CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS
READ ME:
- Writespace has in person and online workshops available. See individual workshop listings for details.
- Join as a member for just $60/year for discounts, free events, and other perks.
- Tickets must be purchased online via Eventbrite.
- Please read our workshop policies before registering.
- Can't attend without a scholarship? Apply here.
- Need tech support for your class? Check out our Tech Support page. If your question isn't answered, contact us.
December Workshops
Writing Short: Flash in All Genres
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INSTRUCTOR: Nick Almeida
TIME: Saturday, December 2, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CST PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, November 26. After Sunday, November 26: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map) LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 The difficult task of flash, Stuart Dybek says, “is managing to draw character in psychological depth within such a restricted space.” As writers, how do we accomplish this? How do we manage the numerous aspects of good writing craft when constrained to small spaces? How—as the philosopher EM Cioran says—can we make “our organic pulsations felt”? This generative workshop will endeavor to explore answers to these questions while empowering your writing process and offering an opportunity to focus on what makes your flash unique. All genres welcome! This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. |
Photo by Clinton Naik on Unsplash
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Feeding Your Fae: A Generative Workshop for SFF Writers
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INSTRUCTOR: Tanya Aydelott
TIME: Saturday, December 2, 1:00–4:00 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, November 26. After Sunday, November 26: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 “Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving and identity.” – Jonathan Safran Foer In this generative workshop, we’ll explore techniques for enriching your worldbuilding through the sensory details of taste. We’ll consider how food can unlock characters, establish settings, and be used to indicate change and conflict. Through short reading and writing exercises, we’ll learn how an imaginative landscape of flavor, taste, and cuisines can serve the speculative fiction genres. Come hungry and ready to write! This workshop is suitable for all writing levels. This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. |
Photo by Juliette F on Unsplash
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Read Essays Like a Writer
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INSTRUCTOR: Mark Dostert
TIME: Sunday, December 3, 3:00–6:00 p.m. CST PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, November 27. After Monday, November 27: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map) LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 In order to write publishable essays (that is, essays that appeal to and connect with strangers), it is important to understand why exemplars of the form are so successful and effective. What is it that keeps readers connected to the narrator and the issues an essay raises, both individual and collective? Both the concrete and the abstract? What “raw materials” has the author used to construct this text? What authorial choices allow us to “see” and “feel” the architecture of a successful essay? How can we then emulate it in our own work? How can we use these essays to evaluate our own aspiring essays? In this three-hour class, Mark Dostert will facilitate a focused close reading examination and annotation of “The Displaced” by Viet Thanh Nguyen and “The Thrill of the Hunt” by Rick Bragg. We will concentrate on how each author uses the “Big Five” literary elements as our initial point of discussion, centered on what an author is doing and why the author is writing what they are writing. In this workshop, we will also examine why it is necessary to write vertically as well as horizontally. Students will receive a PDF copy of both essays upon registration and are urged to read both closely before class meets so that we can dive right into our analysis and make the most valuable use of our time together. This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. |
Photo by Ishaq Robin on Unsplash
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Set Yourself Up for Success in 2024: Building Community as a Writer
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INSTRUCTOR: Sean Morrissey Carroll
TIME: Saturday, December 9, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. CST PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, December 3. After Sunday, December 3: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map) LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 The myth of the solo genius toiling away in a darkened room has done more damage to writers’ potential than nearly any other. A book takes a village to create, and crafting a narrative and a career should be a community effort as much as possible. Join us in this collaborative workshop designed for writers looking for methods and strategies to grow their writing process as well as engage their community, online and in person. Introverts welcome! From open mic nights to slush pile volunteers, there are many methods to extend your reach, find your peer group, advance your writing career, and deepen your practice through collaboration and community-building. Create your own zine, attend an online writing conference, or volunteer with a small press! We’ll speak about the ways you can play to your strengths and stay in your comfort zone while growing your reach and opening new opportunities in your writing career. Requirements for this class are a laptop or tablet and the willingness to read a (short) passage in front of a group. Writers at any level of writing experience are welcome. This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. |
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Set Yourself Up for Success in 2024: Planning a Journaling Practice
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INSTRUCTOR: Joyce Boatright
