Writing for Magazines: A Three-Part Intensive with Jane Ratcliffe

​Session I: Writing the Essay (Saturday, Jun 13, 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM EDT)

​Learn to generate and structure essays that resonate by exploring how to turn lived experience into story. We will focus specifically on the science of scenes—how to create scenes that connect your narrative and the essay's underlying interests.

​Session II: Revising the Essay (Saturday, Jul 11, 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM EDT)

We will discuss how to revise with a focus on writing the connective tissue that connects your scenes. Discover the tools seasoned writers use to elevate their drafts. You’ll learn how to locate the essay’s true question, cut what dulls it, and heighten what carries voltage, revising the essay to its highest standard.

​Session III: Pitching the Essay (Saturday, Aug 15, 12:00 PM - 02:00 PM EDT)

​Turn your finished piece into a published one. We’ll walk through crafting pitches that catch editors’ attention, selecting the right publications, and navigating the submission process with clarity and confidence. The majority of the session will be dedicated to generating and sharing a pitch for feedback.

​IF YOU DO YOUR PART, you will leave these three sessions with:

• ​A completed and revised essay ready for submission

• ​A tailored pitch to send to editors

• ​A repeatable framework for writing publishable essays

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Jane Ratcliffe’s short stories have appeared in New England Review, The Sun, Michigan Quarterly Review, NER Digital, Literary Orphans, The Intima, ROAR, and Knee-Jerk Magazine. “You Can’t Be Too Careful” was selected as a Best American Short Stories Notables 2013.

​Her non-fiction work has appeared in numerous magazines and websites including O, The Oprah Magazine, Narratively, Vogue, The Huffington Post, Guernica, The Rumpus, The Manifest-Station, Tricycle, ROAR, The Detroit News, Teen People, Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, and Hour Detroit.