Made Visible Writing Class
September - November 2021 SessionWriting helps us understand our own experiences and share them with others. This three-month class is for beginning writers who are ready to tell their story of living with invisible illness.
In this intimate group of writers, some people may be writing about their invisible illnesses for the first time. Others may have journaled or written drafts of essays before, but they need help finding the heart of the story and figuring out what they really want to say.
The Made Visible Writing Class is for people who want to explore their story through personal essay and memoir. Over the course of three months, participants will write, give and receive feedback, and hear from guest speakers about how to write, hone, and publish work. In everything we do, we’ll focus on topics that are specific to writing about invisible illness.
Through our three months together, we’ll work to find the story that you don’t just want to tell, you NEED to tell. We’ll reflect on the vulnerability it requires to write about our illnesses and lean on our fellow writers for support. We’ll write, revise, and polish, and learn about what comes next (when you’re ready): the world of publishing. Over the course of these 12 weeks, you’ll glimpse what the writing world has to offer. But more importantly, you’ll see what you have to offer it.
How This Class Works
The Made Visible Writing Class is three months long (12 classes) and meets every week on Zoom for 2 hours.
The class begins on September 14th from 12-2pm EST and runs through November 30th at 12-2pm.
The Structure
Every other week, class will feature a guest speaker. The speaker will discuss a different aspect of writing or sharing your story. You’ll have the chance to read some of each speaker’s writing (if published), discuss it with the class, and ask questions about their process and experience.
The other weeks will focus on your writing. You’ll get writing prompts, read your writing aloud, and receive and give on-the-spot feedback as everyone shares their work.
Between classes, you’ll write, give written feedback to others on their work, receive written feedback on your work, and revise. All in all, you’ll write six essays over the course of 12 weeks.
The Themes
The class is broken into three modules:
I. Getting Your Story on Paper
We’ll talk about how to process and reflect what you’ve been through with your health, and support each other as we make room for honesty, vulnerability, and writing the hard stuff. We’ll focus on getting your story down on paper, knowing that we’ll have time for finessing later.
II. The Craft of Writing About Invisible Illness
Here’s where we start to dig into how to hone your narrative. You want your reader to feel your experiences as intensely as you did--and craft is a big part of that. In this module, we’ll focus on the structure of your story, what to include and exclude, voice, and other craft elements.
III. Sharing Your Story with Others
Everyone’s focus will be different when it comes to sharing their work. You might want to share your story on social media, or you might be focused on writing a book. Whatever your goal, we’ll talk about it. We’ll also give an introduction to agents, pitching, book proposals, and publishers.
“Harper is inspiring. She sees us. By bringing together writers and aspiring writers around the topic of our shared experiences with invisible illnesses, she makes possible both community and individual voice.”
Who This Class is For
This class is for beginning writers who want to focus on writing about their health while being part of an intimate writing community. It is essential that all participants have a desire to support each other and give feedback.
If you are unsure if you qualify as a beginning writer, this class is a good fit for you if:
You’ve never written a personal essay about your health (or anything else) before.
You’ve written essays, but you still feel “new” to it and want to improve your craft.
You enjoy journaling and freewriting but have never considered yourself a writer.
You’re eager to learn about the craft of writing and commit yourself to a practice.
You love reading personal essays and memoirs and are ready to write your own.
While we’ll often be touching on very personal aspects of our lives, this class is not a therapy or support group. You’ll definitely lean on and encourage each other as it relates to your stories, but if you’re writing and talking about very vulnerable or traumatic experiences from your life, you may want to seek support from a mental health practitioner. That kind of professional support won’t happen in class.
“The Made Visible Writing Class was the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel called 2020. I was able to connect with writers across the country and grow from our shared experiences. It had been so long since I heard the words “I understand” and knew that the person saying them really did. Living with an invisible illness is a constant challenge and writing about my experiences in a workshop setting was not only cathartic, but a hallmark experience. ”
The Investment
The class is $875 for 12 weeks.
There is a limited number of spots available to keep the group intimate.
Payments can be made in two installments if necessary.
A limited number of partial scholarship spots are available for people who need financial support to join the class. Along with completing the below application, please fill out this form to be considered for a partial scholarship. You are not guaranteed a scholarship by completing this form.
“The Made Visible Writing Class helped me find my voice as a writer sharing her personal health story. Through the heartfelt peer support, feedback, and genuine encouragement from Harper, I now have a deep personal connection to why my health story is worth writing. This is a unique community of writers where participants cheer each other on and listen with a deep understanding.”
About the Facilitator
Harper Spero
Harper Spero is a writer who focuses on chronicling life with a rare immunodeficiency you’ve likely never heard of. As founder of Made Visible, she has created a platform that’s dedicated to amplifying the invisible illness stories that people need to tell and the world needs to hear. After recording 100 episodes of the Made Visible podcast, she launched the Made Visible Writing Class. In addition to her work with Made Visible, she is a business coach who specializes in working with service-based newbie solopreneurs and small business owners in the health and wellness space. She works with them to create businesses they love, determine how to get their idea out into the world and discover the freedom that comes with entrepreneurship. She is based in New York City and spends her winters in Tel Aviv.
For the past five years, I’ve been writing personal essays about my invisible illness in writing classes and workshops. I even met some of my Made Visible podcast guests that way. Writing about my invisible illness journey, after years of hiding it, was one of the reasons I created my podcast. I’ve been published on platforms like Well + Good, Health Magazine, Thrive Global, and Career Contessa. Most recently, I facilitated a class for Ruthie Ackerman modeled very similarly to the Made Visible Writing Class.
Being a facilitator is something I have lots experience doing, thanks to my years as a business coach. This class is an intersection of so many things I feel passionate about: writing, invisible illness, and facilitating spaces around shared experiences.
Have questions about the Made Visible Writing Class? Email hello@madevisiblestories.com