Writing Tips Archives

How to Come Up With Story Ideas

July 2, 2020 by Sean Glatch Leave a Comment

Sometimes, coming up with a story idea is the hardest part about writing fiction. Figuring out what to write about can be frustrating, as the desire to create meets the uncertainty surrounding where to begin. Writers are often taught how to write their stories, but not how to develop a great story idea. Luckily, the […]

24 of the Best Writing Exercises to Become a Better Writer

June 15, 2020 by Sean Glatch 3 Comments

The best writing exercises bring out our latent creativity. Especially if you ever feel stuck or blocked, making creative writing exercises part of your daily writing practice can be a great way to both hone your skills and explore new frontiers in your writing. Whether you’re a poet, essayist, storyteller, or genre-bending author, these free […]

10 Character Development Questions to Ask Your Characters

November 26, 2019 by Meghan Christie 1 Comment

Good characters have depth, experience growth, have flaws—they’re real people. Asking yourself a defined set of character development questions is one way to develop these kinds of characters, who jump off the page with realistic and compelling personalities. In this article, we’ve rounded up many helpful character development exercises into a list of ten questions […]

The Danger of “Always” and “Never” Rules in Fiction Writing

July 9, 2019 by Dennis Foley Leave a Comment

Don’t let anyone make you believe that there are rules in fiction writing—except one: Don’t bore your reader. Everything you do either tends to bore the reader or doesn’t. You just need to know the difference and proceed with caution. Equally worth noting is the fact that the words “never” and “always” aren’t appropriate either […]

July

Mastering the Elements of Fiction
With

Jack Smith

July 1, 2020

$360 | 10 Weeks

In this course, you’ll work with the basic elements of fiction–the fundamentals that drive the story and determine the quality of the work.

The Anti-Hero's Journey for Storytellers
With

Gloria Kempton

July 1, 2020

$315 | 8 Weeks

As a prison volunteer for 20 years, Gloria Kempton has met many anti-heroes. In this course, you’ll receive feedback on your story antagonists.

Embodied Writing: Somatic Practices to Improve Your Work
With

Tantra Bensko

July 8, 2020

$260 | 6 Weeks NEW!

Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.

Humor Is The New Black!
With

Giulietta Nardone

July 8, 2020

$215 | 4 Weeks

Ready to add a splash of fun to your writing life? Join us for a four-week humor writing class. We’ll read. We’ll laugh. We’ll write. We’ll experiment.

Write Your Novel! The Workshop With Jack
With

Jack Smith

July 8, 2020

$360 | 10 Weeks

Get a good start on a novel in just ten weeks, or revise a novel you’ve already written. Free your imagination, move steadily ahead and count the pages!

Discover Your Writing Niche
With

Gloria Kempton

July 15, 2020

$315 | 8 Weeks

Fiction or nonfiction? Article, short story, or how-to book? Do you want to write for children, teens, adults? There is a type of writing that is best suited for you, and the discovery process can be an adventure.

Write from the Untamed Mind
With

Susan Vespoli

July 15, 2020

$260 | 6 Weeks

Join Susan in two writing circles each week: intimate spaces for writers to free-write together, saying yes to whatever shows up, followed by group read-arounds. These writing sessions are spontaneous, intimate, freeing, and transformative.

Crafting the Poetry Novel for Young Adults
With

Kelly Bingham

July 22, 2020

$300 | 5 Weeks

Even if you’ve never written poetry before, you can begin the rewarding process of crafting a poetry novel for Young Adults. Is there a market for novels written in verse? Are they well received? Yes, there is, and yes, they are!

Suspense Sells! Power Up Your Writing With Conflict, Tension and Emotion
With

Giulietta Nardone

July 22, 2020

$175 | 4 Weeks

Inject suspense into your stories to keep readers turning pages. For writers of all kinds of fiction: thrillers, mysteries, romance, humor, literary and memoir. A four week class with Giulietta Nardone.

Ordinary to Extraordinary: Turning Everyday Experiences into Poetry
With

Tina Barry

July 29, 2020

$250 | 4 Weeks

No experience is too small or mundane to serve as a foundation for extraordinary poetry and short fiction.

