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How to Write Essays for Publication: an Interview with Jennifer Mattson
by Writing Workshops Staff
A week ago
Today, as a contributing writer at Fast Company and an instructor at New York University’s School of Professional Studies, Jennifer Mattson has woven her gift for storytelling into a new four-week course at WritingWorkshops.com: Personal, Narrative, and Opinion: How to Write Essays for Publication.
In many ways, Mattson’s multi-faceted career spanning CNN, NPR, and bylines in The Atlantic, Salon, USA TODAY serves as a living blueprint for budding essayists eager to see their stories in print. The class itself, delivered live on Zoom, demystifies the art of shaping personal reflections, researched narratives, and impassioned op-eds. Over four sessions, she guides students in pinpointing the essence of a good idea, assembling a piece from first draft to final polish, and positioning it for placement in high-profile outlets such as The New York Times’ “Modern Love” or the opinion pages of The Washington Post. The promise is simple yet powerful: by the course’s conclusion, participants will hold a polished essay in hand, along with the acumen to pitch it for publication.
It’s a rare chance to learn directly from a journalist who has juggled deadlines at major news networks and shaped stories for organizations like the Asia Society—and who now stands at the crossroads of creative writing and cultural reporting. In the conversation that follows, Mattson shares how her professional odyssey has molded her approach to teaching, why this moment is ripe for personal essays, and how disciplined curiosity can turn everyday experiences into stories worth reading. For anyone eager to turn life’s dramas, revelations, and opinions into compelling prose, she offers a roadmap to finding not only your words but also your readers. Here, Mattson offers insight into how we can craft essays that resonate—and get them published in a bustling and ever-evolving media landscape.
Writing Workshops: Your professional background spans CNN, NPR, The Atlantic, and beyond. How do your experiences in fast-paced newsrooms and prestigious publications inform how you teach writing in this 4-week seminar?
Jennifer Mattson: I teach just like I talk to my friends. In the end, I'm just a writer in a room full of writers. And as a working journalist, I try to bring my daily experience into class as much as possible. Writing is hard, so the most important thing I can do is create a supportive environment and teach what I have learned along the way.
WW: In an age of ubiquitous social media posts and quick takes, why do you think essays, especially personal, narrative, and opinion pieces, have become so essential to writers who want to make their mark?
JM: I think essays, especially personal essays, endure because they bring honesty and truth to a subject, which is what we all long for. Also, they are just the right length: not too long, not too short.
WW: When shaping a compelling personal narrative, many writers struggle to find the balance between vulnerability and universal appeal. How do you guide students in your seminar to strike that perfect balance?
JM: If you write honestly, the personal is always universal. Readers don't need to have experienced the exact same situation to relate -- they only need to be approached with dignity and detail.
WW: You’ve worked across different mediums: print, online, radio, and television. How do these varied perspectives shape your advice on writing the 800-word narrative essay or the op-ed piece for major outlets?
JM: Each medium emphasizes a different writing muscle and comes with a slightly different perspective. In the end, writing is writing, and when you can learn to tailor your writing to different formats, you've got an invaluable skill.
WW: By the end of your course, students will leave with a completed essay draft ready to pitch. What’s one hidden pitfall you often see writers fall into at the finish line, and how do you help them avoid it?
JM: Writers aren't always taight how to edit or write a pitch letter. I try and get my students over the finish line by teaching them how to write and edit an essay, and the best way to pitch publications.
Learn more and sign up for Jennifer's Personal, Narrative and Opinion: How to Write Essays for Publication 4-Week Zoom Seminar.
Instructor Jennifer Mattson teaches creative writing at New York University's School of Professional Studies and is a contributing writer at Fast Company. She is a writer, editor, journalist, and former network news producer for CNN, CNN International, and National Public Radio, and the former managing editor of Asia Society. Jennifer’s writing and reporting have appeared in The Atlantic, Salon, USA TODAY, The Boston Globe, CBS News, GlobalPost.com, The Women’s Review of Books, and Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. She writes an online column for Psychology Today and reports on wellness, news, yoga, healthy living and mindfulness, books, arts, and culture.
