“I came to Writers in Progress needing to learn about narrative flow and character development. The workshops did that for me, and much more…”
Kris Holloway, author of Monique and the Mango Rains
Community Writing Workshops
Come join us for a morning of writing in our bright, beautiful space among peers! After a short warm up, we’ll engage in a sustained writing period in response to a variety of prompts. We’ll share some of our work and receive supportive feedback. A great way to jumpstart your writing projects! Rotating instructors… Suggested donation of $10.
Great news – our Community Writing Workshops are now being offered twice every month!
First and Third SUNDAY of every month (except June), 9:30 am – 12:30 pm RSVP here
- January 5: Susanne Dunlap
- January 19: Emily Lackey
- February 2: Dori Ostermiller
- February 16: Emily Lackey
- March 1: Justin LeFrennier
- March 15: Emily Lackey
- April 5: Jacqueline Sheehan
- April 19: Emily Lackey
- May 3: Dori Ostermiller
- May 17: TBD
Revision Intensive, with Emily Lackey
“The best way out is always through,” Robert Frost said in his poem “A Servant to Servants,” and the same can be said for writing: the best way to finish your work in progress is dive headfirst into the muck of your draft and find your way through. That stage—the revision stage—is where the real writing happens. But why then is it so hard to revise the thing we’ve already written? In this workshop, writers will learn real strategies for tackling the revision process. We’ll spend the morning interrogating where the reluctance to revise comes from, investigating tips to organize our projects, and exploring innovative ways to see our work anew. Then we’ll spend the afternoon putting those lessons to use, diving headfirst into our drafts and finding our way through. Writers of any genre are welcome. Participants should bring two printed copies and one digital copy (on a computer) of a draft they are interested in revising.
Saturday, January 11, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ($150) Register Now
Emily Lackey’s stories and essays have been published in Glimmer Train, Prairie Schooner, Post Road, The Literary Review, Longreads, The Rumpus, Green Mountains Review, The Huffington Post, Bustle, Hobart, and Cleaver Magazine, among others. She was a fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and an artist-in-residence at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and Newnan ArtRez. After receiving her MFA from the University of New Hampshire in 2014, she taught writing at the University of New Hampshire and in the graduate writing program at Southern New Hampshire University.
Crafting Compelling Scenes, with Susanne Dunlap
Whether you’re writing fiction, nonfiction, or memoir, the most important moments are rendered in scenes. Scenes are where you plunge the reader into the action, immerse them in the heart of a situation, or take them along for the ride on your character’s emotional rollercoaster. They provide the forward momentum that keeps your reader turning the pages. In this half-day workshop, we’ll identify different kinds of scenes and explore the craft of creating them. We’ll analyze examples from literature and take some time to work on a scene in your own projects. Writers of all levels are welcome
Saturday, February 1, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Register Now
Susanne Dunlap is the author of seven historical novels for adults and teens. Her young adult novel The Musician’s Daughter was a Junior Library Guild selection and a Bankstreet Children’s Book of the Year, and it was nominated for the Missouri Gateway Readers Prize and the Utah Book Award. Her latest novel, Listen to the Wind, is the first volume of a medieval trilogy for adults, The Orphans of Tolosa.
Writing Sex, with Emily Nagoski
There are so many reasons to write sex. Done right, a well-placed sex scene adds depth, nuance and heat to your narratives. And there’s no better way to reveal character! But writing about sex is intimidating, and it’s one of the trickiest things to pull off… Spend a fun, illuminating morning with best-selling author/world renowned sex educator, Emily Nagoski, learning to write sex in a way that is subtle, believable and well, sexy. Participants move through a series of exercises based on findings from the science of sex, then transform this knowledge into riveting scenes.
Saturday, February 15, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Register Now
Emily Nagoski is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestsellers, Come As You Are: the surprising new science that will transform your sex life, and Burnout. She began her work as a sex educator at the University of Delaware, where volunteered as a peer sex educator while she studied psychology with minors in cognitive science and philosophy. She went on to earn a M.S. in Counseling and a Ph.D. in Health Behavior, both from Indiana University, with clinical and research training at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.
