"So I spent this money instead of taking a trip to Wrestlemania. It was well worth it. It was def. the best thing I’ll have done all year. I made Chelsea Martin laugh. That’s like the coolest thing. I’m very sad now that it’s over. I had some very genuine and joyous experiences that took me out of the mundane and trivial aspects of my normal life.” - former Catapult student
This six week 1-on-1 coaching course is for writers of all stages working on memoir or personal essays.
Each of the last four weeks, writers will submit up to ten pages for instructor review, which will be discussed in 1-on-1 conferences held in the Salon. Writers will work independently on craft lessons geared toward developing nuanced characters. They'll also read examples of nonfiction that treat characters with compassion, honesty, and frankness, and Chelsea will help them develop ways to bring these qualities into their own writing. As this is a private coaching class, specific writing goals can be accommodated and developed in collaboration with the instructor.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- a broader understanding of how to create nuanced and relatable characters
- various ways of approaching a true story
- empowerment to take on difficult personal subject matter
Weekly Craft Schedule:
Week 1: Introductions, the ethics of writing nonfiction, interpreting truth
Week 2: Reflecting on past selves, perspective choices
Week 3: Creating nuanced characters
Week 4: Humor & voice
Week 5: Recalling dialogue
Week 6: Character arcs
“CACA DOLCE explores the discomfort, melancholia and absurdity of taking up space in the world when we aren't sure if we really deserve it. Deeply human―it's a lonely book that made me feel less alone.”
“Chelsea Martin is one of the best American writers alive. Savage and sharp, tender and hilarious, Martin’s CACA DOLCE is a book like she’s never written before. She’s given us poetry, prose, novels, and comics. Now she’s given us a perfect personal essay collection as well. You'll only think one thing after reading it. Chelsea Martin can do anything.”
“These essays provide a portrait of one narrator’s search for identity through a complexity of stories that offer a door into adolescent confusion, pain, amusement, and awkwardness . . . CACA DOLCE provides a journey into Martin’s personal experience, allowing empathy toward the years we all take to find ourselves while navigating through awkward terrain.”
“Martin’s honest writing exists above the confines of fear and social norms. She is . . . a breath of pure oxygen in a literary environment that often shies away from female grit . . . her writing is sweaty, uncomfortable, and enchanting . . . She taps into the consciousness of her past selves with precision and care, respecting the integrity and desires of those younger women. A sure hit for fans of Sara Benincasa’s AGORAFABULOUS! and Lena Dunham’s NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL.”