The Art of the Essay

Describe, Persuade, Research, Reflect, Analyze, & Assess.

Eight Units. Eight Awesome Essays.

The Art of the Essay is an eight unit course designed as an introduction and practice of writing powerful essays for multiple purposes in multiple genres, including: descriptive essays, narrative essays, persuasive essays, literary analysis essays, research essays, reflective essays, expository essays, SAT and Common App essays, video essays, podcast essays and compare and contrast essays.

Students are guided by an experienced teacher and published author towards writing compelling and clearly articulated essays through the use of guided rubrics, how to videos, and feedback and assessments on at least eight fully-formed essays.  Each student is also given a Crafted Word blog to practice daily journaling to help develop narrative fluency and confidence as a writer–as well as to “flesh out” ideas, reflect on thoughts and experiences, and to journal freely and explore, engage and experience the deliberate life of a true writer.

The course is hosted on a modern Learning Management System that is easy to access and allows for interactive feedback, sharing of documents and uploading of completed essays.

Sounds boring. I hate essay writing…

• Ah, that’s the paradox. Most students who are reluctant essay writers simply have not been given the tools and instruction he or she needs to write with confidence. The Art of the Essay is designed to help a tentative writer gain the confidence and skills to approach any essay prompt or assignment that he or she is writing a compelling and insightful essay that is unified in theme, logically structured and which flows with a compelling literary style.

But I’m so busy already…

• To that I can only say that it is better to busy now than be busy later–especially during those crunch times during the school year when writing an essay is only one of several competing projects and projects. All of my students will attest that what once seemed daunting is now not only doable, but actually fun and rewarding. They know and understand what it takes, how much time it takes, and how to write any essay. And that is a timesaver in and of itself!

What is this “video essay” thing…

• It is the coolest “thing” ever! We live in a multi-media world where the bounds and form of crafted words are almost limitless. In my teaching, I require that all written essays also be recreated as a podcast or as video to share with others–and it is easier to do than you might imagine, and it gives you and your audience a way to see, hear, and feel your words in a new and powerful way, and all of it can be created with a few simple tools on your computer, laptop, tablet or even just your phone!

What happens to all of these essays…

• Upon completion of the course, I will collate all of your essays into a beautiful ebook portfolio that you can use and share freely in whatever way you need or desire. Many of my students use these portfolios when applying to schools, looking for jobs or responding to assignments.

Can I try it before spending so much money…

• The cost for a single unit is $125.00, and you are welcome to give it a try to see how it works for you. I am confident that you will feel The Art of the Essay is a pretty good deal and money well spent–especially compared to the cost of hiring a private tutor.

But I like my private tutor…

• Then by all means, work your way through the course with the help of your tutor–or you can use our private tutoring services in your home or mine–or, if you live in some far flung part of the world, we can arrange FaceTime conferences to give you all the help you need.

Questions: simply contact me or give me a call: 978-793-1553, and I can answer any questions you might have.