About Shape Your Story
Shape Your Story is about writing your story your way, with the professional guidance that allows you to find its true form, in the company of a supportive group of professional and creative women who lift each other up.
Most of my students want to express themselves through writing, but don’t know how to tie the loose threads of their creativity together to establish the throughline — that one magical element weaving all of those threads into one unified cord.
By pulling and playing with those threads, we find the shape and the heart of what you want to say.
We like breaking the rules here
Most of my class participants are non-traditional writers who don’t come from professional writing backgrounds. I’ve found that the best way to encourage women to write and express themselves is to give them the freedom to break the rules they’ve learned about writing well, such as —
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We encourage you to take longer, go slower, and meander your way to the point. Who knows what you’ll find along the way? You can always edit later.
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We believe in messy, imperfect work. No one cares about perfect grammar or spelling here. Get it out on the page.
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We don’t allow our fellow writers to tear themselves down or give caveats before they read. It serves no one when we are hard on ourselves or others. Only constructive feedback is welcomed here.
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We believe that you only need 15 or 20 minutes to write, not hours, days and weeks and months. Sitting down for just a few minutes to write can create magic on the page.
What this isn’t…
A creative writing class with rigid rules about how to write,
Lessons on how to write like a specific author,
An academic-style program focused on criticism and harsh feedback, or
Therapy, although writing in a supportive environment can be very healing.
How We Shape Your Story —
The SYSTM Method
S — Story Foundation
Discover what lies at the heart of your narrative.
Y — Your Voice
Develop individual writing style and confidence.
S — Structure and Flow
Master story structure, pacing and flow.
T — Truth and Emotional Resonance
Excavate what’s true and express it authentically.
M — Mastery and Momentum
Enhance your creative practice and grow into the writer you were always meant to be.
Leslie founded Shape Your Story to empower women to share their stories, and be heard.
A writing instructor, published author, and writing consultant, Leslie’s creative writing is published online and in print in the anthologies Big City Mantra and Deliver Us, and in Celsias Magazine (where she served as editor-in-chief), Jewish Journal, and Tribe. She has also worked as Story Editor on award-winning short films for Sarina Films.
Leslie’s teachers include the poet Jack Grapes, who created Method Writing; Kurt Vonnegut, screenwriter Karin Gutman, and authors Jackie Parker and Jim Krusoe. She considers them life-long inspirations, and is eternally grateful for their guidance.
A former member of the Los Angeles Poets and Writers’ Collective and a ballet dancer who performed with the American School of Russian Ballet, Leslie is an evangelist of creativity for creativity’s sake.
Podcast Appearances
Leslie joins Julie Livingston on PR Patter to discuss Political Communication and the importance of authenticity.
Leslie joins transformational coach Cami Travis-Groves to discuss writing, the mind/body connection, and how writing, compassion, and love all work together in the creative process.
Leslie joins Susan Friedman on Book Marketing Mentors to discuss techniques of writing that create connection and authenticity, no matter what you’re writing.
Leslie joins Deanna Shows to discuss finding your voice in business, and how that connects to finding your voice creatively.