Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025

Live Seminar Via Zoom 7PM - 9PM Central 

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Led by Antonio Ruiz-Camacho, a National Magazine Award finalist. His debut story collection Barefoot Dogs won the Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction, and was named a Best Book by Kirkus Reviews, San Francisco Chronicle, Texas Observer and PRI's The World. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, Texas Monthly, The Millions, and elsewhere.

Want to learn how to turn your true-life experiences or observations into stories?

Writers are often asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” The answer is usually some version of this: “All around me.”

We draw upon current events, personal memories, family anecdotes, and weird news from all sorts of media for our storytelling material. It’s an impulse that comes naturally to hear a story on the news and think, “I should write about that.”

The best writers know how to turn those random, unexpected pieces of inspiration into fully developed essays, stories, and novels. This class will teach students to observe reality with the eyes of a journalist and the imagination of a fiction writer in order to translate facts and events into riveting stories in any genre.

Students will be sent several published pieces to read before the class and should bring them with them. The goal of the seminar is to take facts, details, and anecdotes and learn how to turn them into fully-realized stories.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF:

• You're writing fiction or nonfiction in any genre.
• You're starting a new project
• You're finding the factual constraints of your potential story too limiting.

PRAISE FOR ANTONIO: 

"The How to Conceive & Structure Personal Essays seminar with Antonio Ruiz Camacho exceeded my expectations. Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to expect because it was my first class with you all, but Antonio's class was so interesting and informative! He covered everything and more about personal essays in his presentation and focused on details and provided great examples in the assigned readings. So far, I'm very impressed with Writing Workshops!" -former student

"Antonio is a great instructor. I signed up for How to Conceive and Structure Personal Essays and it did not disappoint. He very clearly made the point about the details in the narrative expressing the experience. His example readings were great. For a short course, it was excellent." -former student

"How to Conceive & Structure Personal Essays with Antonio Ruiz-Camacho exceeded my expectations. I am currently working on putting together a collection of personal essays that I hope to be published either in book form, or as individual submissions to various print magazines and e-zines. Most valuable #1: I enjoyed the personal essays that were assigned for aloud reading (and I really enjoy reading "out loud" as we used to call it when I was a child). Those assigned essays served as appropriate examples of the gist of Camacho's presentation. Most valuable #2: I particularly found Camacho's explanation of what makes a personal essay unique exactly the motivation I need to want to write personal essays in the first place. Mr. Camacho spoke of intimacy, confession, vulnerability. I think I did say that I was toying with the idea of naming my collection Very Personal, Personal Essays. Mr. Camacho covered what I need to know as a novice when it comes to conception and structure of the personal essay, and I can always conduct independent research as it relates to crafting significant personal essays of my own, moving forward." -former student

"Everything about this seminar with Antonio was great. He was very organized and was very knowledgeable. Highly recommend." -former student

"Antonio's expert advice on framing and structuring personal essays will make my writing more engaging and impactful, unlocking a new level of creativity for me." -former student

"Antonio Ruiz-Camacho's seminar on personal essays was transformative. His insights into combining journalistic methods with narrative storytelling will help me turn my life experiences into compelling essays. The detailed guidance on structure and fact-checking was invaluable, making this class an essential resource for any aspiring essayist." -former student

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025, from 7 - 9PM Central

• Antonio Ruiz-Camacho | Live via Zoom

• Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025

• Meeting on Zoom from 7PM - 9PM Central

• Tuition is $75 USD.