Narrative Arc in the Personal Essay

INSTRUCTOR: Rebecca Spears

TIME: Saturday, April 1, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CST/CDT

PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, March 26. After Sunday, March 26: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.

LOCATION: Online via Zoom

LEVEL: All Levels

CAP: 15

When we as writers have a story to tell or an idea we want to write about, an important question is, how do we get readers to follow our lead? How do we guide them through the story and arrive at the end, satisfied? Considering these questions, it is essential to shape your narrative with a fitting structure that creates forward movement. A story or essay with a satisfying narrative arc will indeed get you and your readers to the “somewhere” you have imagined.

The elements of telling a good story apply not just to fiction, but to nonfiction as well. In Crafting the Personal Essay, essayist Dinty Moore discusses the challenge of writing nonfiction: that while it allows a “wonderful freedom” to follow your curiosity, the writer must figure out how “to ensure coherent movement and interest to the reader.”

In this 3-hour workshop, we will look at the shape of successful essays and examine the narrative arc as distinct from chronology and plot. You will also have opportunities to practice ways to stay true to the trajectory you wish to establish. This includes mapping your narrative to create a beginning, middle, and end that “fit.”