David Sedaris
Teaches Storytelling and Humor
NYT–bestselling author David Sedaris teaches you how to turn everyday moments into seriously funny stories that connect with audiences.
- Full Access to all Courses
- Watch on your computer and Phone
- Bonus classes guides & content
- Share with your household (3 Devices)
- Full Access to all Courses
- Bonus classes guides & content
- Watch on your computer and Phone
- Share with your household (3 Devices)
Limited Time Offer
2k+ Students
David Sedaris’ Secrets to Crafting Comedic Stories
Learn the art of transforming ordinary experiences into hilariously engaging stories with David Sedaris, the New York Times bestselling author and renowned humorist, in his MasterClass on writing and humor. As your instructor, David begins by sharing his perspective on what it takes to be a writer, emphasizing how even bad experiences can be a source of humor and how everyone’s life is a treasure trove of writable moments. He delves into the importance of writing every day, clarifying the distinction between writing and publishing, and reassuring aspiring writers about the attainability of a writing career. David’s approach to storytelling is heartfelt and humorous, offering insights into how to capture life’s moments with wit and turn them into stories that resonate with audiences. This MasterClass isn’t just about writing; it’s a journey into the craft of humor and the joys of turning the mundane into the extraordinary, guided by one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary literature.
Course Content.
Meet your new instructor: New York Times–bestselling author and humorist David Sedaris. David shares his thoughts on what you need to be a writer, how bad experiences become funny, and how everyone’s life is worth writing about.
David teaches you how to ask better questions, let stories land in your lap, and not ruin the moment when an idea for a story is unfolding before you.
Using examples from his own writing, David shows you how to take ideas from your diary and start expanding them into an essay.
The opening line is everything. David talks through multiple failed openings to his essay “Understanding Owls” and discusses how he landed on the final, published version.
David gives you tips for making yourself relatable as a protagonist in your essays. He also covers how to structure the humor and content of your writing so that audiences can find something to connect to.
How do you put the people you care about in your essays without hurting them? David discusses this challenge and brings in his sister Lisa, who’s appeared in many of his essays, for an intimate conversation.
Starting with a diary entry, David reads multiple drafts of the beginning of what eventually became his New Yorker essay “Active Shooter.”
Get a behind-the-scenes look at David’s workshop process while he’s touring and watch as he tries a piece for the first time at a public reading in Cleveland.
Humor isn’t memorable when it doesn’t mean something. David teaches you how to turn your essay from a purely comedic piece into writing with meaning.
David shares his approach to rewriting, with an eye toward digging deeper into your stories and making the most of your funny moments.
David talks about how to learn from live readings, conduct readings of your own, and behave when your work is published in the world.
David shares some of his favorite stories and writers and explains how to learn from them.
To end, David gives you heartfelt advice about writing every day, not confusing writing with publishing, and just how possible it is to become a writer.
Watch a complete onstage reading of David’s essay “The Spirit World.”
Pricing
ACCESS TO ALL COURSES
$35
$10
- Full Access to all Courses
- Watch on your computer
- Watch on your Phone
- Bonus class guides & content
- Share with your household (3 Devices)
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