vogue #3, Washington Post #1, Washington Post #2, Washington Post #3, Washington Post #4, Washington Post #5, Washington Post #6, Washington Post #7, Whole Life, Wired.        .

Lapses, Flashes, and Fragments: How to Write Through Challenging Memories

with Laura Cathcart Robbins

Length: 6 weeks
Open to All
Text and Live Video

Biweekly Zoom sessions
Thursdays from 8-10 PM Eastern

$445.00 Original price was: $445.00.
$380.00

Are you ready to develop your difficult life experiences into a compelling memoir that resonates with readers?

This course is for writers who want to explore life’s trying chapters, and learn to shape these transformative moments into story. Whether you’re just starting to write or have pages waiting to be refined, this course will guide you in finding how best to tell your story with power and authenticity.

Over the course of our time together, you’ll delve into challenging moments from your life experience—without re-traumatizing yourself!—and I’ll guide you through uncovering and highlighting the key moments for your story. Through weekly in-depth craft lessons, you’ll gain tangible writing techniques to elevate your prose. We’ll cover everything from building emotional resonance to structuring scenes that captivate, helping you navigate sensitive or traumatic content thoughtfully and effectively.

Throughout the course, we’ll also discuss sustainable habits and strategies to build and maintain a steady writing practice, which is crucial for tackling emotionally charged material. For inspiration and motivation, we’ll read excerpts from a range of memoirs, exploring how celebrated authors have transformed personal challenges into powerful literature.

By the end of the course, you’ll have an outline and a draft of one to two chapters, a deeper understanding of memoir writing, and the confidence to keep developing your story. Whether your goal is to write for personal growth, or to publish a memoir that touches others, you’ll gain the skills and support you need to bring your vision to life.

I’ll give you and your peers weekly feedback on your work, and you will also have optional biweekly one-to-one Zoom “coffee chats” with me.

Who This Course is For

This course is for anyone with a powerful story to tell, but who may feel unsure about where to begin or how to continue. If you’re struggling to identify the most compelling parts of your memoir, or if fear and fragmented memories are holding you back from writing, you’ll find the guidance and support you need in this course.

Writers of all experience levels are welcome—from complete beginners to those ready to deepen their craft. No matter where you are on your memoir-writing journey, this course will help you gain clarity, confidence, and the tools to bring your story to life.

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals

In this course, you’ll learn to:

• Write memoir  scenes and chapters that include friends and family with sensitivity. 
• Claim the stories that are yours to tell. 
• Live like a writer—creating schedules and setting boundaries.
• Write about trauma without re-traumatizing yourself.
• Find an agent that’s right for you.

Writing Goals

In this course, you will:

• Write and submit up to 1000 words per week for feedback and direction.
• Draft and refine a compelling opening paragraph and first chapters. 
• Create a memoir outline.

Zoom Schedule

The class will meet every on Thursdays from 5-7pm PM Pacific.  I will also be available for a 15-minute one-on-one “Coffee Chat” (by appointment) between classes from 8-11 PM Eastern on Thursdays.

Weekly Syllabus

Over the next 6 weeks, we will cover a lot of ground, but I’ll break up the course into easy-to-digest lessons that should take between 30-60 minutes each week to complete.

I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed, I want you to get what you came for and a little extra. Trust me, we’re going to take it slow and I’ll be guiding you the entire way. 

What you get out of this course depends entirely on how much work you put into it. There will be writing prompts, readings, writing assignments, course chats, and discussions. I highly recommend that you participate as often as you can.