Glamour Presents: How to Tell Your Story

I will define "storytelling" and explain why it is more useful and relevant than ever. I will share some examples of writers who have taken their stories into their own hands and shared them in a compelling way. 

What is the story you find yourself telling and retelling to people in your life?  Your topic for an essay may grow out of a story that you find yourself repeating over and over again. Writing an essay doesn't need to feel like an academic assignment and can be driven by personal reflection. 

Think about the last time you told a great story to a group of eager listeners.  Remember the feeling of striking the right note? In this exercise you will put into writing what the experience felt like. 

Before you get started, you might face some common obstacles.  It is normal to put hurdles between you and your story.  I will share some of the obstacles I face and how I work through them.  

We all have an inner critic.  If left unchecked, this voice will quickly become the loudest in the room.  This lecture will include tactical tips on how to silence this harsh voice. 

Think of the person in your life who always laughs at your jokes or nods encouragingly while you tell a story.  For me, that person was Harriet Marcus.  In this exercise you will visualize and work to understand your audience.  

This lecture will tackle how to narrow down your topic which can sometimes be the most daunting task of writing a personal essay.  In this section, I will introduce a simple three-step process for zeroing in on a subject.  

Before you frame your subject, you need to ask yourself some key questions.  In this lecture, I will provide you with some questions to ask yourself to help you get in the mindset which is the first step in the three step process. 

The second step in framing your subject is to brainstorm what you want to write about.  You will do an exercise to see what resonates and notice if a pattern emerges from what you have written. 

The third step and final step in the process of framing your subject is to use notecards to help organize your written thoughts into ideas and lines of dialogue pertaining to the words you circled in the brainstorming lecture.  

Quick review of what you've learned so far. 

You will learn how Jessica approaches difficult topics and turns them into the subject of her work.  

Jessica will answer three top questions frequently posed to writers. 

This lecture will dig into what we mean when we talk about 'voice' in the spoken sense.  You'll learn to identify qualities of everyday speech/conversation such as volume, tone and cadence/rhythm.  

The voice we put in writing shares many characteristics/qualities of the voice we use every day in casual conversation.  This lecture will discuss how you find your voice and bring it to the page.

In this lecture I will highlight seven of the qualities where spoken voice intersects with written voice including humor, relatability, hyperbole, nostalgia, forcefulness, dialect and specificity. 

Think of a person whose voice you admire. Write a sentence or two about how this person's voice makes you feel.  What is their point of view, and how does it relate to the story you want to tell?

You will learn how J. Courtney developed her voice and she will share tips for cultivating your own. 

J. Courtney will answer three top questions frequently posed to writers. 

In this lecture I will introduce you to the concept of character development.  Even in non-fiction pieces, shaping your character is critical in making your reader curious and invested. 

In this lecture I will share why point of view is an important part of the personal essay and we will explore different points of view you might consider for your own essay.  You will also learn the difference in points of view including first person, second person and third person.  

In this lecture you will learn how to "hear" a character's voice in your head, and how/when you weave dialogue into a personal essay. 

In this exercise you will get acquainted with your main character.

You will hear how Camille got acquainted with Tina Fontana, the main character of her debut novel, which was a fictional creation born as a version of herself. 

Camille will answer three top questions frequently posed to writers. 

In this section you will learn how to create a vivid setting for your reader using tools such as the "show don't tell" or SDT concept that translates into scale, detail and time period.

In this lecture I will share how to use scale and detail to help focus the reader and let them zoom into your setting so they can see, hear and feel the world you are building. 

In this lecture I will share tips and guidelines to help you create an accurate time period in your essay.

This exercise will help you sketch out where your story will take place.