writing class radio

On today’s episode we’re talking about getting out of our own way when writing a story. The writing process starts with getting the truth on paper. We write about situations or problems we’re dealing with or have dealt with, things we’re still trying to understand or resolve. The goal is getting to the reason we’re writing the story and what the story is really about. Andrea is a huge believer in writing and rewriting. That’s her process. A first draft is usually shit. Then the second draft all the way to the 222 draft, is usually still shit, but those drafts are critical for telling the story well. But with all this writing and rewriting, we can get in our own way. In this episode, you'll hear student Misha Mehrel’s story Bad Breath. Misha brought this piece to class a couple of weeks ago and it needed very little editing. You will hear an interview with Misha about his writing process. Misha was wary of writing about his father’s cancer diagnosis. What he did instead was start by writing about physical problems that had been bothering him. He wrote graphically and intimately about his breath and bowel movements, which served to free him up to write about his dad. To help you, the listener, loosen up, here are two prompt ideas. Body Odor or Menstrual Blood. See where that takes you. Look for past stories by Misha in previous episode (Hurricane Irma) and (Comfort Zone where he told a story about his hairy ass).Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora,  Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, hire her to help your high schooler refine his/her college essay.Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio). You can make writing a daily practice. We have a growing community of listeners who respond to our daily prompts and give feedback to each other. Join the party. Click on Daily Prompts on our website. If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.

On today’s episode we’re talking about mimicking the masters the way you’d imagine a painting class in Paris that goes to the Louvre to practice painting like Leonardo de Vinci. We think it’s worth copying a method that works because we know it worked in the past. Learn the rules before breaking the rules. In this episode, you'll hear stories that mimic the style of Boys, a story by Rick Moody. Andrea took a class at the Miami Writers Institute with Brian Turner, author of the memoir, My Life as a Foreign Country. In an excerpt of his book, Turner mimicked Rick Moody. Our students mimicked Turner mimicking Moody. Nilsa Rivera, Leah Messing and Andrea Askowitz nailed it. This style enabled them to take the listener into their worlds. The stories were written in the third person, but were still extremely intimate and specific. Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora,  Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, hire her to help your high schooler refine his/her college essay.Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio). You can make writing a daily practice. We have a growing community of listeners who respond to our daily prompts and give feedback to each other. Join the party. Click on Daily Prompts on our website. If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.

November is #NaNoWriMo (https://nanowrimo.org/), and we have executive director, Grant Faulkner (http://www.grantfaulkner.com/), on our show.Today we’re talking about novels because we go both ways. And also because storytelling principles are the same when writing fiction or nonfiction. Get inspired and join millions of people around the world who are racing to finish a book this month. Allison’s in the race.Grant is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month and the author of “Pep Talks For Writers. 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo.” Among other things, Faulkner talks about the importance of what you wear when you write, making time to write, and knowing thyself. You’ll hear from students Aaron Curtis and Liz Marquardt and producer Virginia Lora. They responded to one of Grant’s writing tips, You are what you wear. You will also hear from Mike Gonzalez, a student in the class Allison teaches at the Dade Correctional Institution as a facilitator for Exchange for Change (http://www.exchange-for-change.org/).Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio. If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, hire her to help your high schooler refine his/her college essay.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora, Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio). You can make writing a daily practice. We have a growing community of listeners who respond to our daily prompts and give feedback to each other. Join the party. Click on Daily Prompts on our website.If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.Thanks to Matt Cundill from Matt Cundill Voiceovers for reading Mike’s story. If you need a voice (male or female) for your radio project or podcast contact Matt. (http://www.mattcundill.ca/)

