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Choose from 70+ workshops.

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Classes Starting Soon!

The Portal: A Summer Writing + Healing Program For Women Creatives, June 18th - September 3rd, 2024

The Art & Craft of Writing Fiction that Sells 4-Week Zoom Workshop, Starts Tuesday, May 14th, 2024

FREE Author Talk & Discussion with Novelist Glenn Blake, Wednesday, May 15th, 2024

Screenwriting 4-Week One-on-One Mentorship with Meredith Alloway: Apply Now, Starts May 15th, 2024

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Become a better writer and meet beta readers in our online writing group

Scribophile is one of the largest and most award-winning online writing communities.

Make your writing shine with feedback from other writers

You’ve spent a lot of time writing your story. But how can you make it perfect before you start thinking about publishing?

Scribophile is a writing group focused on getting you feedback on your manuscript. — in fact, we’re one of the largest online writing groups out there. Our points-based peer critique system guarantees you’ll get feedback from writers from all walks of life. You can then use that feedback to polish your writing before you take the next step in your publishing journey.

How Scribophile works

1 earn points by giving feedback.

Earn karma points by critiquing writing. Giving feedback to group members is fast, easy, fun, and helps improve your own writing, too!

2 Get feedback on your own writing

Spend karma points to post your own writing for critique from our writing community — anything from flash fiction to novels. Our writer’s group will give you detailed feedback on how to improve it, regardless of your specific genre, and all in a supportive environment.

3 Make friends and meet beta readers

As you participate in our writing group, you’ll meet and form relationships with many different kinds writers. They’ll become your inspiration, your encouragement, and even your beta readers, ready to help with your current manuscript, and your next ones too!

Scribophile was the first place I stopped when I went from being an I-wanna-be-a-writer to I-am-an-author. Now I have four international bestselling novels with major publishers, and when authors come to me I always send them to Scribophile. Genevieve Graham Tides of Honour and others published with Simon & Schuster

Join writing workshops and level up your writing

Our writing workshops are taught by bestselling authors, expert teachers, and industry insiders. We have workshops for writers of any skill level, where we cover everything from beginning topics to advanced techniques.

Our writing workshops are designed to be both comprehensive and transformational — they’re your fast track to leveling up your writing.

Some of our upcoming writing workshops

Writing Query Letters That Work with D.J. Butler

May 11, 2024 • 2 hour workshop, with instructor feedback on your query letter

Join author and Baen editor D.J. (Dave) Butler as he teaches you how to write hard-punching query letters you can use to sell your manuscripts to agents and editors.

Crafting Compelling Nonfiction with Jennifer Silva Redmond

May 11, 2024 • 2 hour webinar

Join author and editor Jennifer Silva Redmond as she shows you the nuts and bolts of crafting gripping nonfiction.

Our writing group welcomes writers of any skill level

Our writing group welcomes writers of all skill levels — from beginners to published authors, and every writer in between.

Each critique you receive on your manuscript is a fresh perspective for you to incorporate. Our bustling writing forums feature writers discussing the craft twenty-four hours a day — share inspiration, ignite your creativity, get support, and connect with others no matter your genre. Plus, our extensive Writing Academy is full of insightful articles on the art — and business — of writing.

Scribophile played a major part in helping me polish my novel for submission. I learnt a huge amount from critiquing other people’s work, as well as from reading critiques of mine. I now have a wonderful agent and have signed a three-book deal in the UK, a two-book deal in Germany, and a TV option. The book was also shortlisted for The Debut Dagger! Roz Watkins The Devil’s Dice and others published with HarperCollins

Giving and receiving critiques on Scribophile made a big difference to the quality of my writing. I learned how to write a query letter here and that led to an agent and a book deal. Ruth Lauren Prisoner of Ice and Snow and others published with Bloomsbury

No more writing alone — meet your new community

Sometimes, the hardest part of the writing process is how lonely it can get.

That’s why the most important part of Scribophile is our community of hundreds of thousands of writers from all over the world. No matter what genre you work in, or how far along you are in your manuscript, the friends you make at Scribophile will give encouragement, accountability, and will finally take the loneliness out of our solitary craft.

My years on Scribophile have given me a master’s level education in writing. The critiques are great, but I’ve learned as much from reading and analyzing other writers on Scribophile. I don’t think I could have polished my novel to a publishable level without this site. I’m an addict. Laura Creedle The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily published with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Ready to take the next step in your writing journey?

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Upcoming Online Creative Writing Workshops

July courses, comics for people who can’t draw, with aubrey hirsch.

Comic strip artists rely much more on creativity than on artistic skill. In this workshop, you'll learn all the tools you need to make fun and engaging comic strips—even if your drawing level is "stick figures."

Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop

August Courses

Poems of all sizes: haiku, tanka, and japanese poetic forms, with miho kinnas.

Explore the history and poetics of Japanese poetry forms, and write haiku, tanka, renga, haiga, and linked verse poetry.

Live Workshop , Poetry

September Courses

Writing with consistency and courage, with tamara dean.

What makes a successful writer? It's not talent, craft, or even the right connections—it's consistency and courage.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Unscheduled Courses

These online writing classes don’t currently have a next session on our calendar, but will soon. If you see a course you’re interested in, use the “I’m Interested” button to let us know, and we’ll follow up with you when the course is on our calendar next.

Want to reach us or our instructors with questions about our online writing courses? Contact us at [email protected] , or visit the contact form .

(Live Workshop) Dream Writing

With zining mok.

How can writers harness the power of dreams? Let your slumber supercharge your creativity in this three hour dream writing workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Personal Essay

(Live Workshop) Haiku & Senryu: Rekindling A Sense of Wonder

With marc olmsted.

Haiku, Senryu, and other Japanese poetry forms encourage us to slow down and write mindfully. Learn how to write these forms in this meditative writing workshop.

(Live Workshop) Intro to Screenwriting

With susan pohlman.

In this workshop, you'll learn the ropes of screenwriting and create living pieces of collaborative storytelling.

Fiction , Live Workshop , Stage and Broadcast

(Live Workshop) Move Your Writing Forward: The Art of the Bullet Journal

With rudri patel.

Want to have a productive new year? Set up your bullet journal in this one day live workshop.

(Live Workshop) Revising the Novel: Take Your First Draft to the Next Level

With donna levin.

Ready to start revising your novel? Get rolling in this in-depth webinar.

Fiction , Live Workshop , Novel

(Live Workshop) The Art Friend’s Dilemma: Advice on Writing from Real Life

With briana una mcguckin.

Are you writing about people from real life? This one-day live workshop answers the question of how to be a good art friend.

(Live Workshop) The Art of Love Stories: A Flash Fiction Workshop

How do you distill love into 1,500 words or less? Zining Mok explains in this love stories flash fiction workshop.

Fiction , Live Workshop , Short Story

(Live Workshop) Writing Beginnings and Endings

With sarah aronson.

How do you write a story that's compelling to start and satisfying to finish? Sarah Aronson explains in this comprehensive one-day workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

(Live Workshop) Writing from a Strong Sense of Place: A Generative Workshop

With jacquelyn stolos.

Develop powerful and realistic settings in this generative three-hour workshop, with Jacquelyn Stolos.

Fiction , Live Workshop , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Drawing Poems: the Art of Visual Poetry

By melding poetry with design, visual poets can create multidimensional works of art and literature. Explore the craft in this visual poetry workshop. 

Finding Wildness and Freedom in Poetry

With moriel rothman-zecher.

Find a greater sense of comfort, ease, lightheartedness, and freedom in reading and writing poetry.

Get Clear on Your Story and Voice

With nadia colburn.

What is your story about? What is your voice? Whether you write poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, hone your writing in this 3 hour workshop.

