All of our courses are currently in production and will be coming soon. Check back here for more information on all available courses, syllabi, and associated materials.
Upcoming Courses Include:
Overview: This session lays the groundwork for understanding creative writing as both an imaginative outlet and a skill you can steadily build. We’ll look at what separates creative writing from other forms, why stories matter, and how they function as a way to explore ideas and connect with others. You’ll begin to see how raw inspiration becomes something shaped and intentional through craft, without losing its original energy. Along the way, we’ll talk about different creative tendencies and how to work with your own natural approach. By the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of what you’re trying to do as a writer and how to start doing it consistently.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session helps you understand how the length and form of a story shape the way it feels, moves, and lands with a reader. We’ll look at everything from novels to flash fiction to see how different formats naturally support different kinds of ideas. You’ll explore how to choose the right “container” for your story so it doesn’t feel stretched too thin or packed too tightly. Along the way, we’ll experiment with shorter forms like Microfiction, and Drabbles to see how much impact you can create with very little space. By the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of how to match your idea to the form that brings out its full potential.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session looks at how genre works as both a guide and a creative tool, helping you understand the patterns readers expect and how to use them with intention. We’ll break down what defines a genre, what readers are really looking for when they pick one up, and how those expectations shape storytelling choices. From there, you’ll explore how to blend genres in smart, purposeful ways and how to bend or break the rules without losing clarity. Along the way, you’ll start identifying where your own instincts fit within or push against genre traditions. By the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of how to use genre not as a limitation, but as something you can actively shape to serve your story.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session helps students understand where story ideas actually come from and how to find them consistently. We focus on building awareness - paying attention to details, emotions, and moments that most people overlook - and turning those into usable story material. Students will explore how curiosity, memory, and imagination work together to generate ideas, then practice simple, repeatable brainstorming methods to develop those ideas into clear story directions. We’ll also look at how personal experiences, fears, and even dreams can be shaped into compelling narratives. By the end, students will have a reliable process for finding and growing story ideas instead of waiting for inspiration to show up.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session looks at the storytelling patterns that show up again and again for a reason - and how you can use them without feeling boxed in by them. We’ll break down the Hero’s Journey as a flexible map for character transformation, explore archetypes as roles that give stories shape and meaning, and take a clear look at tropes - what makes them work and when they fall flat. The goal isn’t to follow formulas, but to understand why these patterns resonate so you can use them with intention. By the end, you’ll be able to recognize these elements in the stories you love and reshape them to fit your own voice and ideas.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on building characters who feel real, layered, and capable of carrying a story forward. We’ll work through how to create characters with clear desires, believable flaws, and distinct voices that show up naturally through their choices and behavior. You’ll learn how internal conflict shapes meaningful change over time, and how key moments push characters to reveal who they really are. We’ll also look at how dialogue, actions, and even physical details like clothing or environment quietly communicate personality. By the end, you’ll have a practical approach to developing characters who feel authentic and drive both the emotional and narrative core of your work.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview:This session helps you move past thinking of setting as background and start using it as an active part of your story. We’ll look at how place can shape decisions, influence conflict, and quietly carry meaning without needing to be explained outright. You’ll practice building environments that feel real by focusing on sensory detail, internal consistency, and small, specific choices that suggest a larger world. We’ll also explore how a character’s perspective changes the way a setting is experienced, and how space itself can create pressure or support. By the end, you’ll be able to design settings that feel lived-in, purposeful, and tightly connected to the story you’re telling.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session breaks down how dialogue works on the page so it sounds natural, reveals character, and carries meaning beyond the surface. We start with the fundamentals - how to write clear, believable conversations and format them cleanly - then move into how speech patterns reflect personality, background, and relationships. From there, the focus shifts to subtext: how characters communicate indirectly, avoid what they mean, or reveal themselves through what they don’t say. Along the way, students will study real examples, revise weaker dialogue, and experiment with shaping distinct voices. By the end, you’ll have a stronger ear for dialogue and a clearer sense of how to use both speech and silence to build tension and depth.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how conflict actually works in a story and why it matters to the reader. You’ll look beyond surface-level arguments or action and get clear on the deeper idea of tension - what your character wants, what stands in the way, and why that struggle carries weight. We’ll walk through how to raise stakes in both big moments and quieter scenes so the story stays engaging from start to finish. You’ll also see how conflict shapes the structure of a story, from early pressure to final resolution and aftermath. By the end, you’ll have a practical handle on building conflict that feels layered, purposeful, and worth following.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how tone shapes the emotional experience of a story and how writers can control that experience with intention. Students will learn how to establish mood early, sustain it through consistent choices, and shift it when the story calls for it. We’ll break down how word choice, rhythm, pacing, and imagery all work together to create atmosphere on the page. Along the way, students will examine their own natural tonal tendencies and practice adjusting them to better match their storytelling goals. By the end, they’ll have a clear, practical approach to creating and controlling mood from start to finish.