On this episode of Writing Class Radio we ask for your support, because producing ain’t free. Please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the donate button. This podcast is equal parts heart (the truth) and art (the craft). This episode was conceived after Hurricane Irma blew through South Florida. The entire state seemed to be preoccupied if not scared to death, leading up to the moment Irma made landfall on September 10, 2017. Afterward, Andrea couldn’t wait to get back to class to write and share hurricane stories. But University of Miami was closed for repair, so she had to wait. In the meantime, she went to Rosh Hashanah services at Beth Am and was so moved by Rabbi Jaime Aklepi’s sermon, she went back a few days later with her recorder. You’ll hear how the rabbi of one of the biggest synagogues in Florida prepares for a sermon and how she prepared for this one, delivered just days after the community went through this traumatic event. She helped her congregation put the storm into perspective by repeating the story her father-in-law told her of being herded away to Siberia by the Russians, when he was 9 years old. His stories came out for the first time in the dark during the storm. Rabbi Aklepi says we are shaped by the stories we share. Stories hold us together as a community. They help us make sense of difficult times and in doing so help us survive. This episode is also a collaboration with The Miami Foundation’s #MyMiamiStories. In this episode, you will hear students Karen Collazo, Misha Mehrel, Allison Langer, and teacher Andrea Askowitz tell their raw, first draft stories in response to the prompt A Hurricane’s Coming, Stay or Go. You’ll also hear from listeners Valerie Vargas and Carol Coombes. Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio. If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, hire her to help your high schooler refine his/her college essay.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora, Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio). You can make writing a daily practice. We have a growing community of listeners who respond to our daily prompts and give feedback to each other. Join the party. Click on Daily Prompts on our website.If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.

This episode of Writing Class Radio is dedicated to everyone who’s dealing with some kind of natural disaster. For us in Florida, the last two weeks have been all consuming and also terrifying. Our hearts go out to those who got hit a lot harder than we did. We love that we have this podcast to come back to and we feel so much love and appreciation for you, our listeners. Thank you for listening.Today’s episode is about character, the things that make you you. We have a special guest, the author, Tiphanie Yanique who’s won tons of awards including the 2016 Bocas Prize in Caribbean Poetry, the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35, a Pushcart Prize, and a Fulbright Scholarship. Tiphanie says character is the most important element in storytelling and lays out the ways character is created including how you look, your past experiences, belief systems, cultural background, religion, and what you inherit from your parents. In order to write well about your character, in a way that’s truly believable, you have to know yourself really well. You will hear student Nicki Post tell a story about her fears regarding what she may or may not inherit from her father. Plus, student Tobi Ash tells a story that reveals how culture and religion informed her character. You’ll also hear quick responses to the prompt: No One Would Ever Marry Me Because... by student Nilsa Rivera and student and producer Virginia Lora. Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio.If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, hire her to help your high schooler refine his/her college essay.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Misha Mehrel, Virginia Lora,  Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio).If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? and enjoy our craft talks. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

In this episode, we go off the rails...a little. We invited our class into Allison’s living room where in addition to writing advice, we gave life advice. Allison believes that the better we know ourselves, the better our writing will be. Andrea was scared shitless. She thought the class would be more like a therapy session. Andrea likes the boundary set up in class. She thinks not being allowed to talk about someone’s life allows everyone to write more freely. She doesn’t want to be judged on her life, only on her writing. Since Allison was making the rules for this class, she allowed the students to comment on the narrator’s life and allowed the narrator to defend herself. Allison threw out the prompt, “good enough” and gave everyone 20 minutes to write. In addition to Andrea and Allison, you will hear a prompt response from student Lis Mesa as well as feedback from producer Virginia Lora and student Viccy Simon. Allison loved the experiment. She loved getting advice and thinks the discussion will help her writing. She loved being able to explain what she meant. And, unlike in class, she got to have the final word. But hearing everyone talk about everyone’s life and blabbing back and forth could become a total shit show in class. Complete chaos...Because, let’s face it, nobody really wants life advice. Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio.If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, hire her to help your high schooler refine his/her college essay.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Misha Mehrel, Virginia Lora,  Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio).If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? and enjoy our craft talks. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