Character Psychology 101, with Jacqueline Sheehan
All great stories begin with strong characters, and a little psychology goes a long way towards developing those characters into people that readers will feel invested in. Spend the morning with psychologist and bestselling author, Jacqueline Sheehan, uncovering your characters’ strongest desires, giving them believable obstacles, motivating wounds and fascinating flaws that will make them more human. We will generate new material through creative prompts that illuminate our characters’ psyches! Bring writing implements and a desire to go deep!
Saturday, February 22, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm ($75) Register Now
Jacqueline Sheehan, PhD is the New York Times bestselling author of The Comet’s Tale, Lost & Found, Now & Then, Picture This, The Center of the World, and The Tiger in the House. She writes NPR commentaries, travel articles, and essays including the New York Times column, “Modern Love.” She edited the anthology, Women Writing in Prison. Jacqueline teaches workshops at Grub Street in Boston and around the world. Find out more at http://www.jacquelinesheehan.com/
Navigating Narrative Time, with Dori Ostermiller
As a fiction or narrative non-fiction writer, you can and must manipulate time by compressing and expanding it to fit the needs of your story. Writers do not show every moment of a plot, every instance in a character’s life, but instead summarize or skip over big sections of time that are less relevant, while drawing out and emphasizing the moments which matter to the story. In this morning craft intensive, we’ll cover some essential techniques for mastering narrative time, including how to create deeply experiential ‘real-time’ scenes, integrate lively backstory while maintaining narrative flow, flash backward and forward in time without losing the thread, and build effective transitions for holding it all together. We’ll examine successful examples from published works, do some exercises and in-class writing, and share constructive feedback on participant work. Appropriate for all levels and genres of narrative – either fiction or nonfiction!
Sat, February 29, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ($75) Register Now
Dori Ostermiller, MFA, is the founding director of Writers in Progress. Her debut novel, Outside the Ordinary World (MIRA, 2010) was an Indie Best pick and an MLA must-read. Her work has appeared in many literary journals, including The Bellingham Review, Alligator Juniper, Bellowing Ark, Peregrine, Calliope, Roanoke Review, Chautauqua Literary Journal, The American, The Massachusetts Review and Rumpus, among others. Dori has worked for over two decades as a professional editor, and has taught literature and writing at many area colleges and universities. She is the recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist’s Fellowship and a Tobias Wolf Fiction award, among others.
Submitting Your Work: A Half-Day Intensive, with Emily Lackey
Every writer dreams of the day her work is in print; but the road from dreaming to publishing is treacherous, filled with pitfalls, politics, and more places to submit than a writer knows what to do with. In this half-day workshop, writers will discover the fundamentals of submitting their work to literary journals, websites, and magazines. We’ll discuss how to find the right venue for your work, how to organize your submissions, what to include in a cover letter, and how to deal with and respond to inevitable rejections (or acceptances!). Writers will leave this workshop with a clear sense of how to start submitting their work, a list of where to submit, and a personalized plan for their submission process. Whether you’re a writer just starting out or a writer ready to send your work out into the world, this professional workshop is a must!
Sat, March 7, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ($75) Register Now
Emily Lackey’s stories and essays have been published in Glimmer Train, Prairie Schooner, Post Road, The Literary Review, Longreads, The Rumpus, Green Mountains Review, The Huffington Post, Bustle, Hobart, and Cleaver Magazine, among many others. She was a fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and an artist-in-residence at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts and Newnan ArtRez. After receiving her MFA from the University of New Hampshire in 2014, she taught writing at the University of New Hampshire and in the graduate writing program at Southern New Hampshire University.
Book Marketing for Authors, with Susanne Dunlap
Congratulations! You’ve got a finished book! Now what? Whether you’re fortunate enough to get a contract with a mainstream publisher or decide to self-publish, it’s largely up to you to help your book find readers. Goodreads, BookBub, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon, and a host of other online platforms and DIY advertising options are out there waiting to take your time, energy, and money. But how do you figure out what works and what doesn’t?
In this half-day workshop, multi-published author Susanne Dunlap will bring her background in advertising and marketing to the table to help writers navigate the murky waters of self-promotion. We will cover the basics of using your free social-media accounts to connect with readers, as well as how to set up Facebook ads and dip your toes into Amazon advertising—without losing your shirt. We’ll discuss strategies for traditionally published authors with limited control of factors such as pricing and keywords, and explore options for self-published authors who can do it all—but who face different challenges. Recommended for anyone who has plans to get a book-length work in any discipline published.