Get It Done: Create the Scaffolding to Start (and Finish) a Writing Project

With eman quotah.

Get your butt in the chair, your mind roaming freely, and your creative juices flowing in this motivational, all-genres writing class.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Graphic Novel Writing Bootcamp

With cristian aluas.

Put pen to graphing paper in this workshop on crafting the graphic novel. By the end of the Zoom call, you'll have an 8 page graphic short story that's ready to illustrate.

How to Pitch

With rachel krantz.

Learn the ins and outs of pitching your work to print and online publications from Rachel Krantz, a full-time writer and formerly the Senior Feature Editor at Bustle.

Creative Nonfiction , Live Workshop , Personal Essay

How To Start A Blog, Grow An Audience & Make Money

With jessica festa.

When planned right, a blog allows you to share your passion and make money in the process. Learn how to start a blog in this one-day webinar.

Creative Nonfiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Personal Essay

Iconoclast: Reimagining the Line Break

With shankar narayan.

Poets can express so much in just a line break. Hone this tool of the poetic craft in this two part Zoom workshop.

Make Your Prose Sing

With leslie lawrence.

Enrich your prose with techniques from poetry. Bring paper and pens; leave with a better ear and lots of ideas about how to make your prose sing.

Poetry and Performance: Slam Poetry 101

With ollie schminkey.

In these workshops, master the elements of poetry and performance, and learn to take your poems from the page to the stage.

Techwashed!: Writing with AI, Data, and Surveillance

Raise a mirror against society's relationship to technology in this two part workshop series where we will learn how to write about tech.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Ten Steps to Creating Interesting, In-Depth Characters

How do you write about people convincingly? Empower your character development in this workshop filled with exercises and character discussion.

Fiction , Live Workshop , Novel , Short Story

The Only Submission Workshop You Will Ever Need

With meghan sterling.

How do you get your poems in literary journals? This two part webinar shows you the ropes for getting your work published, read, and celebrated.

The Surprising Sentence: Honing Your Prose Style

With jessie roy.

Great sentences stack up into great stories. Learn how to hone your style and voice at the most basic unit of writing, the sentence, in this workshop.

Twoness Poems

With e. ethelbert miller , miho kinnas.

Twoness poems are poems written collaboratively with another poet. Learn something new about yourself, your writing partner, and poetry in this collaborative Valentine's Day workshop.

Using Your Poetry Skills to Write Memoir

With freesia mckee.

How do poets tell their stories in prose? Take the leap from poetry to memoir in this hybrid writing workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Poetry

Writing for Kids: Entering the World of Children’s Literature

With amanda hosch.

Learn the fundamentals of writing for children in this one day workshop, and write the kinds of stories that kids simply can't put down.

Writing Magical Fiction

With amy bonnaffons.

In this workshop series, you won't just write using magic in fiction—you'll harness the magic that only fiction can make.

Writing Spontaneously: How to Let Your Stories Surprise You

Some of the best stories don't follow a specific plot structure; they develop organically. Learn how to hone spontaneity in your fiction writing and come away surprised by your work.

You Yourself Are the Beloved: Writing with South Asian Ghazals

The ghazal poem has a rich history with a tricky form to master. Learn the ropes in this inspiring and electrifying workshop.

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Best Online Business Writing Classes

Business Writing by University of CO is best overall with a self-paced course

Michael Rosenston is a fact-checker and researcher with expertise in business, finance, and insurance. Prior to this role, he interned at two Fortune 500 insurance companies and worked in data science in the advertising industry.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

The best online business writing classes can teach you how to communicate clearly and persuasively with customers, potential business partners, and stakeholders. Whether you’re writing an email, report, presentation, or even an instant chat message, good business writing skills can help you get the results you want and enhance your professionalism.

We reviewed over a dozen online business writing courses based on ratings, cost, ease of use, and curriculum. The best classes will help you communicate more effectively and professionally. Here are our top five picks.

• Best Overall: Business Writing by University of Colorado
• Best for Beginners: Better Business Writing Skills (Udemy)
• Best for Professionals: Tips for Better Business Writing
• Best for Freelancers: Business Communication Skills (Udemy)
• Best for Business Owners: Write Like a Boss (Udemy)
• Our Top Picks
• Business Writing by University of Colorado
• Better Business Writing Skills (Udemy)
• Tips for Better Business Writing
• Business Communication Skills (Udemy)
• Write Like a Boss (Udemy)
• See More (2)

Final Verdict

• Compare Classes

Frequently Asked Questions

Methodology, best overall : business writing by university of colorado.

• Focus: 10 principles of business writing
• Cost: Between $39 and $89 per month
• Length: Roughly four weeks, self-paced

Coursera’s Business Writing course, offered by the University of Colorado Boulder, introduces both non-native English speakers and business professionals to the top 10 principles of good business writing. Its flexible deadlines, careful methodology, and high reviews make it our choice as the best overall.

Self-paced course

Certificate sharable on LinkedIn

Financial aid available

Subscription-based pricing

Free audit limits access to some features and materials

No lifetime access

Business Writing is led by Quentin McAndrew, PhD, of the department of English at the University of Colorado Boulder, who has taught over 100,000 students on the platform. The course consists of 52 videos and 16 quizzes totaling close to 13 hours. Although it is designed to be completed over four weeks, the course is self-paced, allowing students to complete it based on their schedule.  

Business Writing introduces students to 10 principles of good business writing and teaches them how to apply them to their daily work. It also offers simple tools for improving your writing and teaches organization, structure, and revision to create clear and powerful writing.

All of Coursera’s Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization courses are available for a monthly subscription. Specialization subscriptions at Coursera cost between $39 and $89 per month. Students get a certificate upon completing the course they can print or share on LinkedIn . Coursera also offers a seven-day free trial and financial aid.

Best for Beginners : Better Business Writing Skills (Udemy)

• Focus: Writing copy
• Cost: $109.99
• Length: Over three-hour video, self-paced

Our pick as the best for beginners is Udemy’s Better Business Writing Skills course, which teaches the basics of writing clear, concise, and persuasive copy in an on-demand course with downloadable resources and a money-back guarantee.

Money-back guarantee

Easy-to-use course app

Lifetime access

University-accredited certificates not available

No quizzes or assessment tools

Originally a live virtual classroom platform developed in 2010, Udemy offers over 196,000 courses in 75 languages taught by over 68,000 instructors. Its Better Business Writing Skills course is a consistent bestseller and teaches basic English speakers how to write emails, reports, marketing copy, articles, and more in just three and a half hours, making it our top choice for beginners.   

Better Business Writing Skills is led by Cicero Award-winning professional speechwriter Mark Morris, who has written for senior politicians and taught his methods to over 60,000 students. The course consists of three and a half hours of on-demand video, 11 articles, and 17 downloadable resources, all easily accessible online or through Udemy’s mobile app. 

Better Business Writing Skills teaches you how to write clearly, concisely, and persuasively; tricks for being a productive writer; editing techniques to help you polish your writing; and how to test your work to make sure it’s achieving your goals.

Better Business Writing Skills costs $109.99, including full lifetime access, a certificate of completion at the end of the course, and a money-back guarantee. Because Udemy runs specials all the time, you may be able to purchase the course for a lower price.

Best for Professionals : Tips for Better Business Writing

 LinkedIn Learning

• Focus: Improving business communications
• Cost: Varies by one-off, monthly, or annually
• Length: Self-paced

LinkedIn Learning’s Tips for Better Business Writing course is best for business professionals, designed to help them improve their writing to deliver clear messages and maintain a professional image.

