This six-month fiction workshop is designed for writers ready to dive deep into the art of storytelling, whether you're working on short stories or a novel. With a small, dedicated group of peers, this program offers personalized feedback, inspiration, and expert guidance in a supportive, tailored setting.

‍Monthly In-Person Meetings:

Once a month, we’ll gather for an immersive three-hour session where each writer will have dedicated time to focus on key sections of their manuscript. These meetings will be a space for in-depth exploration of narrative structure, character development, and other craft elements essential to elevating your writing. Discussions will be flexible, adapting to the needs of each writer and providing insights that benefit everyone in the group. By workshopping one writer's piece, the entire group gains valuable lessons applicable to their own projects.

‍Between Meetings:

To keep momentum going between our monthly gatherings, you’ll have ongoing opportunities to share your work and receive thoughtful feedback from both your peers and the instructor. We’ll create a flexible system for submitting and reviewing drafts that works best for the group, allowing for consistent engagement while maintaining a personal touch. You’ll also have the option to schedule one-on-one check-ins with the instructor, offering additional tailored guidance for your project.

‍What You’ll Gain:

• Tailored feedback on your manuscript. Each session provides individualized insights to help you develop your story’s larger structure or focus on specific scenes.

• Inspiration and craft discussions. Every month, we’ll explore core elements of fiction writing, such as voice, tension, and pacing, to inspire new approaches to your work.

• Accountability and support. You’ll set personalized writing goals and have the support of an invested, close-knit group to help keep you on track.

• Creative community. Join a small, dedicated group of fellow writers who are as passionate about storytelling as you are, offering camaraderie and encouragement throughout the journey.

By the end of the six months, you’ll have made substantial progress on your manuscript, gained invaluable insights into your writing process, and cultivated the skills needed to take your work to the next level.

Just finished—please email to inquire about the next cohort: writersninja@gmail.com

In this intense, generative workshop we'll be reading and modeling layered literary fiction that takes as its foundation some element of the crime narrative—murder and other violations of the social contract. In literary crime fiction, crime is often the excuse, the vehicle we use to transport us to the place we want to be—from social or political criticism to psychological exploration. Each week we'll read gritty stories and novel excerpts by authors like Oyinkan Braithwaite, Joyce Carol Oates, Margaret Atwood, Carmen Maria Machado, Jonathan Lethem, Mary Gaitskill, Tommy Orange, Thomas McNeely, and Jill Ciment. We will then consciously model their dynamics in one-to-three-page scenes. If you are working on a novel, you are welcome to write into/from that novel, but all work should be new. This class is designed to generate a lot of layered writing by both conscious intent and osmosis, not to teach verbal critique, and as such, follows the “hypoxic” workshop model—every student turns in work every week. In addition to written comments, half to three quarters of the class will read aloud and have their work micro-workshopped (very briefly) or used as the model for creative response. Those who do not read will be first to read next time. We will also do craft-focused in-class exercises. All students will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the instructor for an in depth conference about their work. Trigger Warning: these stories involve murder and other violations of the social contract, some are heartbreaking, some visceral and disturbing. Please know your own limits.

Online: 6-8PM July 8 to August 26

See The Porch in Nashville for more info or this class will be taught again in October online at the Indiana Writers Center.