In this episode, you will meet the winner of Writing Class Radio’s spring writing contest. The prompt: Write about something you don’t understand. Andrea suggests that great writing starts with a question. Writing is about figuring out what you don’t understand. It’s a discovery process.Contest winner, Jeana Fleming’s reads her story. After, Andrea and Allison weigh in on why they chose her story and what makes the writing so great. Allison talks about Exchange for Change, an organization based in Miami, Florida that offers writing classes to incarcerated men and women. Allison spends two hours every Wednesday with 16 inmates at the Dade Correctional Institute. She helps them write their true and personal stories. If you’d like to learn more about Exchange for change, head to their website. (https://www.exchange-for-change.org/)Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio.If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, hire her to help your high schooler refine his/her college essay.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora,  Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio).If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? and enjoy our craft talks. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

In this episode, Allison and Andrea are talking about endings. How to end an essay when often the issues we write about are ongoing. Should we know the ending when we begin? Does the end of the essay have to show a change in the narrator? Can we show change or find meaning without distance? Can we leave the reader to interpret the ending or must we bang them over the head with the change? Listen as we answer these questions.We bring you examples of great endings from students Lis Mesa and Aaron Curtis, who worked on their stories in and out of class. Phoebe Scott, a listener in Tennessee and student Viccy Simon share short prompt responses. Andrea comments on what the students did so well in their stories. Both stories end in a scene, which is what Joyce Maynard does in a previous episode. Joyce tells writers to find a landing place that shows change.Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio. If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story, Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! Stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Or, she can help your high schooler refine their college essay.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora, Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio).If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? and enjoy our craft talks. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

In this episode, Allison and Andrea are talking about worlds again because Andrea got so excited by Nilsa’s story in the episode Can You Hear Me if I Can't Hear You? where she brought us into the world of the hearing impaired.In class Andrea had us make a list of the worlds we live in. Then she said, “Pick one and take us into that world.” Allison wrote: single mom, tennis player, online dater, windsurfer, gym rat, health nut, tighty-whitey. Andrea wrote: mom, daughter, younger sibling, gemini, Miamian, bike rider, curly haired person, lesbian, softball lesbian. She tried to get as specific as possible. When she hit on softball lesbian, she decided to explore that world.The first story is by student Viccy Simon who takes us into her world of a minyan, which is a ten person Jewish prayer group. Then Andrea tells her story, Softball Lesbian.Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio. If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story. Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Allison also coaches high schoolers with their college essays.Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora, Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio).If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? and enjoy our craft talks. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

The format for this episode is a little different. Today we’re bringing you a guest teacher, because we think it’s smart to get different perspectives. Joyce Maynard is one of Andrea’s favorite teachers in the world. Joyce has 17 books and has been writing for 50 years. She started when since she was 13. Andrea asked Joyce to read and deconstruct her essay, Letting it Fly which was originally published in 1997 in the New York Times Lives Column. In the interview, Joyce explains what goes into writing a great story and tells us her secrets to making a good essay great. Thank you for listening to Writing Class Radio. If you have a business or a startup and need help telling your story. Andrea will come to your office and teach all your employees how to better articulate why they do what they do. Do it! stories sell. Allison will come to your retreat and help guests write through their shit so they can live free and happier. Writing Class Radio is a podcast where you’ll hear true personal stories and learn a little about how to write your own stories. Writing Class Radio is equal parts heart and art. By heart we mean the truth in a story. By art we mean the craft of writing. No matter what’s going on in our lives, writing class is where we tell the truth. It’s where we work out our shit, and figure out who we are. There’s no place in the world like writing class and we want to bring you in.Writing Class Radio is produced by Virginia Lora,  Allison Langer (www.allisonlanger.com) and Andrea Askowitz (www.andreaaskowitz.com).Visit our musicians page to learn about the talented and generous people who allowed us to use their songs.There’s more writing class on our website(www.writingclassradio.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/writingclassradio/) and Twitter (@wrtgclassradio).If you love the lessons you get on each episode, you can get them ALL in one place--our three-part video series. $20 for one part or $50 for the series. Click on Video Classes on our website.Writing Class Radio is now open to submissions from our listeners. Go to the submissions page on our website for guidelines. We pay!If you want to be a part of the movement that helps people better understand each other through storytelling, please go to writingclassradio.com and hit the DONATE button.There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours? and enjoy our craft talks. There’s no better way to understand ourselves and each other, than by writing and sharing our stories. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?