One-time purchase available

30-day free trial

Access to all LinkedIn Learning courses with subscription

Certificate is from LinkedIn and not an accredited university

Tips for Better Business Writing is taught by Natasha Terk, who has led workshops and webinars on business communication and served as a communication consultant to clients around the world. The course’s focus on real-world exercises designed to help students analyze and improve business communications makes it our top choice as the best for professionals.

Tips for Better Business Writing consists of four modules that provide actionable tips for improving the impact and quality of business writing, including emails, reports, memos, white papers, and more. You’ll also get quizzes and a practice file to help you plan, format, and proofread your business writing. After the course, you’ll get a certificate of completion, which can be printed and shared on your LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn Learning offers access to all course content in the Tips for Better Business Writing course through a 30-day free trial. After that, the cost is $26.99 per month paid annually or $39.99 per month paid monthly. The subscription also gives you access to a library of over 17,000 courses. Alternatively, you can purchase the course for a one-time payment of $24.99, giving you lifetime access as long as you maintain a LinkedIn account.

Best for Freelancers : Business Communication Skills (Udemy)

• Focus: Business grammar and writing
• Cost: $119.99
• Length: 16 hours, self-paced

Whereas most business writing courses focus on strategy and style, Udemy’s Business Communication Skills: Business Writing & Grammar course covers business English, grammar, and writing, making it the best for freelancers looking to build professional communication skills.

Certificate is not from an accredited university

The course is taught by Alex Genadinik, a three-time bestselling Amazon author with over 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship and marketing; he's taught over 500,000 students on Udemy.

Business Communication Skills: Business Writing & Grammar begins with teaching students the basics of English grammar they need for professional business communications. This is useful for freelancers who want to learn how to communicate effectively with their clients through email, chat, and phone, how to resolve conflicts, and how to run efficient meetings. The course consists of 16 hours of on-demand video, one article, and 180 downloadable resources.

Business Communication Skills: Business Writing & Grammar costs just $119.99, which includes full lifetime access to the course and a certificate of completion. Udemy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Best for Business Owners : Write Like a Boss (Udemy)

• Focus: Persuasive written communication
• Cost: $99.99
• Length: 90-minute video, self-paced

Udemy’s bestselling Write Like a Boss: Master Your Business Writing Skills course is designed to help leaders build advanced persuasive writing skills with a three-step writing process, making it the best choice for business owners.

30-day money-back guarantee

It's taught by Elizabeth Goins, a coach and consultant for Fortune 500 executives who’s led nearly 300 group training seminars. The course’s focus on developing advanced written communication skills, emotional intelligence, and persuasion makes it our top choice for business owners.

Write Like a Boss: Master Your Business Writing Skills teaches you how to write emails that get responses, persuade diverse audiences using proven strategies, improve the clarity of your writing, evaluate your writing habits, and more. The course consists of 90 minutes of on-demand video, one article, six downloadable resources, and one practice test, all accessible online or via the Udemy app.

Write Like a Boss: Master Your Business Writing Skills is available for a one-time purchase of $99.99. But Udemy runs regular specials, so the course is often available for less than that. You get full lifetime access to the course and a certificate of completion when you’ve finished it. Udemy offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

In addition to the certificate of completion, the course also provides 2.4 CPE credits for the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).

Although the wide range of online learning platforms has made it easier than ever to find expert business writers teaching their skills, finding the right class for your needs can be tricky. We chose Coursera’s Business Writing, offered by the University of Colorado, because of its affordable pricing options, careful methodology, and high reviews. The flexible scheduling also makes it accessible, regardless of school or work schedule. If you're already experienced and looking to improve your skills, LinkedIn Learning’s Tips for Better Business Writing course is a great choice.

Compare the Best Online Business Writing Classes

Are online writing courses worth it.

Emails, articles, and sales pages are among the most useful business writing content due to their potential to persuade a reader to make a decision that will benefit your business.  

Learning how to identify your audience is one of the most valuable skills a good business writing class can teach you. Knowing exactly what your readers care about lets you write directly to them and build trust and valuable relationships that can ultimately prove to be profitable. 

What are the four types of business writing?

The four types of business writing are instructional, informational, persuasive, and transactional. Learning how to identify your audience and which style of writing to utilize are some of the most valuable skills a good business writing class can teach you. Knowing exactly what your readers care about lets you write directly to them and build trust and valuable relationships that can ultimately prove to be profitable. 

Can I make a living with content writing?

Yes, there are many ways to make a living as a content writer. Business writing classes can help you become a better marketer by identifying the various needs of your audience and tailoring your writing to meet those needs. If you’re a freelancer, for instance, knowing how to write a persuasive email can help you land more clients and professionally resolve conflicts or difficulties.

How much do online business writing classes cost?

In our research, we found that most good online business writing classes cost between $50 to $100+. By comparison, an accredited college course in business writing can be $600 or more.

Many online learning platforms use subscription-based pricing that gives students access to their full catalog of courses as long as they maintain their subscription. This can be a great way to piece together a curriculum of learning and study for a reasonable price. 

We looked at over a dozen online business writing courses for this review. At the top of our list were offerings that had high ratings and student enrollment, as those factors are often an indicator of quality.

We also delved into the experience of the instructors. Since being an expert doesn’t automatically mean you can teach what you know, we looked for professionals with extensive experience distilling their knowledge through consulting, writing, presenting, or teaching.

We chose courses that were self-paced and easy to use with little to no technical skills. Flexible learning options allow both busy professionals and students to learn on their own schedules, making them more likely to enroll in and complete a course.

Finally, we considered pricing in our review. With so many good courses available for a reasonable monthly subscription or a one-time payment under $100, we left out some higher-priced courses that didn’t seem to offer more than their more affordable alternatives.

Bongkarn Thanyakij / EyeEm / Getty Images

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The Writer’s Center offers hundreds of writing workshops and classes every year. Workshops cover all genres and all experience levels. Join us in person and online.

Events Search and Views Navigation

Event views navigation, writing about mental illness.

Whether you have experienced mental illness personally or have a loved one with mental illness, writing about it can help you process the challenges and inner conflicts while creating powerful narratives that reduce stigma and stereotypes. In the spirit of healing through storytelling, participants will write about how mental illness has directly or indirectly affected their lives. You will learn creative ways to practice self-discovery through writing and turn personal experience into art, and you will come away with two rough drafts in whatever genre you choose. For inspiration, we will read pieces by Elyn Saks, Bassey Ikpi, Mariah Hornbacher, and more. Please note, this is not a replacement for therapy. It’s an opportunity to explore a difficult topic through a creative lens.

The Power of Structure: Fixing your Table of Contents

Join us for an immersive workshop where we’ll guide you through the art of creating a compelling table of contents. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn how to organize your ideas effectively, create a roadmap for your readers, and ensure your manuscript flows seamlessly from start to finish. Whether you’re working on a novel, a thesis, or any other project, mastering the table of contents is key to captivating your audience. Don’t miss this opportunity to refine your craft and take your writing to new heights.

How to Write a Key Scene

A key scene is an essential building block in any work of fiction. In this session, you’ll learn tips and strategies for making the scene you see in your head come alive on the page so that your reader is compelled to keep turning the pages, rather than turn out the light. Writing exercises will give class members a hands-on feel for how to add texture, dynamism, and drama to a story. The session also provides practical, hands-on guidance about the rewriting process. An added benefit: giving and receiving critical feedback. You’ll come away from the class with the creative muscle memory to write and revise with confidence.

Writers Listening

One of life’s great joys is finding time to listen — whether to the scattered wonders of conversation or to the many voices of the non-human world: birdsongs, wild wind, river’s sweep. In this two-hour workshop we will identify sources for the listener’s delight, and share ways to grow them into poems, songs, and stories. No experience necessary.

