We’ve all had the experience of our writing feeling flat. When we’ve been working on a piece for a long time, it can feel impossible to see it with fresh eyes. We may struggle to find the piece’s “spark” or identify what it most needs in order to work. In this interactive session, we’ll discuss strategies for reviving stale writing, including tips and tricks for helping you identify the “heat” again, hacks for seeing it with fresh eyes, and ways to find new approaches to tired material. Come with your questions!
Cost: $25
Click here to sign up. The session will be recorded, so you can sign up even if you can’t join live. Note: All times listed are in Eastern Time.
One of the hardest parts of any art form is knowing when a piece is finished. In this interactive session, I’ll share strategies for identifying when a piece is ready to be submitted, including milestones you should hit along the way. I’ll talk about my own process for knowing when a piece is done and we’ll share tips and tricks as a group. Come with your questions!
Cost: $25
Click here to sign up. The session will be recorded, so you can sign up even if you can’t join live. Note: All times listed are in Eastern Time.
Rejection is an inevitable part of the writing life. Disappointment happens to everyone – but what separates successful writers is how they handle it. In this interactive session, we’ll chat about the realities of rejection and strategies for managing it. I’ll share my own experiences with this, along with tips and tricks for building your “rejection tolerance” so it doesn’t thwart your creative life.
Cost: $25
Click here to sign up. The session will be recorded, so you can sign up even if you can’t join live. Note: All times listed are in Eastern Time.
This generative, three-hour seminar is designed to help you bypass the inner critic and generate a lot of material, while getting to the emotional core of your story. Through a step-by-step freewriting process and a series of timed prompts, you’ll write up to 1,000 new words of an essay or part of your memoir — and learn Katie’s tried-and-true method for generating pages.
Goals:
1,000 words of new writing and momentum to keep going
Tools for writing past your inner critic & trusting the “heat” in your story
Learn a step-by-step freewriting process (called “Write the Heat”) designed to help you generate more (and truer!) pages
Workbook of versatile prompts you can return to again and again
Feedback:
There will be ~20 minutes of optional sharing (with on-the-spot feedback from Katie)
Optional, add-on one-on-one coaching session (to discuss writing goals, do live-editing of pages, etc.)
Click HERE to sign up. Note: All times listed are in Eastern Time.
In this three-hour, interactive seminar, we’ll build a roadmap for refining your memoir’s structure and arc. You’ll learn how to distinguish between “story” and “situation,” evaluate what material belongs and doesn’t, and identify the ideal structure for conveying your memoir’s themes. Through hands-on exercises and discussion, we’ll focus on ways to refine the scope, hone the arc, and ensure that each section of your memoir is serving the larger story.
Goals:
Explore different memoir structures—using published memoirs as examples—and find the right fit for your story.
Clarify the deeper “story” beneath the “situation” of your experiences.
Learn how to strengthen your narrative arc, build tension, and sharpen your themes.
Identify which scenes to expand, cut, or rearrange to build momentum and emotional resonance.
Feedback:
There will be ~20 minutes of optional sharing (with on-the-spot feedback from Katie)
Optional, add-on one-on-one coaching session (to discuss craft challenges, do live-editing of pages, etc.)
Click HERE to sign up. Note: All times listed are in Eastern Time.
In this three-hour, interactive seminar, we’ll dive deep into character development techniques – to help you craft more three-dimensional, compelling characters in your memoir. Through hands-on exercises and discussion, you’ll learn how to give your characters depth by revealing their complexities—showing the good, the bad, and everything in between.
Goals:
Learn techniques for creating layered, compassionate portrayals of real people (especially family members) – using published memoirs as examples.
Make your characters “pop” through telling details, reflection, scenes, and more.
Troubleshoot common challenges like avoiding caricature or resentment, and explore the ethics of writing about family members.
Develop arcs for each of your characters so you can ensure they’re evolving.
Feedback:
There will be ~20 minutes of optional sharing (with on-the-spot feedback from Katie)
Optional, add-on one-on-one coaching session (to discuss craft challenges, do live-editing of pages, etc.)
Click HERE to sign up. Note: All times listed are in Eastern Time.
Looking to get your name out there and build platform for your memoir? Interested in turning chapters and scenes into standalone pieces, but don’t know where to start? Need guidance on how to revise and submit essays adapted from your memoir? This class is for you!
In this 2-part intensive, you'll learn how to adapt chapters, scenes, and topics from your memoir into powerful, standalone essays ready for publication. Through a mix of craft & publishing lessons, in-class prompts, and guided revision exercises, you’ll leave with a clear roadmap for writing and submitting essays from your memoir.
Goals:
Learn how to build platform for your memoir by publishing personal essays.
Generate fresh essay ideas and start new drafts based on your memoir material.
Explore strategies for shaping standalone pieces from longer works — and overcome common challenges.
Build a community of fellow writers to help support and hold you accountable.
Create a personalized submission plan to move your essays from draft to published.
Feedback:
There will be ~20 minutes of optional sharing (with on-the-spot feedback from Katie)
Optional, add-on one-on-one coaching session (to discuss writing goals, do live-editing of pages, etc.)
Click HERE to learn more about the class.
