Hey, it’s Harrison 👋 Welcome to my publication about creativity as a tool for personal and professional growth.
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HEY WRITERS—it’s Harrison 👨🎨
Have you ever wondered what goes into an award-winning essay?
If you could peel back the façade and see the visionary and operational decisions being made by a master, would you like that?
That’s what I’ve done for you in this 30-min video. Today’s post is two things:
It’s a very nerdy deep dive into how a standout essay gets made so that you can apply the same methods to your own work ✍️
And it’s an invitation to take part in our 4th Thematic Writing Challenge using the methods learned from Sedaris 🎟️
If you don’t know, David Sedaris is a legendary essayist who mixes highly idiosyncratic storytelling with humour and a writing style that is both alive and accessible.
I’ve been enjoying his books and I’ve just finished his Masterclass, and over the next few months I’m going to be dedicating myself to learning from him alone.
This marks a turning point for me, away from reading anything and everything towards reading the work of one master for a period of time, to try to mimic what it would be like to be an apprentice under him.
I’m hoping that sustained exposure to, and practice of, one master’s craft will give me (and you) deeper, more usable writing lessons. After all, we’re often told to imitate before we can innovate:
“Originality is nothing but judicious imitation.” — Voltaire
“The only art I’ll ever study is stuff that I can steal from.” — David Bowie
“You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.” —
Ready to join the challenge?
If the video breakdown got you excited about trying Sedaris' methods yourself, here's how to get involved in our 4th Thematic Writing Challenge:
What you'll do: You’ll write a 900-word essay using the exact structural approach Sedaris uses in "Diary of a Smoker" — exploring a big universal theme (like belonging, control, authenticity, etc) through a specific, personal topic of your choice.
What you get: Your essay will be published on Creative Thought Partner alongside other participants, plus an invitation to our monthly group Zoom call where we'll discuss everyone's work and reveal the next challenge.
The process:
Read the full brief
Write your 900-word essay and submit it using this form
Join our group social call to celebrate and discuss the work
New to our prompt challenges? Don't worry, we welcome writers of all levels. The magic happens when you combine creative constraints with the accountability of a deadline and a supportive group of fellow writers like us!
If you’ve got questions, email me. Otherwise, dive into the brief and get cracking!
I can’t wait to see what you write.
—Harrison 👨🎨
PS View the results of our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Thematic Prompt Challenges.
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