Ten Tips
from
the Esalen Writing Workshop
(Plus! Grading criteria included!)
1) You can’t get reader invested without concrete physical detail
2) Why are you telling this story? What is the question at the core?
3) Revelation is so important—when you or your character knows something they didn’t know before
a. “Art is about the reveal” (F. S. Fitzgerald to Frances Turnbull at Radcliff)
4) Show us every layer of what’s true:
a. When you bring plot and revelation together, it’s a powerful confluence
i. Act I: true thing
ii. Act II: truer thing
iii. Act III: truest thing (paring down what you and/or your character comes to know)
5) Biggest emotional trajectories are the simplest
6) Voice is the magic superglue that binds your narrative; it’s that resonance, that thing, that effervescence, the deepest reflection of who you are
Finding your voice on the page means your attitude and world view are conveyed through the pacing and rhythm of your words
a. Know where you’re sitting in relation to your reader
i. Write to a specific person
7) A big hindrance to finding your voice is shame: something that needs to be said, that is so shameful, you won’t ever like me . . .
a. Write that thing that’s too dangerous to talk about, that thing that cannot be said…
b. Run towards the shame: the path to truth runs through shame
c. When we say “beautiful,” we mean “true”
d. We become patient when someone is telling the truth
8) Obsessions tell the whole story of our childhood
9) Write about things you can’t get rid of by other means
10) Second guess decisions but not ability
Grading criteria:
· Use of concrete, sensory details
o Employ four of the senses (if not all five)
· Strong sense of setting (using sensory details)
· Use of at least a small amount of dialogue to create a scene
· Use of vivid, clear, directed imagery
· Must have a clear sense of the relationship with the reader
· Must have some sort of conflict—can be with another person, a situation or with yourself
· Must be honest. Personal essays are far more compelling when they reveal a person's flaws, uncertainties, misgivings, insecurities, etc.
· Demonstrate a personal investment in the topic (topic concerns your past or present life in some way)
· Something changes or is revealed in the essay
· Mechanics! As always, it’s crucial to spell words properly, get your grammar right, use words correctly, indent the essay properly, etc.
· 3 pages for personal essay (900-1000 words): NO MORE! (points will be deducted if you exceed the word count)
Reflections on writing:
a. Describe the process of writing this essay: How long did it take you to begin the essay? Did you do several freewrites and then edit or edit as you wrote? Did you write in several chunks or all at once? etc
b. What are you proud of in the essay?
c. What was challenging about writing it?
d. How long did this essay take you to write?
e. What questions do you have for me?
Approx. 1 page reflecting on essay (250-350 words)