Your First (or Next) Novel

Writing a novel takes commitment, but it doesn’t need to be daunting. Learn how to generate a handful of plots to choose from, methods for effectively planning your story, and simple hacks for fine tuning your basic fiction skills. Participants will initiate a flexible writing plan that will keep their writing flowing. This is a great half-day session for the beginning long-form fiction writer, or for the more experienced author in need of a quick strategy brush-up.

Crafting Short Stories

In this workshop, participants will examine the qualities of good writing and good storytelling. After a recap on the constituent elements of short fiction, we will take a fresh look at contemporary and classic stories alike. Each week, writers will craft a new piece and offer feedback to fellow participants. By the course’s end, writers will have workshopped several stories each and revised them with an eye toward publication.

Plotting Your Novel

Whether you are an organized planner or a writer who flies by the seat of their pants, a novel still needs structure. In this workshop, participants will study the architecture of a novel and devise plans for plotting their novels. Using the three-act structure as a map, we will explore the basic components of a novel’s plot.

Facing Your Writing Fears

Not only is writing a lonely process, it can be downright scary. And, when it comes to mustering the courage to share our work with others, fear can turn to terror. In this session we’ll look at understanding what frightens us — and how to get beyond those fears.

Book Marketing on a Budget

You’ve written – or are writing your book – now fight for it! In this workshop we’ll focus on over two dozen book marketing tips, with a close eye on budgets. From book launches, social media, blogging and podcasting, to writing press releases, creating Amazon Author’s pages, and connecting with publicists, we’ll fill your head, and notebook with ideas; over 30 of them! If you think writing a book is exciting, wait until you feel the thrill of professionally promoting it!

Micro Memoirs

Join us to explore the elements of memoir in small manageable bites. We’ll read and discuss Micro Memoirs, also called Flash Memoir, (50-250 words) to inspire your own writing and enhance your storytelling skills. Each week, with provided prompts, you’ll write about a variety of incidents, stories, or memories while building specific craft skills (image, metaphor, point of view, rhetorical strategies to address memory “gaps,” and more). In each class there will also be time for students to read their work out loud, to receive specific appreciations. Using a writer-focused workshop process, we’ll replace opinions and invasive “fix-its” with specific answers to their questions to best serve the writer and support them in revision. This class is perfect for poets and prose writers who want to write about their lives or family histories, get out of their writing ruts, and enhance their skills with feedback and revision.

Evoking Reader Empathy

Even when a story is skillfully written, it may not be enough to make the reader care. The key lies in the emotional impact your story has on readers — inviting them to not only invest in your characters, but to embark on an emotional journey of their own. We’ll discuss how to avoid cliché and heavy-handed moralizing; determine the most effective balance of internal thought, scene, and underlying tension; and discover how to let an object or image (your father’s watch, a specific place, work of art, etc.) carry the emotional weight of your story. Reading examples and short exercises will give participants the opportunity to experiment with creating empathy on the page.

Creating Backstory & Flashbacks

Every character has a hidden history from before your story starts. Learn how to masterfully weave in details and experiences that enrich your characters and create believable motivation. Novelists, short story authors, and creative nonfiction writers will all benefit from these twin skills. You’ll see your writing grow in sophistication and depth.

Writing Compelling Historical Fiction

Setting your fictional characters in the real time and place your story occurs makes it a vivid read that will draw readers in and keep them turning pages. The first three workshops will teach participants how to access the broad spectrum of information available in person and online in the unique research institutions that exist in the DC area, including the National Archives; the Library of Congress; Federal Records Centers; Federal agencies’ Public Information Offices; Federal and state courts; libraries specializing in Washingtoniana; foreign embassies; and more. During the last two workshops, every student will present their proposed research plan and critique the plans of their classmates, to ensure that their research will focus on the most helpful institutions and the most valuable topics.

Poetry of the Erotic

For many poets, writing poems about sex can feel intimidating and difficult. Yet for as long as there’s been poetry, there have been poems that celebrate the joys, mysteries, and chaos of erotic connection. This workshop offers an opportunity for poets to write their own poems with Eros at the center, as well as read and study poems featuring a wide range of poets of color, and queer and trans poets. In this workshop we’ll ask ourselves questions like: How can poems about sex gesture toward even larger considerations than sex itself? What might we learn from poetic traditions that blend erotic poetry and spiritual poetry? How does Eros locate the body both within itself, while transcending the self? By the end of this workshop, students can expect to leave with new poems and new insights into their own poetic process. Students should plan to come to the first workshop with a favorite poem by another poet, to share with the group.

How to Write a Novel

A practical plan that takes you from the mere germ of an idea all the way through the creative process, with an eye on getting a finished book into the hands of potential fans. We’ll discuss how to transform the nub of an idea into a book-length project, populated with interesting characters, a twisty-turny plot, snappy dialogue, and an interesting setting. We’ll also look at strategies for finding an agent and marketing the finished product. You’ll come away from the class with the encouragement to begin and perfect your writing project.

Plant Writing

This workshop is a mix of botanical science and literary explorations of non-fiction forms of writing that focus on ecology and plants. Together, we’ll discuss and practice writing traditions such as garden writing, science communication, and personal essays with a focus on our relationships to plants and land around us.

The Extreme Novelist

Can’t find the time/energy/inspiration to get your novel written? This popular course, developed by the author of the book by the same name, will help you complete a rough draft in just 8 weeks. Students receive the encouraging guidance of professional writing coach Kathryn Johnson. Each author will commit to an aggressive writing schedule and learn the tricks pros use to create a productive working environment and meet their deadlines, despite life’s distractions. Classes will include accountability and progress reports from each student, troubleshooting discussions, a brief lecture on some aspect of the fiction craft, and the opportunity to submit portions of the work-in-progress to the instructor for individual feedback and guidance. (Note: This is not a work-shopping course. Further information will be sent to registered students, in advance of the first class.)

Finding Subjects that Move and Entertain

Do you have sensibility of a writer, but your subject eludes you? Have you written many pieces but not the story you were born to tell? Does your subject feel too big, too vague, or perhaps too difficult to confront? Uncertain what genre suits your story? Using published examples, writing exercises, lively discussion, and inspiring instruction, this workshop will distill from memory and imagination the story you are meant to write. Perfect for new writers wishing to explore and for more advanced writers seeking fresh inspiration or a new direction to energize their work.

Experimenting with Form

What do immigration forms, censored letters, and dictionary definitions have in common? They’re all ways to tell a story! In this class, we’ll free our imaginations by writing stories, poems, and essays in expected ways. Come take a risk and see what you discover about your craft, your inspiration, and yourself.

Creating Conflict & Tension

It’s often said that without conflict there is no story. Strengthening the conflict in any type of fiction will bump up the tension and turn limp, ordinary fiction into an extraordinary tale that will keep readers turning pages. Whether you choose to write literary fiction, mysteries, family sagas, thrillers, historical fiction, sci-fi, fantasy or even creative nonfiction—you can learn techniques for drawing readers into your tales through action, dialogue, setting details, and plot twists that make your work stand out from the crowd. Join us and leave with ideas to apply to your stories.

Write Through It: A Generative Workshop on Grief and Loss

Grief and loss are topics often written about in poetry. In this workshop we’ll read poems about loss and use them as prompts to write our own poems about the people/things/places/ideas we’ve lost or are grieving. Expect to write 2-4 new drafts of poems.

UnClogging Your Brain

Prompts will spark memories, characters, and places, turning them into poems, scenes, dialogues, and stories. During ‘UnClogging’ you will likely come up with an ‘idea’ that you feel compelled to expand on, or perhaps be re-inspired to continue an unfinished work later. Find new perspective and confidence!