TIME: Saturday, December 9, 1:00–4:00 p.m.. CST PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, December 3. After Sunday, December 3: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map) LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 In the privacy of your journal, you learn to be both bold and vulnerable. Your journal offers the opportunity to strengthen your mental prowess as well as be a powerful gateway to creativity and personal discovery. As writers, we can use journals as a playground for no-judgment creativity, exploring the road not taken, and describing Mother Nature and the nature of people. Sharing publicly (or not) is always a personal choice. Journaling has always been beneficial, but we want to help you keep on track with a good perspective in 2024. So, we designed a workshop to help you use journaling to keep your perspective and keep you on track throughout 2024. We’ll engage with various journaling methods like morning pages, reflective writing, and self-discovery to find a practice that works just for you. Whether you are a devoted journal keeper or you’ve never kept one, this workshop is for you! This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. |
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
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Writing Fight Scenes
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INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Nyri Bakkalian
TIME: Sunday, December 10, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.. CST PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, December 4. After Monday, December 4: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 Combat is, by nature, confusing and disjointed, whatever form it might take. From a bare-handed fistfight to movements of small or large fighting units or vehicles, it is anything but neat. How do we do justice to this complexity? How can we embrace the fact that recollections of combat are often fragmentary or even contradictory, and how best can we be sensitive to the fact that they often go hand in hand with things like PTSD? In this workshop, academic historian turned speculative fiction author Dr. Nyri A. Bakkalian will guide you on an exploration of the complexities of writing a well-crafted, believable fighting scene by especially leaning into the bodily and sensory elements of combat. Can my character deliver a soliloquy in earshot of an assault gun? What does regularly worn armor smell like? How is combat sometimes absurd and even hilarious? You will engage with this and more. Our aim is to help you write a more well-rounded depiction of whatever form of combat is your focus, one that can convey its essence responsibly and engagingly. This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. |
Photo by Piotr Makowski on Unsplash
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Writing the I: Positioning the Self in Personal Essay
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INSTRUCTOR: Rosa Boshier Gonzalez
TIME: Sunday, December 10, 3:00–6:00 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, December 4. After Monday, December 4: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map) LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 As nonfiction writers, we are tethered to our subjects, be it the art of estrangement, family relationships, or national history. We constantly negotiate our narrative distance between ourselves and the things that we write about. In memoir, that distance is more closed, tending towards the personal and confessional. In critical writing and journalism, the distance must be carefully calibrated to make room for our subject. Take Joan Didion, for example. Would she have been able to write so eloquently about her era if she hadn't been able to simultaneously implicate herself in the trends and assumptions of her generation? In this 3-hour course, we'll look at examples from writers such as Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Joan Didion, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, and Myriam Gurba to study and practice how we position ourselves in our own writing. We'll discuss disclosure--what needs to be divulged to the reader and why. We'll talk about perspective and the responsibilities of contextualizing the self. This dance between the self and subject will result in essays that address our subjects, and tell the story of our lives, in nuanced and authentic ways. This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. |
Photo by Terry Tran on Unsplash
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Pace Yourself (Independent Study Online)
READ ME:
- Please note that Pace Yourself workshops are entirely independent. The instructor will not be reviewing work or giving feedback.
- A Discord community will be available for those who have taken the workshop and wish to interact with other writers.
- Please contact us with any questions at write@writespacehouston.org
Haven't had the time or the right schedule to take a Writespace workshop but still want to delve into the craft of writing?
We've got you covered!
Writespace is building a library of independent study workshops through Wet Ink, an online learning platform designed for writers and writing classes. Whether you have a few hours on a weeknight or only an hour at lunch, these workshops are designed for those of us who just can't get to a three-hour class on Saturday or attend the six-week workshop on Tuesday nights but still want to hone their writing craft. Pace Yourself classes will give writers instruction while also providing an opportunity to interact with guided prompts in order to help build a solid body of work.
When you purchase a Pace Yourself workshop, you will receive an invitation to Wet Ink to access the workshop. You are free to complete the content and exercises entirely at your own pace. There's no class time and no deadlines. It's only you and the work of writing!
We've got you covered!
Writespace is building a library of independent study workshops through Wet Ink, an online learning platform designed for writers and writing classes. Whether you have a few hours on a weeknight or only an hour at lunch, these workshops are designed for those of us who just can't get to a three-hour class on Saturday or attend the six-week workshop on Tuesday nights but still want to hone their writing craft. Pace Yourself classes will give writers instruction while also providing an opportunity to interact with guided prompts in order to help build a solid body of work.
When you purchase a Pace Yourself workshop, you will receive an invitation to Wet Ink to access the workshop. You are free to complete the content and exercises entirely at your own pace. There's no class time and no deadlines. It's only you and the work of writing!
