“You want to write a sentence as clean as a bone. That is the goal.”
—James Baldwin

Good writing becomes great writing at the sentence level. The right choices—in diction, syntax, rhythm, image—bring your voice to life and make your work more memorable, more compelling, and more you. Mastering sentence-level craft can give every line you write more weight, beauty, and meaning to transform how your voice lives on the page.

In this practical and playful seminar, you’ll learn how to elevate your sentences and how to revise and trim with certainty. We’ll read stylish examples, and you’ll practice sharpening your own style through guided exercises. You’ll leave with a comprehensive and fun style guide, take-home assignments, and greater confidence to write sentences that reflect your unique voice—across any genre or project.

Who This Course is For

This course is for writers of all experience levels and genres who care about writing better on the sentence level, and want to build essential craft and style skills that often receive less focus in traditional writing workshops.

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals

• Understand every element of style (word choice, sentence structure, specific and significant details) to write cleaner and clearer sentences that stick with readers
• Learn many types of sentences to make your writing sound like your voice
• Ability to cut and stop using words/phrases you don’t need that distract readers

Writing Goals

• Expand skills (use better words; pick better details; play with tones of voice; create imagery; expand emotional range; and mix up sentences for more intentional pacing and rhythm) 
• Break writing patterns that get in your way and readers’ 

Zoom Schedule

The live workshop will take place on Zoom. We will meet from 3:30-5:30PM Eastern on Sunday, February 22nd. 

Workshop Details

• For 60 minutes, I’ll deliver a once-in-a-lifetime lecture with pep-talks given upon request. 
• During the lecture, we’ll read examples and break down what they do well and how to emulate them. 
• For 45 minutes, students will do writing exercises to practice what I preach and will self-review a paragraph or page they brought to class (and will not share). 
• For the final 15 minutes, there will be a Q&A where students can ask me anything about writing, publishing, style, voice, comedy, tragedy, my personal life, literally anything.

Click the Enroll Now button below, enter your details on the Checkout page,
and reserve your spot in the course.

$115.00 Original price was: $115.00.$100.00Current price is: $100.00.Enroll Now

The post Good on a Sentence Level appeared first on Writers.com.

Through fun, interactive exercises, you’ll learn how to brainstorm story ideas, shape them into compelling narratives, and deliver them with authenticity and spontaneity. Whether you’re new to live storytelling or looking to sharpen your skills, this workshop offers a safe space to explore your voice, get feedback, and build your confidence as a storyteller. By the end of our time together, you’ll leave with new material, new connections, and a renewed sense of what your stories can do.

Who This Course is For

This workshop is perfect for anyone curious about live storytelling, whether you’re exploring new creative outlets, prepping for a performance or simply want to become a more engaging communicator. No prior storytelling experience is necessary—just a willingness to share and experiment. If you’ve got stories to tell (and everyone does), this course will help you shape them with clarity and confidence.

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals

In this workshop, you will: 

• Discover new frameworks for crafting clear, compelling stories from real life.
• Learn the fundamentals of live storytelling and delivery through interactive exercises.
• Gain the needed tools to make your storytelling impactful in personal, professional, and performance settings.

Writing Goals

• Generate original story ideas through guided ideation exercises.
• Develop a true personal story using structure techniques learned in class.
• Practice revising and refining your story based on peer and instructor feedback.
• Write at least one polished two-minute story ready to share aloud.

Zoom Schedule

We will meet on Zoom on Saturday, May 31st, and Sunday, June 1st, from 12-2 PM Eastern.

Workshop Design

The post Got a Minute? A Live Storytelling Workshop appeared first on Writers.com.

Whatever you write—in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—it’s good to know how to write funny. Bringing humor that works into your writing allows you to:

• Delight and connect more deeply with your readers.
• Write authentically funny characters, dialogue, and situations.
• Transmit the joy and the juxtapositions of life, even in deeply serious pieces.

Learn how to make people laugh in this 2-part Zoom workshop with Tonight Show writer Simon Taylor. Join writers of all genres, workshop your comedy writing with Simon, and see in real time the art and craft of humor writing. We will meet on Zoom on Thursdays, February 19 & 26 ,from 7-8pm Eastern.