5 Women Poets

One outstanding poet will be featured in each class, and as we examine their work we will write 3 or 4 of our own poems, for a total of 15-20 poems during the course. We will share our work as we write it, and in the last class will workshop a few of the most promising pieces by each student. The poets we will learn from are Ada Limón, Linda Pastan, Natasha Trethewey, Denise Levertov, and Elizabeth Bishop—they will guide us with new and old forms, metaphor, voice, subject matter, and more. Note: No meeting July 4.

Freedom With Forms

Here’s an opportunity to shed any misconception that received forms are constricting. Inspired by Richard Moore’s “The Rule That Liberates,” we will do brief writing exercises that use the enchantment of meter and rhyme to liberate your deeper imagination. After exploring several traditional forms, we will experiment with creating improvised (nonce) forms. Participants may leave with at least one new draft poem and ideas for creating more.

Inspiration Station — A Multi-Genre Workshop

Helpful exercises and prompts can free your imagination and lead you to surprises in your writing. If you’ve already chosen a genre to pursue, this workshop can help you broaden your approach by using techniques from other genres. If you write poems, perhaps you could write poetic fiction. This will be a positive space in a can’t-fail atmosphere. Your writing is greeted with support and (often) applause from your workshop colleagues. Receive generative tips to take with you. You will leave with a finished poem and flash fiction or memoir excerpts—and the fun you had writing them. Bring your favorite writing instruments. If you have a poem or paragraph you love that makes you want to write, bring that too.

Vulnerability in Personal Storytelling

Each of us has the power to look at our lived experiences to find meaning and wisdom that we can transform however we want: into art, into lifestyle, into legacy. In this workshop, you will learn how to view creative vulnerability as generosity, and how to offer up your humanity through story as a gift to yourself and others. You will come away from this workshop with perspective on your unique storyteller type and how grasping it can build courage, as well as best practices for taking care of yourself as you do this introspective work. Writers will produce a rough draft of a personal story.

Flash: Beyond the Genre Binary

Poetry or prose? Fiction or fact? Narrative or lyric? Flash doesn’t care about your boundaries. Flash crosses borders at will and steals what works. Flash is fixed on the image, stuck in the moment. Flash is a magnifying glass on a sunny day, aimed at a predictably industrious and utterly unsuspecting ant. Flash speaks in multitudinous vernaculars. Flash is literary, queered. During our time together, we’ll read some pieces resplendent in their brevity, talk about what makes them great flash – or not, and spend some time crafting mad flashes of our own.

Plot Like a Pro

You have a great idea for a story. Do you dive in and just begin writing, or start by drafting an outline? Are you a born planner or a writer who loves to discover stories organically (i.e., a pantser)? Understanding how to structure a well-conceived story around a main character and central conflict, while paying attention to pacing, can make the difference between a finished, publishable manuscript and an abandoned work-in-progress. Plotting provides a safety net that never robs the author of the joy of writing, and always reduces revision time. Think you can’t plot? Join us for this course, and we’ll show you how!

Natural Meter Crash Course

Have you ever wondered how scanning the lines of your first draft can make for a better poem? Here’s an opportunity to improve your ear for meter—a major element of poetic prosody—and to fine-tune your understanding of how it works. Guided by an internationally published author of sonnets, villanelles, and other metrical poems, this one-day workshop includes scansion of well-known poems, writing exercises, and, if you like, close examination of a poem you’ve drafted prior to class. You’ll leave with new insights about improving the auditory qualities of all your poems and prose.

Picture Book Revision Workshop

Bring your completed picture book manuscript to work on as we complete real-time revision that addresses the big picture, plot and character beats, and line by line strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript.

How To Write, Pitch, and Place Op Eds

Learn from an expert how to format, write, and pitch your opinion. Second only to the Front Page, the OP ED page is read by more readers than any other. In this class you’ll learn how to write an opening paragraph that pulls readers in, what factual sources editors trust (or don’t), the three questions an OP ED editor needs you to answer, how to take down opposing arguments politely, and end your piece to get results. Each session presents important information, from what words constitute an editor’s red flags to what’s in the contract you’ll sign. Each session presents a lecture with specific examples and offers a workshop to let you practice and receive feedback—if you wish it.

My Favorite Things: Writing About Ordinary Objects and Places

Contrary to what you’ve been told, poetry can be accessible and profound by paying attention to the mundane. In this workshop we will write a new poem each meeting based on odes, praise songs, and, yes, our favorite things to arrive at the pleasures and wisdom of poetry.

How to Write Dialogue That Advances Plot, Scene, and Motive

In each session of this workshop, you’ll hear a brief lecture with examples, and be able to practice a particular technique to understand the why and how it’seffective. Participants who wish to read their practice work aloud for quick feedback may do so.

The Complete Playwright

Dig into the full spectrum of playwriting — with workshops on process, form and technique, and group critique sessions that develop your individual approach to writing for performance. Over eight weeks, we’ll explore playwriting in a wide range of forms: from realism and adaptations to immersive theatre, musicals and verbatim plays. In-depth sessions on writing dialogue, crafting character and dramatic world-building will be paired with weekly critique sessions, giving each writer dedicated time to interrogate your ideas and find your unique style. You’ll come away with a full understanding of the playwright’s tools and techniques and new connections with fellow scriptwriters.

Point of View and Narrative Voice

Do the multitude of Point of View options elude you? We will look at everything from the first person point of view to the editorial omniscient, as well as some of the less traditional points of view, to help you choose the best voice to tell your story.

Intro to the Novel

This workshop will help you understand the process of writing a novel so you can get started putting pen to paper. The workshop will focus on everything from generating ideas to developing characters to establishing point of view. Participants will discuss many elements of fiction (dialogue, scene, etc.) but the emphasis will be on discovering the writing process that works best for each writer.

Creative Spirit: Infusing Your Writing with Energy and Inspiration

Are you struggling to find your voice as a writer? Do you have a story to tell but feel stuck in the creative process? No matter your beliefs, spirituality and open-mindedness can play a critical role in the creative process if we allow it and nurture it. In a safe and supportive space, reintroduce your childlike wonder around creativity so you can write freely, authentically reclaim your power, and uncover your true gifts. In this workshop you will learn to facilitate a concentrated focus and tap into a higher source of inspiration, whether viewed as the highest self, inner wisdom, or any other entity. You will walk away with efficient ways to set intentions for different writing projects, stay in the present, trust your process, set healthy boundaries, and follow signs and intuition. You will have the information necessary to create a sacred space and ritual for your writing practice, motivating you to enrich your content and deepen your message.

How to Start a Compelling Story

This workshop will teach writers how to capture readers’ and agents’ attention from the very first sentence and keep them turning pages. We will examine the way successful authors of both fiction and nonfiction draw us in, make us care, and create stakes in which we are immediately invested. By the end of this workshop participants will have created their own compelling story start upon which to build.

How to Write a Lot

You may think you don’t have the time, energy, or inspiration to write because of your hectic lifestyle. Wrong! Learn what Kathryn Johnson’s Extreme Novelists know about organizing their time, establishing a productive writing routine, and getting their stories written. We’ll share methods EN Grads (and many professional writers) use to complete their books in months instead of years, their short stories in mere weeks. Become the dedicated author you’ve always dreamed of being.

Find the Right Agent for You: Submission Package Workshop Class

To get a book published by a traditional publisher, you need an agent. In this class you will learn how to research agents to find the right one for you. After studying sample query letters, you’ll write your own query to be critiqued by your classmates. We will also workshop everyone’s opening pages and discuss topics such as conference pitch sessions, common query mistakes, and agent red-flags. By the end of the workshop, you will be ready to send query submissions to the agents of your choice. (Although you do not need to bring it to class, you should have a completed manuscript you are hoping to publish through traditional publishing.)

