The Writers Circle

Adult Weekly Classes - WINTER 2025

January 25 to April 10

SKIPS: February 15-17 for President's Day Weekend

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.

Beginners' Classes

Get your feet wet with these inspiring workshops

Where Do I Begin?

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Where Do I Begin? - TUESDAY	Zoom	Feb 18, 2025 - Apr 08, 2025 Tuesday 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm	$280.00 Instructor: Jared Harel - VIRTUAL CLASS - 8 weeks	Register
Where Do I Begin? - THURSDAY	Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ 07960, USA	Jan 30, 2025 - Mar 20, 2025 Thursday 10:00 am - 11:30 am	$280.00 Instructor: Gabrielle Sher - IN-PERSON CLASS - 8 weeks	Register

Peaceful Productivity

Meditation for Writers and Creative Spirits

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Peaceful Productivity: Meditation for Writers and Creative Spirits – WEDNESDAY	Zoom	Feb 26, 2025 - Mar 19, 2025 Wednesday 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm	$140.00 Instructor: Colleen Markley - VIRTUAL CLASS - 4 weeks	Register

Adult Writers Circles

Multi-genre workshops for every project and style of writing

Adult Writers Circle

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Adult Writers Circle - MONDAY	Zoom	Jan 27, 2025 - Apr 07, 2025 Monday 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	$370.00 Instructor: Judith Lindbergh - VIRTUAL CLASS - 10 Weeks	Register
Adult Writers Circle - WEDNESDAY	The Collective Bookstore, 460 Bloomfield Ave, Verona, NJ 07044, USA	Jan 29, 2025 - Apr 09, 2025 Wednesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	$410.00 Instructor: Judith Lindbergh - IN-PERSON CLASS - 11 weeks	Register

Poetry

Exploring Poetry

This generative workshop will focus on discovering your own creativity and unleashing your individual voice. We will experiment with technique, language and form, and read poetry from around the world that promises to surprise, move and inspire. No previous experience with writing or formal poetry necessary. All you need is a pen, notebook (or laptop) and an open mind!

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Exploring Poetry - MONDAYS	Zoom	Feb 24, 2025 - Apr 07, 2025 Monday 11:00 am - 12:30 pm	$250.00 Instructor: Jared Harel - VIRTUAL CLASS - 7 weeks	register

Poetry Craft Workshop

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Poetry Craft Workshop - MONDAY	Zoom	Jan 27, 2025 - Apr 07, 2025 Monday 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	$370.00 Instructor: Jared Harel - VIRTUAL CLASS - 10 weeks	Register

Memoir and Creative Nonfiction

Memoir for Beginners

Every person has a story. What is yours? Memoir writing is the process of adapting your true-life experiences in a way that reads like fiction. Whether your writing goal is personal, in essay form, or an entire book, this class will give you the tools you need to develop and strengthen your writing process. Through prompts, supportive round-table discussions, and constructive critique, we will explore how to structure stories, develop the skills that bring them to life, and show how to enhance your writing.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Memoir for Beginners - TUESDAY	Zoom	Feb 04, 2025 - Apr 08, 2025 Tuesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	$370.00 Instructor: Colleen Markley - VIRTUAL CLASS - 10 weeks	Register

Write for Your Life

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Write for Your Life - MONDAY	The Baird, 5 Mead St, South Orange, NJ 07079, USA	Jan 27, 2025 - Apr 07, 2025 Monday 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	$370.00 Instructor: Darcey Gohring - IN-PERSON CLASS - 10 weeks	Register

Memoir Writers Circle

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Memoir Writers Circle - MONDAY	Zoom	Jan 27, 2025 - Apr 07, 2025 Monday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	$370.00 Instructor: Jill Smolowe - VIRTUAL CLASS - 10 weeks	FULL - Select another workshop
Memoir Writers Circle - WEDNESDAY	St. George's Episcopal Church, 550 Ridgewood Rd, Maplewood, NJ 07040, USA	Jan 29, 2025 - Apr 09, 2025 Wednesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	$410.00 Instructor: Darcey Gohring - IN-PERSON CLASS - 11 weeks	Register

Writing Styles and Genres

Focus on the work you really want to do!