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how stories actually move - how events connect, build pressure, and carry a reader from beginning to end. We’ll break down plot as a chain of cause-and-effect decisions, look at how structure shapes meaning, and explore both classic and unconventional ways to organize a story. You’ll learn how scenes function as working parts of a larger system, and how pacing and escalation keep that system alive. Along the way, we’ll look at why some stories feel tight and engaging while others stall out. By the end, you’ll be able to shape your own story with intention, using structure as a tool rather than a constraint.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how to give your story deeper meaning without making it feel forced or obvious. You’ll learn how theme grows naturally out of your characters and their choices, and how symbolism can quietly reinforce what your story is really about. We’ll look at how to layer ideas so they add depth instead of confusion, and how to trust the reader to make connections on their own. By the end, you’ll have practical ways to build stories that stay with people after they finish reading.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how to make your writing feel immediate and fully lived-in by using sensory detail with intention. You’ll work through all five physical senses, then expand into intuition and emotional “vibe,” learning how each one shapes atmosphere, character, and reader connection. We’ll keep the emphasis on control - using detail to support the story rather than overload it - so every sensory choice has a clear purpose. Along the way, you’ll experiment with grounding readers in the body, sharpening emotional impact, and bringing unfamiliar experiences to life. By the end, you’ll have practical ways to make your scenes more vivid, immersive, and emotionally precise.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on one of the most important decisions a writer makes: who is telling the story and how that choice shapes everything the reader experiences. We’ll walk through the major points of view, look at how voice influences tone and connection, and help you figure out which perspective best fits the story you want to tell. You’ll also learn how to keep your narrator distinct from yourself, and how to stay consistent once you’ve chosen a lens. From there, we’ll push into more advanced territory, experimenting with less traditional perspectives and techniques that add complexity and control. By the end, you’ll have a much stronger handle on using POV intentionally to deepen impact and expand your creative options.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session breaks down how to build strong, purposeful scenes that actually move your story forward. Instead of thinking of scenes as filler between big moments, you’ll learn to treat each one like a focused unit with its own tension, shape, and payoff. We’ll work through how scenes begin, develop, and end, and how to guide the reader’s attention through clear, intentional detail. You’ll also explore how movement, silence, and physical behavior can carry emotional weight without relying too heavily on dialogue. By the end, you’ll be able to write scenes that feel complete on their own while still pushing the larger story ahead.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how suspense actually works on the page - how to hold a reader’s attention by controlling what they know, what they don’t, and when they find out. You’ll learn how to create curiosity without confusing your audience, using small moments of tension and carefully timed reveals to keep the story moving. We’ll look at how strong suspense comes from asking the right questions and resisting the urge to answer them too quickly. By the end, you’ll have a practical approach to building tension that carries through entire scenes, not just big plot moments. You’ll also learn how to deliver payoffs that feel earned while setting up the next layer of intrigue.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session helps you understand how pacing shapes the way a story feels as it moves, from the rhythm of individual sentences to the overall flow of an entire narrative. You’ll learn how to control that movement so your story doesn’t rush when it should linger or drag when it should push forward. We’ll look at how pacing shifts depending on genre, audience, and emotional intent, and how writers manage energy across scenes and chapters. Along the way, you’ll practice adjusting your own work to create stronger momentum and more deliberate control. By the end, you’ll have a clear sense of how to guide your reader through a story that feels purposeful and engaging.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how to guide your reader’s expectations so you can surprise them in a way that feels satisfying, not random. You’ll learn how to plant subtle clues, build believable misdirection, and deliver twists that make earlier moments take on new meaning. We’ll look at why some surprises feel earned while others fall flat, and how to avoid breaking trust with your audience. By the end, you’ll have a clear process for designing reveals that hold up both in the moment and on a second read.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how writers can work with time in a deliberate, controlled way to strengthen both story and meaning. Students will learn when to use flashbacks, how to place them so they add pressure instead of slowing things down, and how to build nonlinear structures that stay clear and engaging. We’ll look at how different timelines can interact, how to guide the reader through time shifts without confusion, and how structure itself can shape what a story is really about. By the end, students should feel confident moving beyond simple beginning-to-end storytelling while still keeping their work grounded and easy to follow.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview:This session focuses on how your story begins and how it ends—and how those two moments shape everything in between. We’ll look at how to open with clarity and purpose, using tone, movement, and a strong hook to pull readers in without relying on tricks. From there, we’ll shift to endings that feel earned, balancing plot resolution with emotional payoff so the story lingers after the final line. You’ll also learn how beginnings and endings can work together, echoing or reframing each other to create a sense of cohesion. By the end, you’ll be able to revise both entry and exit points so your story feels intentional from first line to last.