“Simon is one of the top comedy writers out there.”
—Jay Leno

Get Free Access to the Writing Funny Self-Guided Course

Enrollment in this workshop also gets you free lifetime access to Simon’s self-guided course Writing Funny: Comedy Writing Workshop (a $109 value!).

In Writing Funny, Simon walks students through the elements of humor writing, from the construction of a joke to the different formulas, styles, and opportunities available to the budding humorist. Students of this course will be able to compare their homework and notes with Simon’s thinking over Zoom. 

Here’s what current Writing Funny students have to say:

“Simon is an excellent teacher. Easy-going and approachable (even in recordings), and able to communicate his complicated expertise clearly and concisely. He breaks down humor writing to a greater degree than the craft books or other instructors I’ve encountered and shows writers (of all stripes) how to do the same.”
—Ann Jacobus Kordahl

“Simon Taylor is not just extraordinarily funny, he is truly generous. He provided exceptional feedback on each homework assignment. The course exceeded my highest expectations. Truly game-changing for my fiction writing!”
—Dorothy Sewell

Learning and Writing Goals

In these live workshops, you will:

• Learn how to use different formulas for comedy writing success. 
• Explore how you can use comedy writing as an effective means of communication in any genre. 
• Workshop your humor writing live with Simon. 

Don’t miss your chance to workshop your comedy writing with a successful comedian! 

About the Author

Simon Taylor is a Melbourne-born comedian, who by the age of 24 became a writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Since then he has appeared on Just for Laughs, and became the first ever Australian to perform stand-up on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

He has also written a number of books including the novel One-Night Stand, which received critical praise for its humor and heart.

The post Writing Funny with Simon Taylor appeared first on Writers.com.

Our cerebral hemispheres were originally buds from the olfactory stalks. We think because we smelled.

—Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses

Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly immersed in scent. Yet writers often struggle to capture the sense of smell on the page, relying on vague descriptions like “fresh” or “sweet,” or avoiding it altogether. But scent is a powerful literary tool—it can bend time, unlock memories, and transport readers to new realities. Think of the way a familiar smell can stop you in your tracks: the sharp zest of freshly grated lemon, the green leafiness of summer tomatoes, the acrid sweetness of autumn woodsmoke. While visual descriptions paint a scene, olfactory details evoke an immediate, instinctive response, connecting directly to the emotional, pre-cognitive part of the brain. Scent can create a visceral bond between readers and characters, and even help to suspend disbelief.

In this workshop, we’ll explore how to craft vivid olfactory experiences in writing. How do we build a rich vocabulary for describing scent? How can we use it to deepen our storytelling? We’ll begin with the natural world—the elusive scent of rain (petrichor), the earthy loam of a forest floor, the bracing sharpness of mountain air, the almondy softness of kitten fur, the hay-and-cumin warmth of a horse, the smoky tang of saddle leather. We’ll also study how writers from Marcel Proust to Keith Richards harness the power of scent to create unforgettable sensory experiences.

Who This Course is For

This workshop is for writers of all levels and genres—poets, fiction and nonfiction writers—who want to deepen their sensory descriptions and harness the evocative power of scent in their work. Whether you’re looking to create more immersive settings, develop vivid character experiences, or simply expand your descriptive toolkit, this course will help you bring your writing to life.

Zoom Schedule

We will meet over Zoom on Thursday, September 4th, from 7-10 PM Eastern. 

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals

• Cultivate your sense of smell, heightening everyday experiences.
• Explore the beauty of scent and fragrance, from the mundane to the sublime.
• Learn the practice of paying attention to smell in the natural (and unnatural) world.
• Learn about a raw material or element, learn its name, then recognize it in the wild.
• Build a scent vocabulary.

Writing Goals

• Use your new scent vocabulary to edit ordinary sentences.
• Complete three writing exercises in your genre to infuse your writing with vivid olfactory descriptions.

Workshop Breakdown

• Introduction, with literary examples
• Fragrant Fiction–a whole novel written in fragrance
• The Scented Sentence
• Build your scent vocabulary
• Writing exercises—rewrite and infuse
• Sharing our work
• Questions
• Suggested reading

The post Scents and Sensibility: Elevate Your Writing with the Power of Scent appeared first on Writers.com.

