Learn to weave observations and anecdotes into a story greater than the sum of its parts!
A braided essay weaves together several seemingly disparate moments to create one entertaining and resonant piece. The essay’s true subject is revealed as you alternate topics with varying degrees of tension. You may be watching your father build a fence, planning a birthday party for your son, remembering the last day of your mother’s life, and by the end of the essay the reader will see how each of these events is linked, how these 3 separate stories are, in reality, one. If you can write a braided essay, you can write a novel. Using published examples, we will make this technique our own.
Live video conference: This workshop will be held via our online video conferencing platform, Zoom. You can view brief tutorials on using the platform here. On the start date or the day before, participants will receive an email with login info (please check your spam if you don’t see it).
In this workshop you’ll learn how to:
- Weave multiple storylines
- Identify your subject
- Create and hold tension
- Recognize metaphor
- Use recurrence for effect
Time requirements
- No time required outside of class.
Materials
- No additional materials required.
Who should take this workshop?
- This workshop is ideal for those who want a new technique for writing personal essays.
If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.
