Learn to write from your own personal writing mentor
Learn How To:
- 1. Find your voice.
- 2. Tell the stories of your life.
- 3. Make your characters relatable.
- 4. Express yourself authentically.
- 5. Get inspired and get started writing.
“A revelation.”
“One of the top three creative writing classes I have ever taken—and the other two were full semesters’ worth. I’d definitely take any creative writing class or workshop by Jay. His class could easily turn into a TED Talk. He’s a great teacher because his delivery is flawless. He engages the entire class and remembers everyone’s name… devil is in the details.” —Rob Luciano
Are you ready to meet your audience?
Telling your story is the first step. Good storytelling is the secret to connecting with your audience, whether you’re writing a story or memoir, chronicling your dating adventures, performing on stage at The Moth, giving a TED talk, or preparing a bio for your blog.
We’ll teach you:
- how to tap into your truth, find your voice, and tell your story
- the importance of giving your characters desire—even if the character is you and you’re just writing your bio or giving a presentation
- how to create drama, tension, and conflict
- how to build a plot using the principles of story structure
- how to use suspense, surprise, and humor to hook your readers or audience
- how to express yourself and your personality in an honest, authentic way that will connect with your audience
This class is fun and interactive, balancing classroom instruction with creativity exercises to help you get inspired and start writing. The principles of storytelling are universal, and this class draws on examples not only from the great writers, but also from filmmakers like Woody Allen, Quentin Tarantino, and Alfred Hitchcock, writers like David Mamet, Kurt Vonnegut, and David Sedaris, and stories from The Moth and This American Life.
Sign up now.
Sign up now.
Official selection of:
Learn from the passionate experts behind our world’s most iconic brands and our community’s most influential small businesses. The HowAboutWe school showcases fun classes that make for great dates.
Proud supporter of:
 | True Stories Told Live |
The New York Writers’ Intensive is proud to donate a portion of all proceeds to our two favorite literary nonprofits, The Moth and The New York Public Library.
What our students are saying
“This class was a revelation. Jay led us through the intricacies and nuances of good storytelling and gave us concrete, actionable ways to work on our own writing. A well-structured curriculum and excellent leadership.” —Eric Pan
“Jay was extremely well-versed and presented the class in a fun way. He definitely met my expectations about what I wanted to get out of the course, which was how to write a good story and find a way to engage readers. Jay was very encouraging and understanding of the goals of everyone involved and made it an inclusive atmosphere.” —Matthew Marin
“Jay was very personable, curious, and engaged with all the members. He asked great questions, was funny and inspiring at the same time. I highly recommend the class.” —Patricia Hunter
“Great use of visuals, audio, and questions to help folks learn about what makes a good story. Engaging with folks in the crowd to help make the lessons more tangible. He has a done a great job distilling what makes good storytelling.” —Hiren Patel
“This class was very well-prepared, the presentation delivered with humor and insight. I enjoyed thinking about story (across genres) in a new way, and walked away with several revelations which apply to my writing life, as well as to life in general. Loved the conversational style. I highly recommend Jay’s workshop!” —Jeanine Nicole
“This workshop was absolutely fantastic. Jay was extremely knowledgable of the components of good storytelling, and along with great media usage he helped connect his students to what truly pulls a reader into a story. Highly recommended!” —Daniel Ali
“Jay’s class is the perfect place to workshop an essay, short story, screenplay, or anything in between. You can’t leave this class without learning at least one new thing about writing, regardless of your writing background or how long you’ve been pushing the pen. Jay pulls in lessons from movies, novels, and poems. I came out of Jay’s class with a creative energy that is rare in my day-to-day. I highly recommend Jay’s class for aspiring storytellers of all types!” —Erica Swallow
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