The 7 Best Workshops I Took This Year
...and a bonus recommendation for anyone looking to re-engage with their creative path!
I’m not doing an end-of-year publication roundup. I know what I did, you probably know what I did, and it’s all available on my website for anyone who is curious. Instead, I want to talk about something that feels more valuable and sustaining: what I learned this year (and who I learned it from.)
Since January I’ve taken over 25 writing workshops. Some were single-session, others met weekly. Most were live, though a few were asynchronous. These workshops weren’t just a chance to hone my craft; they were also an opportunity to engage with the broader writing community, which is one of the most energizing and fulfilling parts of this work.
Writing is often a lonely endeavor, and even people who are deeply comfortable with their own company (me) can catch a lick of cabin fever. Connecting with one another is the antidote for that unique feeling of isolation. It can pull us out of our reveries and remind us that we are not alone in whatever struggles we are facing.
Every workshop I took was worthwhile. There wasn’t a one that I felt wasn’t worth the investment of time and money I put in, and every instructor brought a wealth of knowledge, care, and encouragement to the classes they taught. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and learn from each of them.
None of the writing I did this year would have been possible if I hadn’t prioritized learning. It’s something I hope I’ll always do, because the farther I go and the longer I write, the more I realize how much I still don’t know. As I moved from workshop to workshop, picking up bits and pieces (and sometimes huge chunks) of insight from the writers leading them, I felt like I was climbing higher and higher on a hill, constantly gaining a fuller view of the land I’d been walking. So instead of looking back at the pieces I published, I’m looking back at the learning opportunities that shaped me.
These are the seven workshops that I found to be most impactful, or which prompted a significant change in my work (not ranked, just listed; this isn’t a competition!) Some are offered regularly and some were one-offs, but I’ve linked to websites for each of the venues and instructors and I’d encourage you to keep an eye out for future offerings and opportunities.
1. Land Big Bylines with
All of my early freelance wins were born out of this single-session, two-hour workshop. Land Big Bylines by Writing for Columns was a game-changer, introducing me to the process of pitching, landing, and drafting pieces for the publications where I’d long-dreamed of placing my work. Courtney’s teaching goes beyond the mechanics of pitching; her focus is on helping writers understand what editors are looking for, as well as how to present their ideas in a way that aligns with editors’ needs.
I went on to join her monthly pitch parties, where I continued to benefit from her expertise, placing work and gaining contacts at all of my dream publications. You can sign up for her upcoming January session here (and use promo code ‘ELIZABETH’ for a discount!)
The practical advice I gained from Courtney’s classes will sustain me indefinitely, and I credit so much of what I’ve accomplished to her support and guidance.
2. Query Letter Masterclass with
You can’t do better than Courtney’s masterclasses. She’s generous with her information and suggestions, and often sources real-life examples from her
subscribers to workshop during class. Her 3-hour query letter course, Query Writing 2.0: How to get an agent in a competitive market, transformed my query letter from garnering no responses from agents to receiving personalized rejections (a big deal, iykyk!) and requests for more pages.Courtney is, as I’ve shared before, endlessly encouraging while also giving straightforward, honest feedback. I appreciate that every class I’ve taken with her has made clear that she understands the time, effort, and cost associated with taking a writing course, and she does not waste any of it.
It’s worth noting that the work Courtney did with me at her Turning Points workshop helped bring my query letter to its finished state, but this masterclass laid the foundation and I’d recommend it to anyone currently entering the querying trenches.
3. The Art of Writing a Nonfiction Book That Reads Like a Novel with (through )
I started this 8-week workshop in February, and the timing could not have been better. I am working on a nonfiction book! And I want it to read like a novel! Audrey’s workshop got into the meat of how to take a sprawling idea and shape it into a cohesive narrative. It focused on the big picture: structure, pacing, and the arc of a nonfiction story. For someone working on a memoir (me), this was invaluable.
She also offered me some much-needed encouragement at a time when all I had was a messy memoir draft and five blog-adjacent Substack posts. I was still trying out my sea (writing) legs and was uncertain of what I could make out of the tangled mess of my ambition. Audrey helped focus my efforts on specific areas of my book and gave me encouragement I sorely needed to continue moving forward with my work.
Narratively recently listed their class lineup for 2025, and a new session of Audrey’s workshop starts in late March! Run, don’t walk!
4. Be Your Own Best Editor: An Essay Revision Intensive with (through Write or Die)
If writing is rewriting, then this revision workshop taught me how to write. I recently wrote about my gratitude for good editors and how they so often help me bring my pieces to a finished point, but on my own, revision can sometimes feel like an endless loop of tinkering.
