All Student Success Letters
Brian Schaefer
Dear Gotham,
I’m not someone who always dreamed of becoming a journalist, nor of writing a novel. In one sense, I kind of stumbled into both. But in another sense, each was the logical result of simply following a general passion for writing wherever it took me.
I studied dance as an undergrad, and my favorite class was “Criticism & Aesthetics,” which steered me to dance journalism. That experience was one of the steppingstones to a year-long fellowship abroad in my late 20s, which led to a graduate program in creative writing and, because I needed some income, a job at a newspaper. So quite unexpectedly my formative writing education became the juxtaposition of criticism, fiction and journalism.
That experience taught me that there’s something worth learning from all styles of writing—and from putting them in conversation with each other. So when I moved to New York, I kept dabbling in different forms. And I found a wealth of easily accessible opportunities through Gotham Writers in a mix of formats (in-person, on Zoom and online) that fit my unpredictable freelance schedule.
Over the past decade, as I contributed to publications like The New York Times and The New Yorker and began work on what became my debut novel TOWN & COUNTRY (newly out from Atria), I kept honing my skills in a variety of genres that informed all of my writing.
Through Gotham Writers, I took a TV writing intensive, followed by TV Writing I and II to get a sense of episodic structure. I took Playwriting I and Plot II: Machinations twice to make sure I was writing compelling characters and complex stories. And I even took Humor Writing because I wanted to infuse my novel’s serious themes with some fun and levity. Gotham Writers helped me supplement my skills, consider fresh approaches and get insight into new writing worlds.
Whatever your preferred form of writing, I highly recommend cultivating a voracious appetite for different styles. Gotham Writers’ robust catalogue offers the best sampler platter around. Why not try it all?
Happy writing,
Brian Schaefer
