SKIPS: October 2-3 (Rosh Hashanah eve and day), November 9 (NJEA), November 25-28 for Thanksgiving Week (unless otherwise noted)

All times listed are Eastern Time (ET)

IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL workshops*

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Want to give a class or special event as a gift?

Gift Cards available here.

If you’ve ever suspected that there might be a writer lurking under the skin, or perhaps harbored a secret notebook of half-started stories, this is the class for you. In this workshop you'll find your way first by releasing the writer within through creative prompts to get the words flowing, and then by discovering the elements of all good stories, including character, conflict, action, setting and more. For anyone who longs to write but doesn't know where to start, and for writers who have dabbled but lost their way. WARNING: this workshop just might seduce you into a life-long love affair with writing.

Whether you’re an experienced meditator with a daily practice, or someone who finds meditation more like being trapped in a time-out chair for toddlers, this class is for you! Colleen Markley combines humor and authenticity, sharing easy-to-employ methods for a meditation practice focused on a writing habit. A level-two-certified Reiki practitioner, Colleen designed this four-week workshop after experiencing a 49-day meditation writing ritual, where she generated over 130,000 words. Each week will offer a guided meditation and an invitation for generative writing. Come find the space needed for a grounded, nourishing, and productive creative life.

Our Adult Writers Circles are the heart of our workshops. They're where The Writers Circle began. We provide a supportive environment where writers work freely on various forms and genres, exploring projects developed in class or on their own. Craft issues like structure, point-of-view, character development, pace, and style are addressed, as is the ever-changing publishing marketplace. With great respect for each writer, our workshops take on a life of their own as writers learn to trust each other for ongoing critique and inspiration as they move toward completion of work and eventual publication.

To write poetry is to articulate the world around you. To find new and more precise ways to describe what it means to be alive. Poetry Craft Workshop is a course designed to not only generate new poems, but to sharpen poetic craft with an eye toward publication and/or creating a strong, cohesive body of work. This workshop-heavy course is perfect for writers looking for a supportive and constructive environment in which to challenge themselves—to write, revise and workshop the poems they’ve always dreamed of creating.

How can writing help you become more you? Pick up a pen and find out! Inspired by Anna Quindlen's book Write For Your Life and Nancy Aronie’s Memoir as Medicine, this class asks you to explore what really matters in your life. What stories shaped you? What stories helped you grow? How can the craft of writing help you heal? Through thoughtful prompts, class discussion, and sharing, we will connect through the art of writing. 

This special Writers Circle for memoirists provides a supportive environment where writers work freely on developing memoir in the form of short essays, poetry, or a book-length narrative. Issues of art and craft are addressed through round-table discussion and gentle, constructive critique. Writers learn to trust one another for feedback and guidance as they polish their work, moving toward completion. Perfect for memoirists who want to take their writing to the next level.

Get ready to write a mystery that will grip readers in this brand new Writers Circle workshop. Focus on an ongoing short story or novel, or experiment with something entirely new. Each week, we’ll address issues of the mystery writer’s craft through roundtable discussion and gentle, constructive critique. Writers learn to trust each other in a warm, supportive environment where they’ll receive feedback and guidance as they draft and revise their work. Perfect for confident beginners and pre-published writers looking to develop the crime fiction they’ve always wanted to write.

Graphic novels are a storied, powerful, unique form of art. Whether you can draw a straight line or not, you can still craft the script that tells an artist how to draw a reader into a whole new world. In this workshop, you will learn proper pacing and breakdowns, how to communicate with an artist, and key storytelling tips and tricks specific to the graphic novel format.

This class is open to teens 15+ and adults.

Grant Faulkner, author of The Joy of Brevity, has said: “The joy of flash fiction as a writer and a reader is found not only in the words of the story, but in what is left out–the absences can be almost spectral, haunting what’s been told, only guessed at.” In this class, we will read and write flash fiction, defined as stories of 1,000 words or less. These small stories can pack a big punch and contain a full narrative arc despite their size. Flash fiction is wonderful for writers of all levels, from those just getting their feet wet writing fiction to advanced writers eager to experiment with form, toe the line between prose and poetry, or learn how working with constraints can help them craft evocative, vivid prose.

