This class is the chance to create your personal essay or extend into a full memoir -- from planning and structure to bold narrative brushstrokes to the layering of significant detail. You will develop the opportunity to find your voice and see it come alive, amplified and improved, on the page. This is the chance to tell your story in a way that invites readers in; your story, written to be read. The memoir and personal essay are two of the best-selling and most universally acclaimed genres in the world of modern creative writing. Welcome to your story.
This course is part of the Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself Specialization
Writing a Personal Essay
Offered By
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
13 hours to complete
How to Begin... and How to Continue
In this week, you will learn how to discover what you wish to say, and how to organize your material and your story (and what is the difference between the two).
5 videos (Total 41 min), 1 quiz
5 videos
Five Nouns9m
Open the Window6m
Foibles, Fallibilities, and Flaws6m
A Conversation with Said Sayrafiezadeh11m
Week
23 hours to complete
How Not to Fail
In this week you lean how to overcome your internal critic and your fears.
5 videos (Total 39 min), 1 quiz
5 videos
Out of the Ditch5m
Building As You Go6m
A Little Distance5m
A Conversation with Dani Shapiro12m
Week
32 hours to complete
The Truth of the Story Lies in the Details
In this week, you will learn how to sift through the dusty attic of all your memories, to find the ones that are narrative gold.
4 videos (Total 29 min), 1 quiz
4 videos
What Are Facts For?5m
In the Story5m
A Conversation with Chandra Prasad11m
Week
43 hours to complete
Writing to be Read
In this week, you will learn how to tell a good sentence from a bad one and how to absorb the lessons of great memoirists and essayist, without copying anyone.
5 videos (Total 41 min), 1 quiz
5 videos
Drowning in Rhinestones6m
White Space7m
A Conversation with Ariel Levy12m
Building the House8m
4.3
5 ReviewsTop reviews from Writing a Personal Essay
Amy Bloom has a wealth of information to share and she leads the learner through complex ideas with ease.
Instructor
Amy Bloom
Distinguished University Writer in Residence and Director of the Shapiro Center for Creative WritingAbout Wesleyan University
At Wesleyan, distinguished scholar-teachers work closely with students, taking advantage of fluidity among disciplines to explore the world with a variety of tools. The university seeks to build a diverse, energetic community of students, faculty, and staff who think critically and creatively and who value independence of mind and generosity of spirit.
About the Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself Specialization
How To Write About Yourself...so that someone else wants to read it! This is the heart of this Coursera specialization in Memoir and Personal Essay. Masters of both genres share tips, prompts, exercises, readings and challenges to help every writer imagine, construct and write compelling pieces of non-fiction's most popular form: the personal narrative.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
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