Introduction to Creative Writing
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INSTRUCTOR: Cassandra Rose Clarke
PRICE: Members $115; Nonmembers $140 LOCATION: Online via Wet Ink LEVEL: Beginners This workshop will take writers through a crash course in the three main genres of creative writing. In Fiction, you'll cover the basics of fiction (setting, character, and plot) as well the process of actually writing a story. In Creative Nonfiction, you'll look at journaling as inspiration and discuss the ins and outs of telling (mostly) true stories. And finally, in Poetry, you'll look at poetry as play, as well as spend a bit of time talking about rhyme, meter, and other poetic devices. Each genre is divided into lessons which include fundamentals, readings, and exercises to give you a solid foundation of creative writing essentials. |
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Fiction
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INSTRUCTOR: Cassandra Rose Clarke
PRICE: Members $115; Nonmembers $140 LOCATION: Online via Wet Ink LEVEL: Beginners Ready to dive into fiction? This workshop will take you through the elements of writing fiction from character to setting to structure to the ins and outs of publishing your masterpiece. Each element of fiction is divided into lessons which include fundamentals, readings, and exercises to give you a solid foundation in writing fiction. |
Photo by Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash
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Write Practice Subscriptions
READ ME:
- Write Practice subscriptions are not a workshop and not a class!
- A Write Practice subscription is a commitment to show up for your writing.
- A Write Practice subscription is a weekly date with an instructor and your community to cultivate your creative practice
- Please contact us with any questions at write@writespacehouston.org
Want to make good habits and make progress? Want to find your writing community and find your guide? Look no further than a Write Practice subscription. These monthly subscriptions will keep you writing and help you troubleshoot your work in progress as you're writing!
Happy Hour with Angélique Jamail
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INSTRUCTOR: Angélique Jamail
PRICE: $60 per month TIME: Mondays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. beginning September 11, 2023 LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels You’re already a writer. You’ve got a manuscript of some kind you’re trying to get down on paper, but finding the time to do it in this modern life is a challenge. Or maybe you know you want to write something, but you keep getting stuck. False starts, mushy middles, and fade-outs dominate your manuscript, preventing you from making the progress you want. Do these dilemmas sound familiar? Most of us go through them at some point or another, but maybe we don’t have to. Join master teacher Angélique Jamail for a Creative Writing Happy Hour once a week to trouble-shoot whatever you’re working on and get some writing in. This is not a workshop. It’s not a class. There’s no specific homework. You won’t be given prompts (unless you ask for one) and won’t have to produce anything for formal critique. Just show up with your writing, your questions, and whatever snack or beverage you want for a one-hour Zoom session to start your week off with a creative, nurturing vibe. Each session will adhere to a basic structure:
You’ll be amazed by how much writing you can accomplish in 20 focused minutes! |
Photo by Elise Coates on Unsplash
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The Amherst Way with Jessica Cole
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INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Cole
TIME: Tuesdays, Starting September 5, 6:30–8:00 p.m. CST PRICE: $100 per month LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels Whether you’ve never taken a writing class before and want a safe and engaging space to begin, or you want to jumpstart a stalled project, troubleshoot with a trusted group working toward similar goals, be a part of a writing community, and/or co-create a writing practice with baked-in accountability, this class is for you. Too often, we try to make 180-degree changes. But even the smallest change in direction results in an entirely new destination. That is why this class—bedrocked by the Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) method—is so effective: it supports us showing up for ourselves in small, sustainable ways as habits that result in big payoffs. For those of you who have taken the class before, we’ve incorporated your feedback and upgraded it! Like a gym membership, we’ve expanded to a subscription designed to keep us accountable to our goals and consistently part of a supportive community. Inspired by a yearlong AWA course in which instructor Jessica Cole drafted a memoir, subscriptions can be used to begin chipping away at a book-length project by adding written pieces to it every week. We will share insights and troubleshoot issues that arise. You will get help sequencing and making connections in longer pieces from an instructor and group who are growing together. At any point in your writing journey, you’ll be privy to publishing advice and answers to questions about the literary ecosystem from your instructor, the co-founder of a local indie press. Once a week, we'll gather over Zoom. Short craft lessons will be woven in, but the bulk of the class revolves around timed writing prompts as kick-starts. We only offer feedback to each other about what's working in each piece. The point here is to get out of our own ways, sidestep our perfectionist tendencies, get a quick shot of positive feedback, and keep going. The doing is the thing, and the doing of things is easier together. |
Photo by Håkon Grimstad on Unsplash
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