Yesterday I received an invitation to lead an essay workshop this winter. Although I write and publish essays, I'm rarely asked to teach classes that focus on them; so this challenge will be tonic. I know that some of my eight regular readers are also interested in nonfiction prose and in some cases write it themselves. So, readers, I toss you these questions:

What initially attracts you to a personal essay? What maintains your attraction? Subject matter? Narrative persona? Dramatic arc? Does lyrical prose matter to you?

And now, writers:

What troubles you most as you write? Maintaining a balance between subject and speaker? Organizing your ideas? Wrestling with a narrative persona? Dealing with a topic that doesn't have a neat or predictable conclusion? Managing the flow of your sentences and paragraphs?

Of course all of these questions are interrelated, and of course there are a million more questions to ask. But these are a few off the top of my head. I'd love to hear what you have to say.