A 60-MINUTE INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP WITH STEPHANIE SMITH (SPRENGER)

Brainstorm & Build Your Personal Essay

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH AT 2PM EST

 

Most of us come to essay writing as readers first. We love getting swept into someone else's story — then sit down to write our own and freeze. Is this even worth telling? Where do I even start? Is my life interesting enough?

In this workshop, we'll put that voice in its place (hint: could be your inner critic, could be the patriarchy) and get to work. Through live brainstorming and hands-on writing exercises, you'll build a running list of essay ideas, then learn a simple filtering process for turning a favorite story into a personal essay with a clear premise, structure, and voice.

Built for midlife women who have stories to tell — and are ready for the tools to shape them.

Join the workshop!

What's the takeaway:

You'll leave with a brainstormed list of essay ideas, a premise statement for your strongest one, a hands-on checklist for revising any essay, and the confidence that your story is worth telling.

We'll explore:

  • A five-minute brainstorm to generate (or expand) your list of essay topics
  • The three ingredients every essay needs: a small moment, a clear change, and a universal theme
  • How to write a premise statement that captures both your inner story and your outer story
  • The difference between showing and telling, and when to lean on each
  • Balancing the voice of innocence with the voice of experience
  • Two field-tested formulas to fall back on when you're stuck
  • Live workshopping: we'll draft an opening scene together in real time
 

Meet your instructor

Steph Smith Sprenger

Steph is a writer, editor, podcaster, and producer whose work centers on helping women reconnect with themselves through writing. She is the founder of The Pause, editor-in-chief of THREE literary magazine, co-producer of Listen to Your Mother Boulder, and author of the forthcoming memoir Nostalgia Junkie. 
 

Steph's essays have been published in O Magazine, The Washington Post, Brain, Child Magazine, Scary Mommy, Mutha Magazine, The Huffington Post, and other places.

Two options to join us.

THIS WORKSHOP

ONE-TIME PAYMENT OF

$30

Get the Zoom link and join us live—a recording with handouts will be emailed following this workshop.

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THE PAUSE MEMBERSHIP

MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF

$49

Get access to this workshop as well as all other guest instructor workshops each month, co-working, forums, and a video library.

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The Pause:

A creative community for midlife women

The Pause is a creative community for midlife women who feel something shifting and want space to explore what comes next. It is a place to write, reflect, connect, and create alongside other thoughtful, engaged women who are asking bigger questions about this season of life. There is room here for honesty, reinvention, and the kind of conversations that do not always happen in everyday spaces. We prioritize our craft along with ourselves, nurturing our intuition and wellness alongside our writing practice. If you are craving depth, momentum, and real connection, you belong here. 

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