Sat, March 14, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ($75) Register Now
Susanne Dunlap is the author of seven historical novels for adults and teens. Her young adult novel The Musician’s Daughter was a Junior Library Guild selection and a Bankstreet Children’s Book of the Year, and it was nominated for the Missouri Gateway Readers Prize and the Utah Book Award. Her latest novel, Listen to the Wind, is the first volume of a medieval trilogy for adults, The Orphans of Tolosa.
Intro to Graphic Novels, with Justin LaFrenier
Want to try something new with your writing in the New Year? Are you curious about reading or writing graphic novels but don’t know where to start? In this workshop, writers will receive a crash course in the graphic novel manuscript format. We’ll break down page-based pacing, learn the mathematical formulas that balance graphics with wordage, and turn the medium’s monotonous conventions into something with a little more approachability and style… We’ll look at some examples of the genre, talk about story lines and craft elements. Then, writers will be given a chance to try their hand at the form, beginning with imaginative prompts to jump-start the process, and will receive supportive feedback on their ideas. Whether you have a graphic novel in process or have never before explored the form, everything you need to know will be provided during the workshop. All genres and levels are welcome!
Sat, March 21, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ($75) Register Now
Justin LaFrenier received his MFA from Goddard College in Vermont. He has written scripts for two webcomic companies. He cut his teeth on legally-safe knock-offs of the Power Rangers, wingnut conspiracy theories, and cryptozoological shared universes. He has taught several writing workshops for young adults at the Community Action Youth Programs in Greenfield, MA.
The Art of Keeping a Notebook, with Tzivia Gover
Journals and notebooks are the unsung heroes of the writer’s life, where we record, reflect and celebrate the sources of our creative works: daily observation, imagination, memory, and dream. Our journals also remind us that writing is more than just a path to publishing: it is a way of life. In this workshop, we’ll enliven our journaling practice to recharge our creativity, hone our craft, and connect more deeply with the source of our writing. Participants will be introduced to journaling prompts and practices that inspire a richer, more meaningful experience, on the page and off!
Sunday, March 29, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm $75) Register Now
Tzivia Gover is the author of The Mindful Way to a Good Night’s Sleep and Joy in Every Moment. She is a writer, educator, and certified dream therapist and the director of the Institute of Dream Studies. Gover has led numerous workshops and panels about dreams, mindfulness, and writing, and she holds an MFA in writing from Columbia University.
Dialogue Intensive, with Emily Lackey
Back by popular demand! Effective dialogue is the linchpin of successful scene-writing. Dialogue can propel a story forward, reveal character, increase narrative tension: in short, dialogue done well engages readers like no other craft element. Yet, for almost all writers, writing compelling and authentic dialogue is one of the biggest hurdles. In this illuminating half-day intensive, writers will look closely at the elements of dialogue that make for effective scene work. Through exercises and examples, writers will learn how to craft dialogue that is purposeful, builds character, and develops the subtext that gives their scenes life. Participants should feel free to bring work that is already in progress, but writers of all levels and genres are welcome!
Saturday, April 4, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ($75) Register Now
Emily Lackey, assistant Director of WIP, holds MFA from the University of New Hampshire. She has taught writing at the University of New Hampshire and in the graduate writing program at Southern New Hampshire University. Her stories have been widely published, in journals such as Glimmer Train, Prairie Schooner, Post Road, The Literary Review, Longreads, The Rumpus, Green Mountains Review, The Huffington Post, Bustle, Hobart, and Cleaver Magazine, among many others
Breakthrough Writing: Beyond Genre, with Chivas Sandage
Do you long for a breakthrough in your writing, feel locked-in to patterns, or abandoned by your muse? Does your writing style need an infusion of freshness or depth? This afternoon workshop goes beyond genre to explore the lyric in your prose (and narrative in your poetry)—and in everything you read. You’ll learn exercises and strategies to generate image-driven work that emphasizes rhythm and sound, invites compression and fragmentation, taps into emotion and enriches narrative voice. This workshop includes a presentation with handouts, inspiring prompts and exploratory writing periods, followed by participant readings and supportive, inspiring discussion of your work. Open to all levels and genres!
