Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories author Steve Almond returns with a trifecta of classes to kickstart your writing. Attend all 3 or go ala carte. All sessions will be live and recorded for maximum viewing pleasure.

Enroll for this class.

Obsession Is Your Muse:

All great writing—whether fiction or nonfiction—arises from a writer’s obsessions. In this freewheeling session, we’ll discuss how to share our obsessions on the page, without falling prey to self-absorption or sentiment. We’ll look at the work of masters such as Nora Ephron, Joan Didion, and Samantha Irby, and generate some work in class by confessing to our own obsessions. Check your inhibitions at the door.

Crushing It: Desire Placed in Peril

Why are novels such as The Great Gatsby and Prep and Little Women so enduring? Because the action is propelled by a character who is desperately in love with someone who doesn’t love them back. In this fast-paced session, we’ll explore how this kind of unbridled desire super-charges our stories. And we’ll do a free write that brings the lesson home.

Where Your Story Starts: Doubt & Disequilibrium:

Too often in our lives (off the page and on) we seek refuge in a sense of assurance and psychological stability. But our most intense and lasting experiences generally involve doubt and disequilibrium. What happens when we allow ourselves to return to those lost weeks and months and years? Looking at the work of Lorrie Moore, Cheryl Strayed, Elisa Gonzalez and others, we’ll dig into this troubled terrain, and use a free write to discover what truths we can reveal.

Suggested companion text: Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories (Zando, April 2024)

About the instructor

Steve Almond is the author of twelve books of fiction and non-fiction including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football. His first novel, Which Brings Me to You (co-written with Julianna Baggott) was made into way-better-than-he-expected movie starring Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff. His last novel, All the Secrets of the World, is in development for television by 20th Century Fox. His work has appeared in the Best American Short Stories, the Pushcart Prize, Best American Mysteries, and the NYT Magazine. His most recent book, Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow, is about craft, inspiration, and how to keep going at the keyboard. Almond teaches at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and lives outside Boston with his family and his anxiety.

Almond Joy: A Trio of Classes to Kickstart Your Writing