Writing The Personal Essay

23 Union St,Blue Hill ME 04614

22 October, 2022

Description

Every so often, a personal essay just writes itself. A word, an observation or line of thinking presents itself and simply needs to be followed and taken down. That’s a good day in the writing shed, but sometimes we need to drum up inspiration. Often an object--a photograph, a place, a painting, an event, a quote, a passage we've read, a bear--lies at the core of the evolving theme and a whole thread of association or observation follows. With the personal essay, you can even write about writer’s block—the lack of an idea becomes the idea itself! In this workshop, we'll explore the objects, lines, and titles that get an essay started, what makes an essay personal, and how to follow that idea where it needs to go. Todd R. Nelson is a former educator who has worked in schools in five states, including Union 93. He has lived on the Blue Hill peninsula since 1998—not far from the “headwaters” of his Colby ancestors. His writing has appeared in Maine and national publications including, Taproot, The Christian Science Monitor, Bangor Daily News, Portland Press Herald, The Ellsworth American and Maine Public Radio. His book of personal essays, Cold Spell, has just been published by Down East Books.