Early-Bird Discount for July Courses
Get Your Novel on, Dive into Poetry, Get Yourself Home, Hire Yourself & More
Holy smokes do we have some good stuff on tap for July
Here’s where the rubber meets the road.
You’re all warmed up. Keep the writing hot. Dig in:
Highlighted Classes
“There are three rules for writing a novel.Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.” —W. Sommerset Maugham
About 50 pages into a novel when you found yourself running out of know-how and steam? Tried National Novel Writing Month This class moves participants past inspiration into the real work of writing a novel. Participants leave with a significant sample, a synopsis, a detailed outline, and a concrete, achievable completion strategy.
Poetry knows no border and is only interested in what can be divined on the other side of any arbitrary “line in the sand.” In this 4-week course we will develop a small portfolio inspired by forms of poetry that come to us from different parts of the globe. Forms such as haibun, eintou and the abecederian will not be dogma, but encouraged to be used in the creation of inspired poems and even inventive new forms!
Young and enthusiastic? Seasoned and gritty? No matter. If poetry is your wheelhouse, you're welcome here. We'll focus on generative poetry exercises meant to capture a sense of place — as rich in its economy of words as any long narrative would be in paragraphs or pages.
You have writing dreams: A byline in your fav lit mag. A Substack post people can’t stop restacking. An essay that hits a reader straight in the heart. Work that wows an agent. Whatever the aim, learning the roles of an editor and how to apply professional editing tools to your own work will get you there faster! Bring a work in progress or work with the drafts we’ll develop in session.
And in the second half of July, Keep Rolling!
— Three Gifts Doubled: Three For Your Readers & Three For You w/Holly (weekend bootcamp)
Friday, 7/18, 4-6 pm PDT / 7-9 pm EDT, Saturday & Sunday 7/19 & 7/20 12-2pm PDT / 3-5 pm EDT
To write is to revise. To do so well is to give both ourselves and those who read our work a whole lot. This generative workshop focuses on six of those gifts and how we can learn to regularly share them.
— Diamonds from Coal: Pressure of Form in Poetry w/Matt (one-hitter)
Saturday, July 19, 2-5pm PDT / 5-8pm EDT
We won’t be delving into specific forms, but we will cover how applying pressure of form on your work — i.e. line breaks, enjambment, stanzaic structure, punctuation (or lack thereof), and more — can deepen meaning, soften edges, pack a punch, and lead readers where you want.
— Warts & All: Creative Nonfiction Workshop w/Matt (one-hitter)
Wednesday, July 23, 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm PDT / 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm EDT
It’s one thing to tell a story. It’s another to tell a story that leaves a mark on your readers. We'll focus on the elements of good storytelling by mining as many of your life experiences as possible. Come ready to tell the truth — warts and all.
— Deeply Question to Ensure the Bones of Your Work Are in Place w/Holly (one-hitter)
Thursday, July 24 — 3–6 pm PDT / 6–9 pm EDT
What makes “good art”? Knowing how to develop our work is key. Let’s explore how to step back and see our early drafts with a developmental eye and why that leads to a greater understanding of what we mean to say and a firmer foundation. Then we’ll apply deep questioning exercises to open up and transform our work. Bring a work in progress or work with drafts we’ll develop in session.
— Do the Damn Thing: Strategic Planning for Creative People Who Can’t Plan for Sh*t w/Marya (weekend bootcamp)
Friday 7/25, 4-6 pm PDT / 7-9 pm EDT, Saturday & Sunday 7/26 & 7/27 12-2pm PDT / 3-5 pm EDT
Everybody has a great idea. But most of us could use some help creating a strategy for turning it into a finished work. Do the Damn Thing weekend intensives provide real-time exercises, time management tips, and creative tools so participants leave with an effective, achievable strategic plan for their creative project.
— Map Your Curiosity, Reach New Writing Heights w/Holly (one-hitter)
Thursday, July 31 — 3–6 pm PDT / 6–9 pm EDT
Annie Dillard says structural mysteries can seize our work if we don’t carve out structure early on. One tool I’ve applied to every developmental editing project I’ve had works wonders for shaping up structure. Let’s practice applying that tool to early drafts (plus explore how that may be just the way to appease the inner critic). Bring a work in progress or work with drafts we’ll develop in session.
Our work as a collective is rooted in the desire to provide high-quality courses, coaching, and events that explore the art, craft, and business of writing in a collaborative, community-oriented way, and to make those things accessible, affordable, and enjoyable for you.
Thank you for reading and liking and restacking so we can find those who want to join in! We’re over the moon to be engaging with you.
Now your turn
For the comments, have you ever taken a writing course? If so, what did you think of it? If not, what’s the biggest barrier to signing up? What topic would you love to see on our course list?