Welcome to Making Modern Love, now available as a self-paced digital course!

*access to course begins December 1st, 2024*

This class has a history of selling out every time it's offered, and now, it's accessible to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Making Modern Love was designed by me in 2018, to guide you step-by-step through crafting compelling personal essays specifically for The New York Times' Modern Love column.

With Modern Love reopening their submissions in September, this course will ensure your essay is ready to shine before you hit send. This course has already helped over 100 writers publish their essays in the column, and now it can help you.

Why Modern Love? The New York Times’ Modern Love Column has 52 slots a year for writers of all backgrounds. Whether you're an award-winning author or a first-time writer—you have the chance to share your story with millions of readers. One of those coveted spots could be yours.

Drawing from my own experience as a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love Column, all of my course materials and lessons stem from what I learned while studying with Dan Jones, the editor of the column.

What You'll Learn

• Craft a Narrative that Resonates: Learn how to choose your topic and translate your personal experiences into a compelling story that captures the essence of what makes a Modern Love essay stand out.

• Develop Tension and Conflict: Understand the key elements that make your essay engaging and relatable, creating a narrative arc that keeps readers hooked from the first line to the final paragraph.

• Master the Art of the Ending: Discover how to close your essay with impact, leaving a lasting impression on your readers and editors alike.

• Navigate the Submission Process: Gain practical insights into submitting your essay, including tips on what the Modern Love editor is looking for and how to increase your chances of getting published.

Exclusive Features This course includes an exclusive interview Q&A with Dan Jones, the editor of the Modern Love column, as well as interviews with past Modern Love writers. These insights will give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to craft a successful submission.

Course Structure

• Module 1: Setting the Scene

  • Introduction to the course and familiarization with the Modern Love column.

  • Study the essays that went viral and led to book deals.

  • Guidance on choosing a stand-out original topic

  • Learn how to captivate your reader within the first 300 words.

• Module 2: Developing the Narrative

  • Techniques for building tension, drama, and conflict.

  • Focus on structuring the middle of your essay.

  • Discover how to distill the universal truth from your personal experience.

• Module 3: Perfecting the Ending

  • Master the art of ending your essay with impact.

  • Learn essential editing skills for this and future projects.

  • Understand why a resolution is crucial—even if it’s not a happy ending.

• Module 4: The Submission Process

  • Deep dive into the do’s and don’ts of submitting to Modern Love.

  • Exclusive Interview Q&A: Get insider tips from Dan Jones, Editor of the Modern Love column.

  • Insights from Past Writers: Hear directly from past Modern Love writers about their experiences, challenges, and successes in crafting their essays and what came after.

A Few Important Details:

• Course Format: This is a fully digital, self-paced course with pre-recorded video lessons and downloadables that you can access any time after December 1st, 2024.

• How to Access: To access and fully utilize the course materials, you'll need a PDF reader like Adobe Reader, which you can download for free. Viewing the course in full screen will enhance your experience, allowing you to focus on the content without distractions.

• Instructor Expectations: This course does not have live class meetings, all audio and video is pre-recorded. Please note there are no essay edits provided. Edits are only provided through one-on-one consultant work with Jessica which has been closed due to high demand and will be reopened December 2025.

• Refund Policy: Due to the digital nature of the course, please note that all sales are final.