Marketing Your Poetry

This workshop will show you easy hacks for promoting your book. With small presses a popular choice for publishing, more writers are looking for ways to market their books when their publishers don’t have the resources. Courtney LeBlanc has published with small presses and have experience with grassroots marketing. She has successfully gotten her books included in festivals, author events, and into bookstores. The tips she will offer are low/no-cost, which is beneficial for writers on a budget.

Fiction II: Revise, Perfect and Submit!

This course aims to help you experience your work objectively, help you polish your work, and give you tools to submit to either literary journals, competitions, or agents. We will workshop, give and receive constructive, concrete feedback, discuss peer submissions, do writing exercises, critique query letters and talk about all things publishing.

Elements of Writing: Sound & Vision

As Rumi once wrote, “I can’t stop pointing to the beauty. Every moment and place says, ‘Put this design in your carpet!” In this exploratory four-week generative workshop, we will engage multidisciplinary modes of creativity to guide inspiration for writing. Using sound and vision as the aperture to ignite the inner dialogue, each week will integrate these mediums to engage a sensory interplay and weave a tapestry for the written word. Within this collaborative expression, we will utilize visual objects and music as the streaming catalysts for our subconscious intellect.

What a Character!

An introduction to the key elements and craft strategies of fiction, with a focus on creating and refining character-based stories (whether short stories or novels).

Persona Poem Crash Course

In the Persona Poem, or Dramatic Monologue, the poet writes in the voice of another real or imagined person—or even an inanimate object. Guided by a widely published author of persona and other poems, you will read and discuss several time-honored examples, then start new ones of your own. You may find unexpected insights, expanding your poetic range in the process.

Poetry Writing and Revision

For some poets, the most difficult part of writing is getting to the page. For others, it is the act of revisiting that first draft. This course will help students not only write new work with ease, but also return to those poems with a keen eye towards revision. To start, participants will respond to weekly prompts with a craft focus, based on readings from poets like Ada Limón, Chen Chen, Jericho Brown, and Natalie Diaz. Mid-way through the course, we will shift our focus to revision, reapproaching the poems from earlier weeks. Readings will outline various revision strategies and techniques aimed at giving students new entry points into their work. By the end of the course, students can expect to have written at least 3-6 new poems, with 3 substantial revisions. There will be 1 opportunity to receive feedback from other students and multiple opportunities for feedback from the instructor, but this is not an entirely workshop-style course. Students should have at least one poem in its early draft stages to begin the course.

Troubleshooting Your Fiction

Revision is a dirty word to some writers. But you needn’t fear the challenges of polishing a manuscript before submission and publication. This fast-paced, half-day class focuses on the ten most common mistakes and concerns, often overlooked by authors before they send their story out into the world. Everything you do to your manuscript after the first draft is what makes the difference between a ho-hum story and a powerful tale that lingers in readers’ minds. Join us for a painless look at the major revision issues for fiction.

Poetry Vs. Trauma

Trauma can shut us down; writing poems can help free us to open up again. This workshop will present some of the many ways poetry has helped writers both heal trauma and prevent post-traumatic stress syndrome. Guided by an internationally published poet, you will explore the science behind this and learn a range of techniques, immediately putting several of them to use in drafting new work. The workshop includes reading and discussion of time-honored poems, close attention to emotional and sensory aspects of poetry, several class writing exercises, and feedback on poems for those who wish to share them. (Note: All sharing is optional. This workshop is not a substitute for therapy.)

Exercises to Improve Your Writing

Not only will you learn from expert feedback in this workshop, you can continue to learn from this workshop even after it’s over. Exercises offered in this workshop are designed for repeated use in your practice at home—including some tailored to jump-start your inspiration.

August 2024

Diy novel revision.

Do you have a finished draft of a novel but don’t know what to do next? This workshop will take you through the revision and editing process step-by-step. From large-picture issues like plot and structure, characterization, etc… to line editing, we will look at what it takes to revise your own novel without the assistance of a professional editor.

How to Write A Grant Proposal

Learn how to write proposals to request grants from funders. This workshop will cover how to research prospective funders, the elements of a good proposal, and how to approach funders. Proposal writing is a practical skill that, applied to those who work or volunteer for non-profit organizations, can be a good source of freelance writing income. Please come to class with a non-profit or project in mind to use as the focus of your research and proposal. By the end of class, you will have a draft of a proposal to use for fundraising. Note: The workshop will meet August 3, 10, and 17. There will be a fourth meeting on September 14 to review your finished proposal.

Ready, Set, Write! A Generative Fiction Workshop

Join this two-hour generative writing session that will help you shake off your inner editor and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). If you’ve been uninspired in your creativity lately, feel like your work could use a jolt, or just want to give yourself dedicated writing time, this session is structured to encourage creativity and playfulness. A range of prompts, short reading selections, and class discussion—along with in-class writing time—will introduce different craft techniques, styles, and approaches that will pump up your inspiration and get the words flowing. By the end of the session, you’ll have the start for 4-5 new story drafts.

Poetic Memoir

Do you want to approach personal memoir in short, manageable high points rather than attempting a long running narrative? Poems can capture the most meaningful moments of your life and evoke their essence in a reader. In this course you’ll begin to learn how to focus on such moments and present them so they illustrate you in your life and imply its arc. You’ll draft one poem after the first session and have a clear sense of how to revise it by the end of the second.

Book Promotion Through Podcasting

Podcasting is one of the easiest ways to get your book and your voice out there, and we’ll not only be looking at how to find good podcasts and get booked on them, we’ll even talk about how to start your own podcast!

Ekphrastic Poetry

Find new ways to enter your drafts and deepen your revisions by writing poems about the visual arts (ekphrastic poems). We’ll read and discuss a variety of ekphrastic poems to inspire your own writing and enhance your craft skills (line, image, repetition, point of view, etc.). You’ll find new ways to access common themes, explore new terrain, and braid two narratives to enrich your poems. Each week, with provided prompts, you’ll be encouraged to visit a local gallery/museum and write about an artwork that moves you. Students will read aloud drafts for feedback of general appreciation and using a writer-focused workshop process, we’ll replace opinions and invasive “fix-its” with specific feedback to best serve the poet and support them in revisions. This class is perfect for poets looking to deepen their own creative process, write about art, and enhance their skills with feedback and revision.

Short Story I

Participants will bring in work which to be workshopped by the entire class. This workshop will teach participnats how to edit other’s work, read like a writer, scrutinize sentences, and how to submit to magazines.

Best Served Cold: Writing Revenge Poems

This generative workshop will review and discuss poems that serve, in some way, a bit of revenge on someone. We’ll then write our own revenge poems, participants can expect to leave with 2-4 new drafts of poems.

Journaling Techniques for Writing Memories

This workshop is about the pursuit of insight through writing personal memories. Whether you currently keep a journal or want to start journaling to nurture a consistent writing practice, in this two-day workshop you will learn journaling techniques that help you recall significant memories and explore the meaning behind those experiences. We will explore how a memoir writer’s journal differs from a regular journal, how to get your memoir journal started, and how to work with your captured memories to create a single storyline.

Write Like the News

Lead with the future — not background — for lead-ership, especially in a crisis. That’s the most important of eight journalism skills that will transform your writing. The others: write your readers’ language, be positive (to be both clear and upbeat), lay out logically, be consistent, be precise, be concise and choose strong verbs. (Plus a Speak Like the News skill: avoid “uptalk?”) Emulate the vivid news examples you’ll see in this workshop, and you’ll strengthen your writing voice with lively, engaging news style. At 7 sharp, we’ll critique TheWallStreetJournal.com, seeing how to communicate your main point in just a few words. To cover as much ground as possible, we’ll have just a few writing exercises and most of them will take less than a minute each.

