Join my writing class this Wednesday

It's about translating music into words — on Substack, in books, anywhere.

I just finished teaching a 7-week class on Lou Reed & Laurie Anderson at New York University last week. It was really great fun.

This Wednesday, I’m stoked to be able to offer my first-ever virtual writing class.

Click here to register.

My thanks to the good folks at Five Things I’ve Learned — they’re fans of my Substack and books who reached out and offered to host this class.

My subscribers can use this discount code: SUBSTACK10

Below is my spiel from the catalog copy — call it an elevator pitch in a tall building. I really hope to see you there! - Will

Join me in this live, two-hour class and discover the Five Things I’ve Learned about how to share the emotional impact of songs you love — and how to illuminate their meaning, amplify their power, and deepen the listening experience for yourself and your readers.

Hiya. I’m Will Hermes. I’ve been writing about music and culture for a very long time, for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Pitchfork, Uncut (UK), and other places. You may have heard me on NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Back in the day I wrote for SPIN, the Village Voice, Option, and Minneapolis’ City Pages. I also write books, including Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever and, more recently, Lou Reed: The King of New York. (Yes: I’m a New Yorker.) I’ve also taught writing, both “creative non-fiction” and journalism, for many years.

So how do you write well about music? How do you put into words — on a page, or screen — the physical and emotional sensations of being deeply moved by a song? How do you find a writing voice? And how personal do you want it to be? How much of you do you want in that voice? Or indeed, what version of you? (That’s where things really get interesting.)

These are all the things I’ve spent my whole professional life thinking about, and the answers to these questions are just what I’m hoping to share with you in my upcoming two-hour class, Five Things I’ve Learned about Writing about Music and Musicians.

This class will be fun and useful to anyone who writes about music anywhere — on social media, on Substack (my newsletter here is Will Hermes: New Music + Old Music), or in whatever publication format you choose. I can offer advice on which avenue to take. But more importantly, we’ll talk about focusing on exactly what you want to express, and how best to do it.

We’ll look at the centrality of research, and of fact-checking. We’ll talk about structure, tone, and style. We’ll talk about when it’s okay to break rules of grammar, and the lines between facts and “truth” in creative non-fiction — what we used to call “new journalism,” before it got old. And we’ll consider examples from the very best music writers. And we’ll do some exercises to flex our writing muscles.

To write about music, I’ve always felt, is to write about life, in all its aching glory.

I’m gearing this class towards both beginning and experienced writers, because writing — all self-expression, really — is a practice, like yoga, sports, painting, meditation, playing an instrument. It’s fun, frustrating at times, exhilarating when it’s going well. It’s about having fun with the process.

Oh, and did I mention fun? I hope you’ll join us.

– Will