Hook and Hold Your Readers: How to Craft Compelling Commentary with Corinne Lestch—Starts Jan. 7

Find your perspective in this four-week intro course to opinion writing and commentary.

The best commentary is led by careful analysis and clear-eyed fact—and gets to the point. But this doesn’t mean it can’t be fun or engaging or play with readers’ expectations.

In this class, we will identify ways to connect larger issues and themes to your own interests and areas of expertise, and craft meaningful arguments that offer important context. Together, we will look at published op-eds and essays to see how writers draw in (and keep) readers, use anecdotes versus analysis, and support their claims effectively. We will learn what makes an argument thought-provoking and convincing, and pinpoint some common pitfalls to avoid when creating a piece of commentary. Through craft exercises, collaborative readings, and peer and instructor workshops, students will leave the course with a polished, pitch-worthy draft.

What you will learn

Students will learn the difference between opinion and reported articles, when it's useful to deploy a combination of both, and what constitutes a topic versus a story. They will also gain a deeper understanding of how to expand their reach and attract more readers and learn best practices when pitching to established outlets or publishing on their own platforms.

Workshop takeaways

• Craft a compelling argument and convey that perspective with authority

• Declutter your writing of jargon and clichés

• Understand and widen your audience

• Learn what editors at established news outlets want to see

• Leave with a polished 500 to 800-word op-ed or piece of commentary

Class meeting dates

January 7

January 14

January 21

January 28

About the Instructor

Corinne Lestch is an award-winning writer, journalist and editor, most recently at Forbes, where she oversees Careers content from contributors and develops and leads trainings on reporting skills and techniques. Her essays and commentary have appeared in The London Reader, Publishers Weekly and The Washington Post. She started her career 15 years ago at the New York Daily News, where she chased crime and reported on education, City Hall and breaking news.
She has taught writing and journalism at Columbia University, Borough of Manhattan Community College and The School of the New York Times.
Corinne holds a bachelor’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Columbia University. She has been an artist in residence in Mexico and upstate New York, and she is at work on her first novel.