This single-session, three-hour workshop gave me tools to implement a methodical approach to revision. We learned how to identify what a piece needs versus what we like about it, a distinction I believe will make anyone’s work stronger. Lilly guided us through her process of breaking an essay down into parts and putting those parts through various paces. By the end, I felt I’d turned my essay inside-out and seen it from angles I didn’t even know it had. The single-session class changed my approach to revision and I still, now, think it’s the best revision course I’ve ever taken.
5. Traumedy Workshop with (through 92NY)
I have been writing about cancer and single parenting for years. It’s heavy stuff. What’s arguably more difficult, though, is that I often see the dark humor in it all— and until recently, I hadn’t known how to mill it into my writing without sounding crass/flippant/mean. Enter: Elissa Bassist.
Her weekly tragedy/comedy workshop was full of examples of great trauma/humor writing, and her feedback is thoughtful and constructive. She is also exceedingly generous with her insight and advice, and I remain stunned by the breadth of resources she provided and how supportive she is of everyone’s work. I’m still, a week after the course ended, going through everything she provided, from prompts to structure ideas to processes to places to submit.
If you’re looking for a masterclass in bringing humor into your difficult stories, Elissa’s workshops are for you.
6. Writing the Modern Love Essay with Lavinia Spalding (through Off Assignment)
I want to land a piece with Modern Love in ways that leave me breathless. I am not alone in this, a fact I’m certain of since this four-week workshop was full of skilled and thoughtful writers looking to land pieces in this much-beloved column of the New York Times.
A two-time contributor to Modern Love, Lavinia did a deep dive into what makes a Modern Love essay, including a wealth of information and advice shared by the editors Daniel Jones and Miya Lee. She demystified what makes a personal essay resonate and pushed us to dig deeper into our emotions and experiences. We heard from other Modern Love contributors about how they approached their pieces, what the publication experience was like, and how their lives did (or didn’t) change. Miya Lee also joined us for a Q&A, with a focus on the Tiny Love Stories section and what she looks for in a piece.
Lavinia’s workshop was like sitting down with a wise friend who also happens to be a brilliant writer. Trying to draft an essay about love in any form is challenging, never mind aiming for a NYT byline, but this class made it feel like an approachable, joyful endeavor.
7. Journaling Sessions with
I was very fortunate to be able to join a weekly journaling group led by Amy Shearn over the last few weeks. It was generative and instructive in equal measure— Amy provided a prompt and we wrote as a group in timed sprints. There was also time for discussion and sharing, either thoughts on the prompt, what we’d written, or what the writing had sparked or unlocked.
Journaling and free-writing are so beneficial for me, and Amy provided some wonderful prompts, excerpts, and resources to use as a springboard into my own work. On the last night, one of the prompts she offered sparked a breakthrough for an essay I’ve been trying to structure for months. It also inspired a newsletter series I’ll be launching here in January. So, make of that what you will!
To my knowledge she is not offering another workshop like this at the moment, but I’m joining her 8-week Journaling Toward Clarity workshop through Writing Co-Lab and I think you should, too!
Honorable Mention: The Artist’s Way Course with
Raise your hand if you’ve ever made it all the way through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.
Yeah, me either, but Paulina has! And she has a whole course that will take you through it start to finish and leave you feeling like your life is one big piece of art (because it is.) Paulina has been doing morning pages every day for six years, and she brings this dedication to her teaching as she walks you through building and maintaining a sustainable creative practice, and finding the joy in the process.
This is the only offering on this list that I haven’t taken yet— I’m keeping it in my back pocket for when I inevitably hit a creative block and need some guidance. I’ve been so fortunate to connect with Paulina over the last few months and it’s clear she has a gift for helping people unlock their creative potential. If you’re a writer or artist who feels stuck or disconnected from your work, this is the workshop for you. It’s an offering I know is in my future, and I’m so looking forward to it.
Why Workshops Matter
I took as many workshops as I was able this year— primarily to learn, but also to connect. Writing and publishing are fields that are often demanding and dispiriting. The workshops I took this year taught me invaluable lessons about the craft of writing, but they also reminded me that I’m part of a larger writing community filled with people who are just as passionate (and uncertain) as I am.
Workshops, at their core, are places to grow, connect, experiment, and fail safely. I’m grateful I was able to do all of those things in abundance over the last 12 months. If you’re any type of creative, I can’t recommend enough that you continue your education in your craft. The higher we climb, the more we can see— here’s to another year of looking (and learning.)
I'm honored to be in this company, truly! Thank you for the support and for taking your writing and your dreams seriously. We deserve taking your dreams seriously!
Oh, thank you so much for this!