September 2024

Crafting your life into story.

Following a tried-and-true formula (“Once upon a time . . . . Then, one day . . .”), you will learn how to identify, begin, and structure an autobiographical story, whether fiction or non-fiction. Participants will finish the workshop with the plots of at least three new autobiographical works, a two-page beginning of a new essay, story, novel, or memoir, or a revised beginning of their work-in-progress. Participants should bring either paper and pen or a writing device.Part 1: Learn how to begin and structure your new work. Part 2 (two weeks later): Workshop the drafts (5 pages max.) of your new work.

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INSTRUCTOR-LED COURSE

The Business Writing Workshop

Take your organization to its next level of excellence

• Understand the basics of business writing to build skills as an effective communicator in the workplace
• Write clearly and purposefully to convey the intended message in the intended tone
• Create effective instructional content by identifying the goals and the audience needs
• Identify the qualities of good technical writing and effectively research, document and communicate findings
• Use persuasive writing to build bridges and foster positive working relationships to achieve organizational goals
• Write with diplomacy, transparency and respect to convey the intended message in challenging situations—even when disagreeing or delivering bad news

Interested in bringing this course to your organization? Let’s connect!

High-quality business writing is essential for the success of nearly every organization. Employees who can distinguish themselves as excellent writers increase organizational productivity while boosting their professional statures and positively influencing the trajectories of their careers.

This course will explore the basics of business writing and identify skills needed to write effectively in different situations. Participants will discuss the importance of tone, word choice and consideration of audience and purpose for impactful written communication.

COURSE OUTLINE

Module 1: exploring the basics of business writing.

The essential purpose of business writing is to clearly communicate necessary information. Recognize the functions and elements of this type of writing to enhance impact.

• Discuss the functions and elements of business writing and how it differs from other types of writing
• Describe considerations and myths of this type of communication
• Practice writing and editing for a specific audience and purpose

Module 2: Writing to Communicate

Transactional writing tends to be the most common form performed in the workplace. Become familiar with the qualities of effective written communication.

• Identify purposes and varieties of transactional writing
• Describe the qualities of compelling written communication
• Apply sound principles for crafting opening and closing statements

Module 3: Examining Instructional Writing

Whether composing an email with directions for a vendor or constructing a training manual for company procedures, instructional writing is essential in the workplace. Identify the fundamentals of effective instructional writing.

• Establish the goal of instructional writing projects
• Identify the background and needs of the audience
• Practice brainstorming and writing instructional content

Module 4: Recognize the Qualities of Informational Writing

Research-based written communication is used to affect decision making within organizations. Discuss the components of purposeful informational writing.

• Recognize the qualities of good technical writing and assess personal strengths and challenges
• Identify the standard styles and components of effective white papers and reports
• Discuss the purpose and best practices for writing collaboratively

Module 5: Writing as a Mode of Influence

Excellent persuasive writing aims to build bridges and foster positive working relationships to achieve organizational goals. Discuss the roles of trust and credibility in writing influentially.

• Discuss writing as a mode of influence
• Establish trust and a basis of understanding with the reader
• Demonstrate understanding of persuasive writing through practical application

Module 6: Practicing Diplomacy Through Writing

A risk of communicating in writing is conveying unintended messages. Practice using diplomacy to express essential information and protect productivity.

• Identify the purpose of diplomatic writing in conveying sensitive messages
• Discuss how to protect working relationships with clear and direct writing
• Recognize how to convey bad news without shutting down the conversation

This content can be delivered in a variety of modalities. Click here to learn more .

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Running Writing Workshops

Run effective writing workshops ..

This professional development course provides you with the skills and confidence required to run successful writing workshops.

The six-week online course, taught by world-leading tutors, gives you the practical resources and theoretical background to design an effective writing group of your own. The course is suitable for those offering, or intending to offer, writing workshops in academic, healthcare or recreational settings. You will learn about group dynamics and the psychology of what makes groups tick as well as important issues of ethics, legalities and safeguarding.

This is a certified CPD course and those who successfully complete the course receive a Certification of Completion confirming their learning and study hours.

Anne Taylor

Anne Taylor is a writer, teacher, Feldenkrais practitioner and writing group facilitator. She worked for many years as a journalist and university lecturer before embarking on an MA in Creative Writing and Personal Development and the facilitation of writing groups with various organisations and universities.

Victoria Field

Victoria Field is a pioneer in the use of writing for health and wellbeing and is a qualified biblio- poetry therapist. She has published several poetry collections and a memoir, has edited three books on therapeutic writing and has contributed to many academic and popular publications.

CPD accreditation

This course has been independently accredited for integrity and quality. It reaches globally recognised CPD standards and benchmarks for active learning that develops professional skills, competence and career aspirations.

How it works

We give you the theory in the form of videos, podcasts, written lectures and reading extracts. In the case of our live workshops, this includes a live online seminar.

You put it into practice by completing the writing assignments.

You share your work with the small group of fellow writers and the teaching team.

Your tutor and fellow learners read your work and give professional-style feedback on your submission. Giving feedback notes helps to build your skills as an editor - a critical part of the writing process.

You reflect on the exercises with the group and share what you’ve learned.

You use what you learned from the feedback and discussions to review your work and improve it.

Things to know

Running Writing Workshops is for anyone looking to develop a range of workshop management skills for use in their own creative, academic, professional or recreational practice.

The course is suitable if you:

• Are running or would like to run writing groups or workshops
• Would like to develop your skills as a group facilitator
• Work with groups or run writing workshops in schools and academic settings
• Use writing groups in your counselling practice
• Run or would like to set up an informal creative writing group
• Are interested in using writing as a therapeutic tool in group settings
• Need a steer on the logistics, ethics and legal framework of running groups
• Are looking for practical resources, exercises and teaching plans to use with writing groups
• Are seeking a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) course (15 hours didactic learning, 15 hours peer learning)
• Enjoy the discipline of deadlines and peer learning
• Want to join a friendly and supportive small group of learners
• Can dedicate a minimum of 5-7 hours per week to the learning (at a time to suit you).

This course allows you to:

• Learn the principles of running a writing workshop
• Explore and identify your role as a writing group facilitator
• Identify what kind of workshop you would like to run
• Develop an action plan for getting a workshop off the ground
• Make workshops more effective in academic settings
• Run groups in a professional setting for reflective practice
• Use writing workshops as a teaching tool
• Set up informal groups for creative writers
• Produce teaching and management plans, risk assessments, launch plans and promotional materials
• Feel confident in using a range of resources and exercises
• Develop transferable professional skills (discipline, attention to detail, ability to work to deadlines)
• Increase professionalism in working with others
• Feel more confident in responding to other people’s work and receiving responses to your own work
• Build greater independence, autonomy and judgment as you self-direct, self-manage and realise assignments to the course briefs.

Each course is divided into sessions. These sessions are released one by one (weekly or fortnightly, depending on the course). 

There’s no need to log on at a set time. You can work through the learning materials whenever suits you, day or night, wherever you are in the world. Just complete the assignments and join forum discussions by the session deadline. 

Our teaching method is based on the science of active learning: you read/listen/watch, try out, share and reflect. It’s a social experience – you become part of a small group, feeding back on each other’s writing to build a supportive bunch of readers you trust. Find out more here .

Sessions are available on Monday morning each week. While there are set deadlines for posting your work and giving feedback to fellow classmates, our 24/7 digital campus means you can work through the course material at your own pace. This course is flexible, with no pre-recordings or live classes, so you can dip in and out, fitting perfectly around any work or family commitments.

