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Fuel your writing practice with these four fantastic classes taught by some of your favorite instructors.
This is the perfect package for any writer looking for tools to keep their writing momentum going. From challenging writer’s block to pre-writing to getting to the end, writers will find themselves better equipped to take on any writing project after these four classes. Everyone who purchases the package will get the chance to meet their fellow cohort in three virtual meet-ups.
Before purchasing, be sure to check the dates. As always, there are no refunds on classes.
Each class can be purchased individually by clicking on the class title.
Can’t make it to every class? No worries! All registrants will have access to the class recordings for the duration of the package, plus an additional month.
“Banish the Block! Moving Past Fear and Finding Inspiration in Your Writing” with Stacey Swann
Saturday, October 16, 2021, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CDT
Do you feel called to write, but find it almost impossible to sit and face the blank page? Do you spend far more time avoiding writing (or worse yet, beating yourself up for avoiding writing) than actually sitting down to work? This feeling goes by many names: writer’s block, resistance, self-doubt, and fear (or we may mislabel it, saying we are just too busy or are natural procrastinators). But no matter what we call it, using various readings and prompts, this class will help you dismantle your personal fears and destructive attitudes and get you writing!
Stacey Swann’s debut novel Olympus, Texas—published in 2021 by Doubleday, W&N (UK), and Bompiani (Italy)—was a Good Morning America Book Club pick, an Indie Next selection, and longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Swann holds an M.F.A. from Texas State University and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Her stories have appeared in Epoch, Memorious, Versal, and other journals, and she is a contributing editor of American Short Fiction.
“Write Before You Write: Outlining, Planning, and Plotting” with Jennifer Ziegler
Saturday, November 6, 2021, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CST
Do you ever start a manuscript and end up lost in your own story? Or perhaps you know what is supposed to happen but still find that your writing is blocked?
Before launching into writing that exciting new book idea, it’s important to take key first steps that will help prevent project-killing situations. If you tend to get overwhelmed by your own story, find yourself written into logistical corners, or get told that your book is too “thin” or has “unrelatable characters,” this is the class for you. This class will identify common problems, prescribe remedies, practice helpful exercises, and discuss how you can keep going until “The End.” Discover the pre-writing steps you should take depending on you and your project. Participants will walk away with a clearer idea of what kinds of writers they are and how they need to approach and prepare for new writing projects, plus tips and tricks they can use before launching into a writing project.
Jennifer Ziegler is the author of more than 25 books, including everything from stand-alone novels to series work to TV tie-ins, that range in genre from quirky comedy to action-adventure to dystopian. Her books have been featured on the Lone Star List and International Reading Association’s Young Adults Choice list, recommended on NPR’s “Tell Me More,” optioned for film, and adapted into stage musicals. She also had the honor of serving as The Writers’ League of Texas’s Program Director for several years. Jennifer is currently on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts’ MFA WCYA program. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, author Chris Barton.
“What Your Character Wants: Uncovering the Driving Force of Your Novel” with Sherri L. Smith
Saturday, November 13, 2021, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CST
How many times have you started writing a great story and gotten bogged down in the middle? How often have you chugged up that hill of rising action, only to lose steam? It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with your story idea, but maybe you just haven’t asked the big question: What does my protagonist want? This class will help you excavate your characters’ deepest desires so you can rev that engine and get on with the story.
Sherri L. Smith is the author of nine award-winning books for young people, including the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist, Flygirl,—a World War II adventure the Washington Post named a best book of the year. Her middle-grade historical fantasy The Toymaker’s Apprentice, and her contemporary YA noir mystery, Pasadena, are both winners of the Southern California Independent Booksellers Award. Her nonfiction book Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen? is part of the NY Times bestselling Who Was? series. Her novels appear on multiple state reading lists and have been named Amelia Bloomer, Junior Library Guild, Children’s Book Council, and American Library Association Best Books for Young People selections. She is the recipient of the University of Kansas Alyce Hunley Whayne Visiting Researchers Travel Award and was a judge for the 2014 National Book Awards in Young People’s Literature. Sherri currently teaches in the MFA Writing Program at Goddard College and the MFA in Children’s Writing Program at Hamline University. She returns to World War II with her newest novel, The Blossom and the Firefly, which tells the moving story of two Japanese teens— one a kamikaze pilot, the other a schoolgirl who serves on the base from which he will fly his final mission. Learn more at www.sherrilsmith.com.
“The Longest Mile: Finishing, Polishing, and Publishing Your Novel” with Gabino Iglesias
Saturday, November 20, 2021, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CST
Starting a narrative is relatively easy: having an idea or writing a single page is enough. Finishing a novel, however, is different. Fear increases as we approach the end. When is it done? How long should it be? What must the ending accomplish? When does editing truly begin? How and when should I pitch it to agents? What if indie presses or self-publishing are a better fit? In this workshop, we discuss everything you need to do in order to finish your manuscript and get it out in the world.