As a writer, I don’t believe in “writer’s block”; I believe we encounter creative barriers when we approach a project from the wrong mindset. Together, we will identify the root causes of mental blocks that make writing difficult, such as fear, procrastination, and distractions. You’ll get an array of practical tools and strategies to shift your perspectives and patterns around writing in order to create more meaningful and consistent writing habits.

Zoom Schedule

We will meet on Zoom on Wednesday, December 18th from 7-8:30 PM Eastern. The final 30 minutes of the session will be reserved for questions.

Note: We will be recording this session to share with future students as a recorded course. In this recording, only Shelby’s name and video will be visible. We may include Q&A exchanges in the recording, if they would enrich student learning. In this case, your voice would appear on the recording, but not your full name or your video. We will not include any student writing shared in the recording. 

The post Filling the Blank Page: How to Move through Creative Blocks appeared first on Writers.com.

You’ll receive new information and tools to identify your individual writing blocks and struggles, and how to work through them in actionable, specific-to-you ways. You’ll build a conversation with your writing, on your way to a creative practice you can maintain throughout your life.

You will leave the workshop with:

• Three new techniques to get back into writing.
• 10 writing prompts that actually work for creating work on your own.
• An understanding of what it means to be in conversation with your writing life.

Zoom Schedule

We will meet on Zoom on Monday, November 11th at 7 PM Eastern. The final 30 minutes of the session will be reserved for questions.

Note: We will be recording this session to share with future students as a recorded course. In this recording, only the Amanda’s name and video will be visible. We may include Q&A exchanges in the recording, if they would enrich student learning. In this case, your voice would appear on the recording, but not your full name or your video. We will not include any student writing shared in the recording. 

The post Get Back Into Writing appeared first on Writers.com.

In this one-hour presentation, I’ll offer you tips and tools for maintaining your confidence in every stage of the process, from drafting to reimagination, revision, and submission. We’ll discuss how confidence in the practice can lift up your craft and prepare you to take big chances in your story. We will also think about how motivation links to your story’s theme and helps you tap into your personal writing sandbox.

At the end of the session, there will be time for questions and discussion as well as tools to take home and explore what happens when you decide to write with gusto!

Writing doesn’t have to be painful. Let’s discover your writing confidence together.

Zoom Schedule

We will meet on Zoom on Monday, November 18th at 7 PM Eastern. 

Note: We will be recording this session to share with future students as a recorded course. In this recording, only Sarah’s name and video will be visible. We may include Q&A exchanges in the recording, if they would enrich student learning. In this case, your voice would appear on the recording, but not your full name or your video. We will not include any student writing shared in the recording. 

The post Finding Confidence and Motivation in Your Writing appeared first on Writers.com.

Together, we’ll dive deeply into the podcasting world, and you’ll avoid overwhelm as you lay the technical, content, and marketing groundwork for your podcast. You’ll learn how to choose the right topic and format for your interests, find the best podcast hosting platform, and plan, record, and share your first episode and beyond. 

Come prepared to explore or brainstorm a basic idea for your podcast, and bring along a list of podcasts you appreciate and enjoy.

By the end of this workshop, you will have a solid understanding of podcasting, an actionable plan to launch your podcast, a well-crafted content schedule, and the skills needed to create engaging episodes tailored to your target audience.

You will finish this course with the confidence to hit record and share your voice with the world. Join us and take the first step toward transforming your passion into a compelling experience for listeners.

Who This Course is For:

Anyone interested in launching their first podcast. Whether you are a seasoned writer looking to expand your reach or a newcomer eager to explore new mediums. 

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals

In this course, you will: 

• Understand the fundamental concepts and components of podcasting.
• Learn how to choose a podcast format and style that resonates with your target audience.
• Develop strategies for creating and maintaining a content schedule that keeps your audience engaged.
• Identify your ideal target audience and tailor your podcast content to their interests.
• Discover techniques for finding the right recording voice and tone to effectively communicate your message.
• Gain insights into refining your episode structure and format to maximize listener engagement and retention.