Writing Short Stories and Flash Fiction

Lorrie Moore, in a The Paris Review interview, said: "A story is a kind of biopsy of human life [...] both local, specific, small, and deep, in a penetrating, layered, and revealing way." In this class, we'll write engaging short stories or pieces of flash fiction, build short form structures and improve voice, characterization, dialogue, setting, mood and more. In addition, every week we’ll read a published short work drawn from short story collections, magazines, and literary journals. These works serve as a springboard for craft discussion, as well as giving writers the opportunity to become familiar with potential markets for publishing their own work. You'll share your own work and receive gentle, constructive critique from fellow students and the instructor.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Writing Short Stories & Flash Fiction - WEDNESDAY	Zoom	Jan 29, 2025 - Apr 09, 2025 Wednesday 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	$410.00 Instructor: Libby Cudmore - VIRTUAL CLASS - 11 weeks	Register

Mystery Writers Circle

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Mystery Writers Circle - WEDNESDAY	Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ 07960, USA	Jan 29, 2025 - Apr 09, 2025 Wednesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	$410.00 Instructor: Mally Becker - IN-PERSON CLASS - 11 weeks	Register

Writing Romance

Writing a romance that hooks readers can be a thrilling yet daunting journey. In this workshop, we’ll cover the essentials—plot, structure, and character—but also dive into what makes a romance truly unputdownable: witty banter, sizzling tension, beloved tropes, meet-cutes, and more. Whether you’re just breaking into the romance genre or have already started drafting your epic love story or laugh-out loud romantic comedy, this course will equip you with the tools you need to create a tale that resonates long after the final page. Perfect for writers ready to explore the heart of romance with guidance, craft, and plenty of inspiration.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Writing Romance - THURSDAY	Zoom	Jan 30, 2025 - Apr 10, 2025 Thursday 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm	$385.00 Instructor: Talia Tucker - VIRTUAL CLASS - 11 weeks	Register

Novel Writing

from concept to query

Beginning Your Novel

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.

This class will return in a later session.

Continuing Your Novel

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 solidifydescription, dialogue, character, plot, and more. And we will critique your work in progress, in a constructive, supportive environment tha twill 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

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Continuing Your Novel - WEDNESDAY	Zoom	Jan 29, 2025 - Apr 09, 2025 Wednesday 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	$475.00 Instructor: Michelle Cameron - VIRTUAL CLASS - 11 WEEKS	Register

The Novel Continuum

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
The Novel Continuum - MONDAY	Zoom	Jan 27, 2025 - Apr 07, 2025 Monday 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	$480.00 Instructor: Katie Barasch - VIRTUAL CLASS - 10 weeks	Register
The Novel Continuum - WEDNESDAY	Zoom	Jan 29, 2025 - Apr 09, 2025 Wednesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	$530.00 Instructor: Michelle Cameron - VIRTUAL CLASS - 11 weeks	Register

Professional Development

Revising Your Manuscript

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.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Revising Your Manuscript - THURSDAY	Calvary Episcopal Church, 31 Woodland Ave, Summit, NJ 07901, USA	Jan 30, 2025 - Apr 10, 2025 Thursday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm	$530.00 Instructor: Vinessa DiSousa - IN-PERSON CLASS - 11 weeks	Register

Query Writing Workshop

For Full-Length Manuscripts

Finding the right literary agent can be a daunting task—crafting the “perfect” query letter, drilling down a 300-plus-page manuscript into a succinct, 500-word synopsis and making the opening pages shine. Writing the book almost seems easier!

In this supportive three-week workshop, we will demystify the submission process, including discussing where and how to find the right agents for your work. Participants will leave with a query-synopsis-opening page package that’s ready to catch that “dream” agent’s eye. This workshop is geared to writers with full-length manuscripts, not short fiction or essays.

Program	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Query Writing Workshop - THURSDAY	Zoom	Mar 27, 2025 - Apr 10, 2025 Thursday 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm	$120.00 Instructor: Vinessa DiSousa - VIRTUAL CLASS - 3 weeks	Register

Book Marketing Boot Camp

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	Location	Days/Times	Tuitions/Prices	Action
Book Marketing Boot Camp - WEDNESDAY	Zoom	Jan 29, 2025 - Feb 19, 2025 Wednesday 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm	$175.00 Instructor: Judith Lindbergh - VIRTUAL CLASS - 4 Weeks	Register

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.

*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.