Writing Autobiographical Fiction
With

Jack Smith

July 29, 2020

$315 | 8 Weeks

Learn to depart from “what really happened,” and write compelling fiction from your own life experiences.

August

The Craft of Poetry
With

Jonathan J.G. McClure

August 5, 2020

$315 | 8 Weeks

Poetry is alive and well. Contemporary poets can be touching, terrifying, and laugh-out-loud funny. Join us for an exploration of writing and reading poems.

Plot Your Novel
With

Jack Smith

August 12, 2020

$315 | 8 Weeks

Over eight weeks, you’ll develop a solid basis in the fictional elements—protagonist, setting, secondary characters, point of view, plot, and theme—while you develop the outline of your novel. You’ll receive feedback at all stages from your fellow writers and your instructor.

The Hero's Journey For Storytellers
With

Gloria Kempton

August 12, 2020

$360 | 10 Weeks

Structure your story and give it meaning with Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.

Let’s Get Personal: The Art and Craft of the Personal Essay
With

Margo Perin

August 19, 2020

$350 | 8 Weeks

Draw inspiration and material from your life experiences or “real life” people you know to craft compelling, publishable personal essays.

From Writing Circle to Finished Poem: Turn Raw Writing into Poetry
With

Susan Vespoli

August 26, 2020

$260 | 6 Weeks

Gather together in a virtual writing circle, hit the mute button on your internal editor, and uncover inspiration to shape into poetry.

How to Firm Up the “Mushy Middle” of Any Story
With

Jeff Lyons

August 26, 2020

$250 | 5 Weeks NEW!

Ensure a strong middle throughline for any story. Say goodbye to the “mushy middle,” and hello to stories that work.

September

Crafting Your Collection: Next Steps In Poetic Craft
With

Jonathan J.G. McClure

September 2, 2020

$315 | 8 Weeks

Hone your poetic craft by writing 6-7 new poems and combining them with previously-written poems to create a chapbook, or short poetry collection.

Flash Fiction: Writing the Short-Short Story
With

Barbara Henning

September 2, 2020

$360 | 10 Weeks

Write 1–3-page flash fiction in this online course with Barbara Henning, drawing on classic, poetic & experimental elements. Read the form’s masters.

Manuscript Workshop: Writing For Children
With

Sarah Aronson

September 9, 2020

$430 | 10 weeks

Author Sarah Aronson leads this intermediate/advanced workshop on writing for children. It offers support, structure and detailed feedback on manuscripts.

The "I've Always Wanted To Write Fiction" Workshop
With

Shelley Singer

September 9, 2020

$215 | 5 Weeks

Learn the basics of fiction writing and submit weekly writing for feedback from Shelley Singer, author of 13 novels. It’s time to start.

The Watching Eye: Writing Flash Fiction
With

Barbara Henning

September 16, 2020

$250 | 5 Weeks

Write tiny fictions while experimenting with 3rd person point of view and analyzing how that point of view affects the craft of fiction writing. With Barbara Henning.

Writing the Absurd
With

Jack Smith

September 23, 2020

$315 | 8 Weeks NEW!

If you turn on to the absurd in life—to the ironic, edgy, bizarre, and grotesque—this is the course for you. Learn the key techniques of writing absurdist fiction, dark fiction, and satire.

October

Experiments in Genre: Finding Creative Inspiration by Messing Up the Rules
With

Jonathan J.G. McClure

October 7, 2020

$260 | 6 Weeks NEW!

Can you translate the movement of a dance into a poem? What happens when you write a story in the form of a multiple-choice quiz? Learn to take your work in rich and unexpected new directions by subverting and blending genre conventions.

Poetic Prose: The Prose Poem
With

Barbara Henning

October 7, 2020

$360 | 10 Weeks

Explore the border between prose poetry and flash fiction. For writers of fiction, poetry, essay and memoir.

The Ongoing Fiction Workshop
With

Shelley Singer

October 14, 2020

$360 | 10 Weeks

Many students have attended this 10-week online fiction workshop with Shelley Singer multiple times, completed novels, and come back to finish more books.

View full course schedule »