New Creative Essay Class

I have started teaching a class at Minds Academy for 6th to 9th graders called Personal Narratives with Flair. After having been a judge for the Scholastic Art&Writing Awards, I’ve discovered that most essays, whether written for school or a magazine or a contest, are boring. That’s right. Blah, blah, blah. So I’ve developed my own way of conquering the personal essay so that it’s not only exciting to read, it’s exciting to write. Using creative writing techniques, we play with words, content, structure, and theme to make these essays meaningful and clever. No more lists of volunteer activities and academic accomplishments–at least not in the obvious, mind-dulling way. No more this and then that and then this and then that. We delve deep to discover why we are truly writing, how it can benefit the reader and writer, and myriad ways to make it a compelling read. I love this class so much and hope to teach it again and again.