Saturday, April 25, 1-4 pm ($75) Register Now
Chivas Sandage writes Ms. Muse, a column that features contemporary feminist poets and their work for Ms. Magazine online. She is the author of Hidden Drive (Antrim House), a finalist for the 2012 ForeWord Book of the Year Awards in poetry. Her essays and poems have appeared in The Rumpus, Salmagundi, Southern Humanities Review, Texas Observer, and many others. She earned an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BA from Bennington College. For more info: https://www.csandage.com or @ChivasSandage on Twitter.
Experimenting with Braided Essays, with Sarah Earle
The braided essay takes any number of differing narratives and with those “strands,” weaves them together to form a braid. The key word in that last sentence was differing – these narratives are often so disparate that at first they seem downright unrelated. Take Joann Beard’s essay “The Fourth State of Matter” for example, when the story of her sick dog, a squirrel infestation and her faltering marriage, and a school shooting at Iowa University come together to speak to Beard’s inability to control the events in her life. The process of pulling together two or more divergent ideas can allow for new neural pathways to open, for perspectives to propagate. In this half-day workshop we’ll explore some braided essay examples, brainstorm and trouble shoot ideas for your own, and have some guided writing time to help get a draft down on paper.
Saturday, May 2, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ($75) Register Now
Sarah Earle is a lecturer at the University of New Hampshire, where she teaches first-year composition and a variety of English as a Second Language classes. She has also taught Creative Nonfiction at St. Paul’s Academic Summer Program in Concord, NH. She holds her MFA in nonfiction writing from UNH; you can read her essays in Bayou Magazine and The Cobalt Review, and her stories in The Rumpus and The Carolina Quarterly.
Writing Romance, with Emily Nagoski
Romance Novels account for a huge percentage of book sales—possibly because they are as optimistic and emotionally satisfying as romance itself. In romance writing, a sacred trust exists between writer and reader: whatever heartbreaks and challenges arise, the main characters will find their happily-ever-afters, and the dog will never die. In a world full of darkness, sometimes this is precisely the kind of story we need to read—and write. Spend the morning with a published romance novelist, learning to marry the basics of fiction craft with the specific requirements of this compelling genre. Whether you seek to write historical or contemporary, realistic or paranormal, queer or straight, vampire or time-traveler romances, you’ll come away with tools for writing stories that readers will fall in love with.
Saturday, May 9, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ($75) Register Now
Emily Nagoski is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestsellers, Come As You Are: the surprising new science that will transform your sex life, and Burnout. She is also the author of two amazingly witty, sexy romance novels (under her pen-name Emily Foster), The Belhaven Series. Emily is also a renowned sex educator who gives talks and leads workshops around the globe.
Writing The Hard Stuff, with Donna Jenson
If this were your last chance to get down in writing something that’s been weighing on you, what might that be? The stories that are closest to our to our hearts–those we most need to write–are sometimes the hardest ones to tell. Possibly because these stories hold emotional sway over us. Perhaps we doubt our version of the ‘truth,’ fear what we might stir up, or worry about exposing others…
Writing about the hard stuff is, well, hard. And sometimes it takes courage to share your stories. It helps to have some tried and true techniques for accessing deep material, as well as ideas for how (and whether) to share it. Use this half-day workshop as a laboratory for uncovering or discovering what you most want (but fear) to give voice to. Writing prompts and exercises will jumpstart the dive. Then, in a supportive group of like-minded explorers you’ll share and receive feedback on where your writing resonates with power and strength. We’ll discuss ways the inner critic can hamper or derail us when we try to dive deep, techniques for overcoming resistance and finding support, and ways to honor your stories while simultaneously honoring the characters that populate them. Though we will discuss the creative process, this is not a therapy group: we will keep our focus on the writing and the tools and techniques for accessing it.
Saturday, May 16, 9:30 – 12:30 pm Register Now
Donna Jenson is author of Healing My Life from Incest to Joy and playwright of “What She Knows: One Woman’s Way Through Incest to Joy.” She has been leading writing workshops since 2008 both in person and, more recently, online. Being a feminist activist since 1971, she has found writing to be a fabulous way to strengthen her voice, sharpen her thinking, and open her heart.