Hello friends on both coasts and all over the Midwest — I wanted to let you all that I’m launching a nonfiction writing class called Story of My Life, open to students at all levels of experience, from published authors to beginning writers. The dates for the class are June 6, 13, 20, and 27 (every Saturday in June) from 1230 to 230 PM Pacific Standard Time. Email me for details at dwhitescruz@yahoo.com and add you to the registration list. (updated: as of today there is only one spot left. Thanks, everyone, for all the advance interest in this class. I really appreciate it!)
Flannery O’Connor once said, “The fact is that anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.” All of us have enough raw material for a fat book of personal essays and at least a couple of memoirs. But how do we access those stories? How do we shape them? How do we communicate these inner realities with readers we’ve never met? In this class, I will use writing prompts to help you unearth those hidden stories and tell them in powerful ways, finding room for evocative description, humor and dialogue. We will discuss the building blocks of vidid scenes and the power and notorious unreliability of memory, do close readings of masters in this form, from Mary Carr to Mary McCarthy, while considering voice, structure, and the importance of reading our work out loud. There will be timed exercises, workshops, and working deadlines. The class will consist of four two-hour sessions and will be limited to 15 students.The fee for this class is $200. Contact me and let me know if you’re interested! I’ll have a formal sign-up link soon. Cheers, and Happy Writing — Dan