On Point: Crafting a Short-Form Point of View Piece

“Many people are driven to write by the simple human need to express ourselves,” says instructor David Jacobson. “There may be no better way to meet that need than through the short, pointed burst of intellectual and emotional energy that goes into a newspaper column, op-ed or blog post.”

In this online class, through a mixture of short lectures, readings, discussions, and writing exercises, you will learn how to write a 500-1500 word piece that shares your perspective and stays on point. During class, you will learn how to efficiently brainstorm subjects for your writing, choose a point of view that is personal and powerful, and strategically structure your beginning, middle, and end.

By the end of three weeks, you will take away:

• tools to help you identify, select and reject topics for your future opinion pieces
• tactics for conceiving and outlining your pieces from start to finish
• tips on applying the right voice to a given topic
• tricks for persisting through starts and stops

Our goal is that you leave the class with a draft of a piece that is "On Point." Whether you want your work to appear in your journal or in The Wall Street Journal, David will draw from his four decades of writing with a point of view to help you get to the point and stay on point.

About The Writing Salon's Remote Classes

Due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, The Writing Salon has moved all spring classes to a remote learning format. You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the web. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your home office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.