Session 1: Introducing Writing Groups – What is a writing workshop? We’ll begin by considering the history of writing groups and the variety of settings and people that they might include. We’ll look at what you want to gain personally from the course and start thinking about the sort of group you’d like to run.

Session 2: How Do Groups Work? – We’ll consider the psychology of groups and what makes them tick, with reference to existing principles including transference and projection. You’ll consider your own experience of group dynamics and how this will affect your practice and workshop plan.

Session 3: Being a Facilitator – What kind of facilitator will you be and what skills will you need? We’ll discuss facilitation styles and using writing and reflection, and will start to explore the style in which you will run your group.

Session 4: Planning and Managing – We’ll look at how to structure a session or group series, how to establish goals and evaluate outcomes. You’ll think about goals for your own writing group and content for the sessions.

Session 5: Staying Safe – We’ll consider the important issues of ethics and legalities of running groups and of keeping ourselves safe through mentoring and supervision. You’ll put your own ideas forward on how to deal with these challenges.

Session 6: Putting it All Together – You’ll complete the course by writing a mission statement based on your learning so far. With the support of your tutors and fellow learners, you’ll put the finishing touches to your writing group project proposal and outline your plans for the future.

After finishing the course you might like to explore our companion course Introduction to Therapeutic and Reflective Writing.

Join our alumni community 

After your course, you can join our online alumni community – a friendly group of writers supporting each other as they continue to explore and develop their writing. There’s no cost for this. It’s easy to access via the online classroom, where you can:

• Revisit all your courses materials, including tutor notes, feedback, videos, podcasts and forum posts
• Rejoin your classmates, and continue working together in a private space
• Meet alumni from other courses to find beta-readers and share work on our critiquing forum
• Network with other writers working in your genre or area of interest
• Take part in regular ‘sit and write’ Zoom sessions, to push forward with your work-in progress
• Join our monthly live alumni events with our expert tutors and industry guests, including agents, editors, publishers, competition and festival organisers, and prizewinning writers

Taking things further If you’d like to continue on to another Professional Writing Academy course,  please get in touch  for more details.

Meet your course team

Healing with Words

More about Anne Taylor

Poetry Therapy Pioneer

More about Victoria Field

Kate McBarron

Kate is a writer, editor and writing for wellbeing practitioner & researcher. She is passionate about words and their ability to enhance our daily lives, from relaxation to self-discovery and workplace wellness.

Kate is cofounder of  WritingForLife.co.uk  and founder of  WriteToRelax.com .

More about Kate McBarron

Claire Maguire

Community Guide

Start your journey

£ 475

Earlybird price

£ 428

(Including taxes)

My first response to the end of course tutor feedback — wow, so many pearls with all our names reflecting in the light. Something precious to take away. Thank you.

Find out about our payment plans and get in touch.

Course Alumni

Meet our writers.

Laura Steen

Sometimes it isn’t possible to find your perfect writing group — let alone attend one — for reasons that range from geographical constraints to personal. However, if this has taught me anything, it’s that being part of an online group can be just as rewarding as ‘real life’ interaction.

More on Running Writing Workshops

Write Advice: poetry therapist Victoria Field discusses the power of writing groups

Running Writing Groups course director takes questions from our students.

Ten tips for running writing groups

There’s more to think about than exercises when you’re setting up a workshop. Here, Running Writing Workshops tutor Anne Taylor has put together her ten most important pieces of advice for anyone looking to get involved in holding their own workshops.

How to run a writing workshop

Victoria Field explains the benefits of writing groups and how to run them.

More courses

Looking for something different.

Therapeutic and Reflective Writing

For personal development or for your professional practice.

WriteWell Community

Explore the world’s leading writing for wellbeing platform.

Creativity For Writers

Commit to new ideas and establish creative habits that stick.

December 7, 2017

Graduate Writing Center A “Gem” For Students Polishing Their Skills

By Linda von Hoene

It’s no exaggeration: Thousands of Berkeley graduate students shine brighter thanks to the programs directed by the Graduate Division’s Sabrina Soracco, Director of the Graduate Writing Center.

The Graduate Writing Center — under the umbrella of the Graduate Professional Development Program  — offers highly-regarded workshops, writing groups, and courses designed to assist graduate students with developing the skills and abilities needed to efficiently tackle a wide range of academic writing tasks, from developing a funding proposal to completing a thesis or dissertation.

Soracco conducts a variety of workshops that focus on dissertation and grant writing, technical writing, time management, editing and revising writing, and developing mentoring skills. Students who attend these workshops come away with concrete steps they can take to increase their writing productivity, work well with advisers, respond effectively to feedback, and better manage not only time but even feelings of guilt that often plague graduate students. Students come away from sessions feeling more confident. As one attendee put it, “The material presented made the dissertation process seem doable.”

Multidisciplinary writing groups allow students to review papers and dissertation chapters written by students outside their own discipline. “Students find it remarkably beneficial to explain their research and receive feedback on their writing from colleagues in a range of disciplines, as making their work accessible to a broader academic audience helps them clarify their ideas and sharpen their arguments,” Soracco explains. The writing groups can help to instill good time management habits. Soracco often tells her students, “Start writing yesterday.” Students tend to strive for perfection in academic writing, which can lead to further procrastination. Students should be “very precise and accurate but control ‘the perfection monster’ so that you’re actually productive,” she says.

Emily Hellmich , a recent Berkeley Ph.D. who is now an assistant professor of French at the University of Arizona, describes the short- and long-term impacts of the writing groups: “They were instrumental not only in finishing my degree — accountability is key — but also in developing my skills as a writer. Even now, when I get stuck in a particular writing project, I call on strategies I learned in writing group to jump-start my thinking or process.” As Hellmich puts it, “The writing groups and the Graduate Writing Center are gems at Berkeley.”

Soracco also teaches a semester-long course each spring titled “Graduate Student Professional Development Program (GSPDP) 320: Academic Writing for Graduate Students.” Students benefit from taking the course at any point in their graduate studies. Sociology graduate student Naniette Coleman arrived at Berkeley “with a good amount of writing experience, but I also knew that academic writing for publication was a much different enterprise. I met Sabrina and learned about the interdisciplinary GSPDP 320 course during the fall of my first year and registered to participate the following spring. My goal in taking the class was to carve out time to focus solely on improving my writing and develop a comfort with sharing my work with peers. Through the course I gained confidence in requesting, receiving, and giving feedback that ranged from basic copy edits to questions of ease of understanding and accessibility of my writing. Since taking that course I have been a part of a writing group hosted by the Graduate Writing Center each semester. I cannot imagine my time here without that support.”

The academic writing course has also been instrumental in helping graduate students reach specific goals and accomplish academic milestones. This past year, Soracco added a week-long writing boot camp to her course over spring break. Juan Manuel Aldape Munoz , Ph.D. candidate in Performance Studies, used this opportunity to prepare for the written component of his qualifying exam. He states, “Were it not for the boot camp, I would not have met my goal of writing sample responses in preparation for my exam.” Aldape Munoz articulates the positive impact on time-to-degree such a course can have: “This writing course provided the space and time to focus on the fine details of academic writing that I wanted to develop during this semester. I am excited to continue with my daily writing goals and timeline to help me finish my degree in five years.”

Students can enroll in GSPDP 320, Academic Writing for Graduate Students, via CalCentral . The course meets Thursdays, 4 – 6 pm, in the spring 2018 semester. A condensed version of the course is offered through the Summer Institute for Preparing Future Faculty , which will run May 23 – June 29, 2018.

Watch for announcements of Graduate Writing Center workshops in the Graduate Professional Development (GPD) bi-monthly Digest and on the GPD calendar.

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