You have ideas - good ones.
But when you sit down to write, it just doesn't come together in the perfect way it did in your mind.
Let's fix that.
Let's Get Personal is for you.
You have something to say. That’s not the problem.
The problem is that every time you try to write it, the essay falls apart.
You start strong, then it drifts. You add context, then more context. Suddenly you’re 1,200 words in and still not sure what the point is. You don’t know where the story starts, what belongs, or how to move from insight to meaning without forcing it.
You want to be honest, but not self-indulgent. Vulnerable, but not uncomfortable in the wrong way. So instead of fixing the real issue, you polish sentences and tweak phrasing, hoping clarity will magically appear.
You tell yourself it’s about voice. Or confidence. Or inspiration. It isn’t.
It’s about shape.
You’ve probably written essays you genuinely believed in. You sent them out and heard nothing back. No explanation. No feedback. Just silence. That’s when you start wondering if personal essays just aren’t your thing, or if everyone else got some memo you missed.
You didn’t miss anything.
You were never taught how to see what an essay is actually doing.
Let’s Get Personal teaches you that. So your essays stop wandering and start landing.
You don't have to read all this, you already know what you want!
You’ve probably read my essays in Mishpacha magazine. My style is straightforward and vulnerable, with a touch wry humor.
I sound confident, maybe even cocky now, but I wasn’t so clear on my style and approach for a looooong time.
I always wanted to share my thoughts - but pen to paper was a hot mess. I tried too hard, didn’t have a clear point, meandered my thoughts, didn’t actually write anything people wanted to read, just what I wanted to say - and deservedly, got nowhere.
Through slow and evolving progress, I went from pecking out essays once in a blue moon, to the ability to write one on demand.
And guess what, you can do it too.
(ok, maybe not write on demand)
And it doesn’t have to take years, just 5 weeks of structured and focused lessons and deliberate practice.
This isn’t about self-expression.
It’s about not losing your own story to vagueness, time, or other people’s retellings.
When you don’t know how to shape an essay, your experiences stay loose. They turn into half-remembered anecdotes, flattened lessons, or stories that get told wrong, even to the people closest to you. Not because they don’t care, but because you couldn’t quite get it down in a way that held.
Knowing how to write clearly means you get to decide what actually matters in a moment and why. What gets emphasized. What gets cut. What lasts.
Most people don’t lack insight. They lack the ability to frame it. So their writing drifts, confuses, or quietly disappears.
This course is about learning how to shape meaning on purpose, instead of hoping it emerges on its own.
Everything You Need to Know (and more!)
Wherever You Go, There You Are - Developing Your World View as an Essayist
Sharing is Caring - Navigating the fine line between Vulnerability and TMI
Fitting in -The structures of the essay, the many ways to approach them, and how to decide which one to use!
Paragraphs and Lines - How to actually write and essay, how long should it be, how to start, what to include?
What Are You Saying? - Distilling and focusing on your point.
Why Do I Love It? - How to deconstruct essays so you can template it and write like a pro!
Pretty Prose - How to construct beautiful sentences and know when to use them (and when to kill your darling)
Editors Do’s and Don’t - What they love and hate, and look for in essays.
And so much more!
(much like your essay)
5 Hour-Long Classes
Live classes (via Zoom) are
Wednesday @ 8:30 PM EST
Followed by 30 minutes of Q & A
Course Starts: February 4th
Recordings: (If you can't make it live, cuz, life)
Classes are recorded to watch at your convenience.
Don't worry about missing the opportunity to ask questions live, you can always do that in the Slack group
You'll have access to the course a year after it concludes
Weekly Assignments:
Assignments are designed to develop the skill you are currently learning
Targeted reading to develop your writing muscle and skill
Community:
Join your cohort’s exclusive Slack chat group to build a community and friendships with other writers, from lending support, giving advice, offering feedback, and getting it all back in return.
Support:
Dedicated Slack "Office Hours" to answer all your writing questions and receive feedback
One audio-based personal feedback from Esther on an essay
15% off Coaching Sessions (for those looking for more support and feedback)
Bonus!
Q & A Session with Family First managing editor, Miriam Milstein.
Get big and little picture view of editing a magazine.
Ask all your questions, get all your answers!
All you gotta do is click!
5- hour long classes
Q & A sessions
1 - Personal Feedback
Targeted Writing Assignments
Checklists, Guidelines and Templates
Exclusive Slack Community
Your Price: $447
"Esther is an outstanding teacher. With structured lessons and precise feedback, my essays have gone from pretty good to published."
Passaic, NJ
"I have gained so many skills! I am so much more confident in my essay-writing abilities now."
Baltimore, MD
"I wrote two essays during our time together. And had one published already."
Passaic, NJ
"Was super enjoyable and taught me so much!"
Lakewood, NJ
"I definitely am writing more and learned tangible tools."
Chicago, IL
"LGP fun and you will learn how to produce more quality writing!"
Lakewood, NJ
Don't Love It?
The live classes run for 5 weeks. The course is designed to be completed within that timeframe including completing an essay (or even more than one!)
It's a course for people with a story they want to tell who want to tell it through writing.
If you're not sure, have questions, just email me, and we'll talk it through and see if it makes sense for you
Slack is a private, secure communication app that we’ll be using to keep our class connected throughout the course. Think of it like a virtual meeting room, where you can ask questions, share thoughts, and stay in touch with both me and your fellow classmates.
It’s easy to use and only for our course members—you won’t be bombarded with random messages or have to worry about being in a public space.
Slack helps us build a supportive community while keeping everything organized in one place, so you can focus on your writing without distractions.
If you’re not familiar with Slack, don’t worry! I’ll guide you through it
You can even access it from your phone or computer, so it’s easy to fit into your day.
Very possibly! It's happened for many previous LGP participants!
Yes, and No.
While I know a lot of them, and they are wonderful amazing people, they do not want to feel pressured to accept pieces because you know me and I in turn do not want to spoil my relationship with them.
Do they sometimes ask if writers took my course, yes. And that is more to ascertain the writer’s knowledge of craft and writing, it does not make an actual difference in acceptance rate and the like.
Frum publications in general do not have high gatekeeping. If you have some talent, put in the work, and daven, your work will be accepted, you don’t need my help :)
Ish.
Not terrible.
Definitely not note-worthy.
Writing is very skill-based, and a lot of the attitudes and mindset can be cultivated.
Basically, if I can do it, you can do it too 👊
This is the end of the page, below is the button you're looking for to join Let's Get Personal
Want to stay in touch?
(all you gotta do is submit your e-mail address and I'll take care of the rest)
Also, when you do that you'll get a little gift from me:
My FREE mini writing kit: a few prompts, a permission slip to be honest, and no judgment if it turns into a rant. (That’s writing too.)
Just enter your deets below.
General Information and Resources for the course.