Gabino Iglesias is a writer, journalist, professor, and book reviewer living in Austin, TX. He is the author of ZERO SAINTS and COYOTE SONGS and the editor of BOTH SIDES. His work has been nominated to the Bram Stoker and Locus awards and won the Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel in 2019. His nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. His fiction has been published in five languages, optioned for film, and praised by authors as diverse as Roxane Gay, David Joy, Jerry Stahl, and Meg Gardiner. His reviews appear regularly in places like NPR, Publishers Weekly, the San Francisco Chronicle, Criminal Element, Mystery Tribune, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and other venues. He’s been a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards twice and has judged the PANK Big Book Contest, the Splatterpunk Awards, the horror category of the British Fantasy Awards, and the Newfound Prose Prize. He teaches creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University’s online MFA program, has offered writing workshops through institutions like On Stage Sacramento, the Writers’ League of Texas, Hub City Press, the las Vegas Writers Lounge, and others. He runs a series of low-cost online writing workshops. You can find him on Twitter at @Gabino_Iglesias.
Gabino Iglesias 
Sherri L. Smith writes contemporary, speculative, and historical fiction novels, as well as nonfiction and comics. Her historical novels The Blossom and the Firefly and Flygirl have respectively been awarded the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite and California Book Awards Gold Medal. Sherri’s books appear on multiple state lists and have been named Amelia Bloomer and American Library Association Best Books for Young People selections. She has worked in film, animation, comic books, construction, and a monster factory, and holds certificates in the Art of Archetypal Fairy Tale Analysis, Enchantivism, and Applied Mythology. She is a member of the Two Trees Writers’ Collaborative and the founder of Story Forest, a liminal space where writers follow the old tales to find their own paths. Currently she teaches in the MFA in Children's Writing program at Hamline University. Her new nonfiction book with Elizabeth Wein, American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky, comes out in January 2024. Learn more at www.sherrilsmith.com 
Stacey Swann’s debut novel Olympus, Texas (Doubleday) was a Good Morning America Book Club selection, an Indie Next Pick, and was longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Swann holds an M.F.A. from Texas State University and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Her writing has appeared in LitHub, Electric Literature, Texas Highways, Epoch, and other journals. She splits her time between Austin and Lampasas, Texas.Before purchasing, please read all policies as noted below and on our Classes page.
If your browser has difficulty with our website store, or if you prefer to mail in a check, click here for a class registration form. The document provides instructions on where to mail it. If you prefer this option, please email wlt@writersleague.org with a copy of the form as well to ensure we add you to the class roster as soon as possible.
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Class & Event Registration Policy
Once a purchase has been made, registrations are not refundable and cannot be transferred to a different class or event. No exceptions will be made. If you purchase a registration and then find you cannot attend the class or event, someone else can attend in your stead. Simply contact us at wlt@writersleague.org and let us know the name and contact information for the person who will be using the registration so that we can update the class or event roster.
Credit Card Transaction Handling Fee Policy
All credit card transactions will incur a 4% handling fee. If you’d prefer to pay by check for membership, a class, or an event, you can use the provided forms on the membership or event pages and mail to: WLT, P.O. Box 14355, Austin, TX, 78704.
HOW WLT CLASSES WORK:
Our classes offer a combination of lecture and practical exercises, determined by the individual instructor, on focused aspects of the craft and business of writing. Your fellow participants will come from a range of writing experience, from beginners to people with MFA degrees and published books. WLT instructors, participants, and administrators all work together to create a welcoming, supportive environment.
If you haven’t taken a class with us in recent years, feel free to email the WLT staff at wlt@writersleague.org if you’d like to discuss whether our programming is the right fit for your needs.
HOW ONLINE CLASSES WORK:
Once you register for the class, you’ll receive an email with detailed instructions no later than 48 hours before the class date. You should expect 2-2.5 hours of direct teaching and 30 minutes of Q&A (for three hours total). If you need to leave the class early or can’t attend the class on that date, all registrants will have access to the recording for one month after the class date. No microphone or camera required, just an Internet connection capable of streaming video. All online classes are hosted on Zoom. To learn more about how Zoom works, click HERE.
Plan to log in to the online platform an hour before the class so that you can update your software or any other settings required to access the platform. (Updates usually only take a few minutes, but you don’t want to wait until the beginning of class.) Questions? Email us at wlt@writersleague.org.
This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.
Writers’ League of Texas classes and workshops are also funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts – Investing in a Creative Texas. For more information, go to www.arts.texas.gov.
This project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
This project is supported in part by the Mid-America Arts Alliance. For more information, go to www.maaa.org.