Dragons! Pirates! Cowgirls! Mastodon-sized dung beetles! Children’s fiction never fails to let a writer’s imagination go wild. In this hands-on workshop, writers with an interest in picture books, middle grade, or YA fiction will learn how to craft compelling stories and characters that will make young readers want to keep turning pages. Works in progress will be constructively critiqued in a supportive environment. In-class writing prompts will keep the creative spirit nimble. And real world advice on the publishing industry will help your completed manuscript stand out in a crowd.

The idea of beginning a novel is both exhilarating and intimidating. This class deconstructs the craft basics of plot and structure, description, character, dialogue, creating conflict, and more, and helps you learn how to tell the story that's burning within. Whether you're still contemplating what to write about, or have already begun your first draft, this is an excellent choice for any writer confronting the challenge of a long work.

It’s time for NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month! This now global writing marathon invites writers all over the world to commit to getting words onto the page. Join The Writers Circle for a six-week intensive commitment to your writing and work on that big project— whether it's a novel, a memoir, or an essay or story collection. We'll kick off with a project outline session and discuss big picture challenges like structure, plot, and discipline. Subsequent sessions will feature weekly check-ins, readings, and prompts to keep you going. We’ll close out with plans for how to keep moving forward. The goal is simple: write as much as you can, as fast as you can, to get traction on that book you've always meant to write. We're not aiming for precision or perfection but for movement, all adding up to 50,000 words in a month. You can do it! And we’re here to help you get there.

Now that you've begun your novel, the work is far from over. Novel writing is like a marathon - you have to be in it for the long haul. This class will include "off the page exercises" to help solidify description, dialogue, character, plot, and more. And we will critique your work in progress, in a constructive, supportive environment that will help you keep moving towards the finish line: a completed first draft! Note: This class is by invitation or submission only. Limited to eight seats per section. Please email or call for more information. If you are a first-time writer, we recommend taking Beginning Your Novel before considering this workshop.

This class will return in a later session.

This class is geared for the writer who is deep in a first draft or has already embarked on revision. Critique of work in progress is ongoing in a constructive, supportive environment . Note: This class is by invitation or submission only. Limited to six seats per section. Please email or call for more information. If you are a first-time writer, we recommend taking Beginning Your Novel and Continuing Your Novel before considering this workshop.

You did it! You completed a first draft of your manuscript. Now what? This class will guide you through the revision process from big picture issues and character development to what to look for to make your sentences sing. Through mini-lectures and supportive workshop sessions, you will learn to sharpen your plot, pull out themes, tighten your prose and rescue characters left hanging. Open to novels, memoir, and short story and essay collections. Limited to six seats. Submission required. Email or call for more information and instructions about how to submit.

Fresh off of her own book tour, TWC Founder/Director Judith Lindbergh will share the many lessons she learned in this four-week boot camp where you’ll form your own book publicity plan. She’ll dig into opportunities of publicity and marketing, and lay out actions you can take from pre-pub through launch and beyond. You’ll discover how to tap into the power of your network and how to spot pay-to-play scams. She’ll also provide money-saving tips and tools for DIY promotion. When you’re finished, you’ll be ready to make the most of your book’s publication.

Program Cancellation Policy: Workshops or events that do not reach their minimum registration are at risk of cancellation.  Often registrations occur at the last minute. The Writers Circle does its best to wait as long as possible before cancelling any program.  Registered students are notified by email approximately 5 days prior to the scheduled program start date if their program is under-registered.  Cancellation is announced by email approximately 2 days prior to the scheduled program start date and registered students will be provided with opportunities for alternate programs, credits, or refunds.  The best way to ensure that a program runs is to register at least one week prior to the scheduled start of any workshop or event. 

TWC POLICIES: Freedom of Expression | Inclement Weather | Program Cancellation | Makeups | Trial Classes & Drop-ins | Refunds/Withdrawal

 

*The Writers Circle reserves the right to shift any in-person or hybrid program to virtual instruction based on the health and safety recommendations of the CDC, WHO, the State of New Jersey, or other authorities or involved parties.