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview:Writing a novel can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to stay organized, keep momentum going, and actually reach the finish line. In this session, we’ll break that process down into something manageable, starting with how to build a strong foundation and choose a story that can truly sustain a long-form project. From there, we’ll tackle the middle—where many writers lose energy—and look at practical ways to keep the story moving and engaging. Finally, we’ll focus on finishing with purpose, tying everything together in a way that feels complete and satisfying. The goal is to give you a clear, workable approach so your project stays focused, energized, and moving steadily toward completion.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session helps students see everyday life as rich material for storytelling by sharpening how they observe, select, and shape ordinary moments. Instead of relying on big events, students learn how small actions, routines, and subtle shifts can carry real emotional weight and meaning. We focus on using specific details, patterns, and what’s left unsaid to create tension and movement inside quiet scenes. Across the three classes, students practice turning simple observations into purposeful narrative moments that feel alive on the page. By the end, they’ll have a clear, practical approach to making the ordinary feel compelling and significant.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session takes the pressure off the idea that “show vs. tell” is a strict rule and instead helps you see it as a set of flexible choices. You’ll learn when it’s more effective to bring a moment to life through action and detail, and when it’s smarter to move quickly with clear, confident summary. We’ll look closely at how each approach shapes pacing, clarity, and emotional impact, and how to spot when a passage feels flat or overloaded. By working through both approaches and combining them, you’ll start making deliberate decisions that serve your story rather than following a blanket guideline. The goal is simple: give you control over how your story is delivered on the page.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview:This session focuses on how to create emotional impact on purpose, rather than hoping it happens on its own. You’ll learn how to build reader investment by combining character vulnerability with meaningful choices, and by using specific details that feel personal and real. We’ll walk through how emotional moments are set up, delivered, and allowed to linger, with an emphasis on restraint so the writing doesn’t feel forced. Along the way, you’ll see how point of view, pacing, and repetition shape how readers connect to a story. By the end, you’ll have a clear process for designing scenes that make readers feel something - and remember it.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how to build meaning beneath the surface of your story so readers feel tension, anticipation, and payoff without everything being spelled out. You’ll learn how subtext works through what characters don’t say, how foreshadowing quietly prepares readers for what’s coming, and how misdirection guides attention without feeling deceptive. We’ll look at how small choices - like gesture, timing, and detail - shape how a scene is interpreted. By the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of how to create moments that feel subtle on the first read but fully intentional once the story comes together.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on how writers control what the reader sees, what they don’t, and what stays just out of reach. You’ll learn how to guide attention with clear, intentional detail, while also using strategic gaps to build tension and curiosity. We’ll break down the difference between mystery that pulls a reader forward and confusion that pushes them away, so your storytelling stays engaging and grounded. Along the way, you’ll explore when to reveal information, when to hold it back, and how to place clues that feel earned rather than forced. By the end, you’ll have a practical sense of how to manage information in a way that strengthens both your story’s momentum and its deeper meaning.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session focuses on helping you experiment with form in a way that still keeps your reader grounded and engaged. You’ll explore how constraints, fragmented structures, and borrowed formats can open up new creative possibilities instead of limiting you. We’ll also look at how visual elements, layout, and unconventional formats can shape the way a story is experienced on the page. Just as important, you’ll learn how to guide your reader through these more complex designs using clear signals and structure. By the end, you’ll be able to take creative risks with confidence while still delivering a coherent and meaningful experience.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session takes a practical look at the ethical side of storytelling, helping you think through how your choices affect both the people you’re writing about and the readers experiencing your work. We’ll explore what it means to write characters outside your own experience with care, how to approach personal or difficult material responsibly, and where creative freedom meets real-world impact. Along the way, you’ll learn how research, empathy, and self-awareness shape stronger, more grounded stories. The goal is not to limit your voice, but to sharpen it so your work lands with clarity, integrity, and intention. By the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of how to evaluate your own writing through an ethical lens without losing what makes it yours.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session breaks revision into clear, manageable stages so you’re not just guessing at what to fix next. You’ll learn how to step back and reshape the big picture first, then strengthen individual scenes, and finally refine the language at the sentence level. Along the way, you’ll make deliberate choices about what to cut, what to keep, and what to rebuild so your story stays focused and cohesive. The goal is to replace scattered editing with a structured process you can repeat on any project. By the end, you’ll have a practical revision workflow that helps you move confidently from rough draft to polished work.
Skills Students Will Learn:
Overview: This session helps you build a writing practice that actually fits your life, not an ideal version of it. We’ll look at how to manage your time, energy, and attention so writing can continue even when things get busy or motivation dips. You’ll learn simple ways to create habits that stick, reconnect when you feel blocked, and protect your creative space from distractions. We’ll also focus on pacing your projects and using reflection to stay on track without burning out. By the end, you’ll walk away with a clear, realistic plan you can maintain long term.
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In addition to these courses, we also offer our ever-growing library of Storycraft Shorts, featuring brief, meaningful writing tips, and our upcoming Working Writer podcast series, featuring professional writers discussing their approach to the craft.