Writing Goals

• Develop a clear and engaging introduction script for your podcast episodes.
• Craft episode outlines that align with your content schedule and target audience interests.
• Hone your ability to write for the spoken word, adapting your language and style to suit your podcast’s tone and audience.
• Generate ideas for episode content that resonate with your target audience’s preferences and interests.
• Craft a personal and authentic podcasting voice that connects with your listeners and reflects your unique personality and perspective.

Zoom Schedule

We will meet on Zoom on Thursdays, September 19th and 26th at 5 PM Eastern.

Weekly Syllabus

The post How to Start a Podcast appeared first on Writers.com.

In the first of two workshops for writers of fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry, we’ll break down and examine some surprising sentences to see what makes them tick, and use what we learn to write our own sentences that take the reader on a journey from beginning to end.  These generative exercises will guide you in controlling the emotional impact of your prose through pacing, sound, and structural elements.  During the following week, your homework assignment will prompt you to identify areas of your own writing projects—in-progress or future—where heightened emotional meaning calls for especially powerful sentences, and try out some new structures and effects to make those sentences land hard.

In our second workshop, we will discuss how to deploy surprising sentences in the context of a larger work like a short story, essay, or novel, and you’ll share your completed writing assignments with one another.  At the end of the course, you’ll walk away with at least several pages of written work, verbal feedback from the instructor and your peers, and a new writing practice for drafting and revising your work at the sentence level.

Learning and Writing Goals

Learning Goals

In this workshop, you will:

• Discover great sentences from widely varying authors.
• Consider the relationship between what a sentence says and how it says it.
• Learn to think about ‘style’ as a practical effect of your own sentence-level choices.
• Learn how to control pacing, sound, punctuation, and visual shape in your sentences.
• Learn when and where to deploy a surprising sentence within a larger work of prose.

Writing Goals

And you will write:

• Several paragraphs of practice sentences in response to generative prompts.
• 3-5 pages of key sections in a current or future writing project, carefully crafted to use surprising sentences at appropriate moments.

Zoom Schedule

We will meet from 7-9 P.M. U.S. Eastern time on Thursday, March 7th and 14th. 

Workshop Schedule

The post The Surprising Sentence: Honing Your Prose Style appeared first on Writers.com.

By delving into spaces of illness, sexuality, athletics, genetics, and more, we can bring some of the truths of our bodies to the page and begin to tell bigger truths about the experience of being human and alive.

In this two-session generative seminar for writers with all levels of experience, you will be guided through readings from writers like Melissa Febos, Maddie Norris, and Sarah Ramey, prompts, and practices that allow you the opportunity to explore the questions, stories, and lessons your body holds.

Writers will leave this class with a deeper understanding of how to write their physical experiences, an increased skill set in the craft of body writing, and a keen eye for analyzing the meaning of physical culture. 

Learning and Writing Goals

 Learning Goals

In this class, you will:

• Learn how to write about your physical experiences with precision and accuracy.
• Learn concrete, specific craft goals for body writing
• Connect your embodied experiences and your relationship with your body to your work on the page. 
• Locate and write about the spaces of physical culture in your own life and in the world around you.

Writing Goals

In this class, you will:

• Work daily on the practice of body writing.
• Respond to craft exercises that give you space to practice our articulated goals for body writing.
• Respond to prompts designed to guide you deeper into body writing.
• Envision a larger or ongoing body writing project to serve as a container for the work of the class.
• Create pages toward your eventual draft.

Zoom Schedule

 Class will meet for 2hrs per week, on April 9th and April 16th from 5-7pm Eastern. Our sessions will include craft talks, group discussions, and generative prompts with synchronous writing time.

Weekly Syllabus

Why Take a Body Writing Course with Writers.com?

• We welcome writers of all backgrounds and experience levels, and we are here for one reason: to support you on your writing journey.
• Small groups keep our online writing courses lively and intimate.
• Work through your weekly lectures, course materials, and writing assignments at your own pace.
• Share and discuss your work with fellow writers in a supportive course environment.
• Award-winning instructor Margo Steines will offer you direct, personal feedback.

The post Writing the Body: A Nonfiction Craft Seminar appeared first on Writers.com.