The Practice of Writing: Jumpstart Your Creative Life in Five Weeks

You want to write, but you don't have the time.
You want to write, but you're afraid you have nothing to say.
You think about how much you used to love writing, and it makes you sad.
You want to write, but you're too old or you're not educated enough, or…or something.
You want to write, but you're scared.

The Practice of Writing is for you.

The Practice of Writing is a five-week course that will get you writing, boost your confidence, and cement your daily writing habit. And habits—those little (and not so little) things you do every day—are what can transform your life.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

— Maya Angelou

Wherever you are in your writing career, it's easy to get stuck. Our brains are excellent at getting us to avoid working, and the more we avoid working, the harder it is to return. Soon we declare that we're hopeless. That if we were really meant to be writers, we would be writing. And then we give up.

You need a jumpstart. I can help you with that.

Once we understand what's behind our fears, we can move past them. We'll tame the lizard brain (you'll find out what that is) and establish a practice of mindful, focused writing. No mistakes can be made when the goal is quantity (number of pages) and consistency (every day, if you can swing it). We will be working on process, not product. Because of this, you will find encouragement, not critique, in this course. We will be in first-draft mode, where we can be free to experiment, take risks, get messy.

Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.

— John Cage

What you'll get in the Practice of Writing:

• Solid advice on breaking through self-doubt and creating a writing habit that lasts
• Daily writing prompts and assignments
• Lessons on craft
  
• A lively community of fellow writers
• Eye-opening videos and interviews
  
• One-on-one feedback and support
  

I strongly believe that if you feel the urge to write, you can, and you should. Taking the leap into a daily writing habit takes courage and discipline, and these are qualities that are in anyone's grasp.

Fear stops most people from writing, not lack of talent, whatever that is. Who am I? What right have I to speak? Who will listen to me if I do? You’re a human being, with a unique story to tell, and you have every right...We need stories to live, all of us. We live by story. Yours enlarges the circle.

— Richard Rhodes

 Price of the course: $150 USD. Click here to enroll!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How exactly does this class work?

A. Every weekday, you'll get an email with a link to the day's lesson. The lesson will contain instruction and inspiration, as well as an assignment and/or prompt for the day. You'll check in with your fellow writers, read the discussions and day's materials, and complete (whenever you can) the day's fifteen-minute prompt assignment.

Q. What are the lessons about?

A. There are twenty-five separate lessons, and they cover topics such as:

• Routine and the concept of "deep practice"
• The "lizard brain" and how to make it your ally
• How to write about family without alienating them
• The importance of "trouble" in your stories
• Rooting your work in physical details
• Finding your personal style
• Establishing your identity as a writer

And that's only the beginning. There's quite a lot!

Q. Do you critique each day's writing?

A. I don't critique the daily prompt work, as I strongly believe that no one should be critiquing your first-draft, stream-of-consciousness work.

If you have a story, essay, poems, or blog entries you'd like feedback on, however, I am happy to read it and provide feedback. I can also help you figure out what you'd like to write, if you're not sure, and provide you with a deadline.

Q. Do I have to share my work with the class?

A. Nope. Your work is your own, to share or not share as you like.

Q. What if I have questions?

A. I'll be available to answer questions on the course site, as well as via email!

Q. I want to take the course but my schedule doesn't allow me to write every day. Can I still take the class?

A. While I hope you make it your goal to write for fifteen minutes a day, you can certainly complete this course at your own pace.  (I provide a complete PDF of the class material at the end of the five weeks.)

Q. I'm not a blogger or fiction writer. Is this course for me?

A. This course is for you if you're feeling blocked creatively and want to deepen your writing practice. It doesn't really matter what writing you've done up until now.  It doesn't matter if you've never written before but are curious about trying, or if you've been writing for decades.

Q. Will you tell me how to make money blogging?

A. Nope--there is nothing in this course that has anything to do with making money as a blogger. Or as a writer, for that matter! Although of course I hope we all end up making money doing the things we love. This is my dream.