All The Details

“I can't believe how far I came in 12 weeks with my writing, and how committed I feel to it going forward.”

This three-month workshop will give you thoughtful, encouraging instruction to discover and nurture the writer you are. Each week, the Midwives will pull back the curtain on our own process, sharing our clear, proven tools for evolving your nascent ideas into a finished piece. We won’t just talk about writing; we’ll practice. We will be with you every step of the way, even writing alongside you during our shared weekly work sessions. And it’s not just Ann and Jade: There will be visits from TK GUEST WRITER, who will talk about their own strategies and practices, plus you’ll build connections with other beginning writers to help you stick to your goals.

Through it all, you’ll be working on your first full draft. The workshop will culminate with your one-on-one meeting with either Ann or Jade, who will offer personalized advice on your words and your practice. Past participants have raved about the clear structure and direct feedback this workshop offers. We’re excited to get into the details of your writing and help you plot your next steps.

Join us in January knowing that this is the year you become a writer. Leave in April with an essay or short story, plus an established writing practice, a creative cohort, and the knowledge that you can write something that feels vital and true.

Schedule:

• Whole-group classes: Saturdays, 9-11am PT / 12-2pm ET, live in real time via zoom, with Jade, Ann, other participants, and Guest Writers (Jan 17, 24, 31, Feb 7, 14, 21, 28, March 7, 14, 21, 28, April 4). A recording of each group class will be available for one week only, but we strongly encourage real-time attendance.

• Solo writing sessions: You pick the date/time but commit to an hour of solo writing each week.

• One-on-one session with either Ann or Jade: A 50-minute session in late March or early April, scheduled individually.

Who is this workshop for?

When you read a great piece of writing, you don’t just want to share it, you want to do it. You know there are words inside you that want to get out, but you’re not sure how to take the next step. You like concrete instruction and guidance, and deadlines can motivate you. You might have taken a writing class or two; maybe you journal regularly. But when you’re completely on your own? You haven’t managed to make a writing practice stick, despite doing the first third of The Artist’s Way every few years. Now, you’re ready to change things.  You’re ready to start and finish a piece of writing.

Who are the Midwives of Invention?

You are the mother of invention, we are your midwives!

Jade and Ann are writers and friends who have been leading workshops as the Midwives of Invention since 2018. Between us we have written best-selling fiction and non-fiction books, published pioneering newsletters, edited magazines, written for beloved television shows, and created podcasts and audio essays. We are not tortured writers toiling alone. We are in constant dialogue with each other about our projects and processes, and we started the Midwives of Invention because we wanted to share that dialogue with the wider world. For us, coming up with ideas, crafting sentences, and revising drafts is actually fun, and doing it in community is the best part. Click here to read more about us.

What does the workshop include?

• 12 group sessions: You’ll gather weekly with Ann and Jade and your fellow writers in real time on Zoom. Each session begins with instruction, followed by a writing period. The instruction is iterative, taking you from idea (weeks 1-2) to expansion (weeks 3-4) to drafting (weeks 5-10) to revision (weeks 11-12). For the writing time, we provide prompts and guidance. Ann and Jade will be writing with you, and will remain on camera throughout the session. (2 hours per week, Saturdays from 9-11am PT / 12-2pm ET)

• 12 solo writing sessions: Solo, but not alone! We ask that you dedicate at least one additional hour a week to writing. You can schedule this on your own, at a time that works best for you. Each week we will give you questions, prompts, or tasks designed to continue your work and take you to the next step. (1 hour per week, on a day and time of your choosing)

• A creative cohort: In most of our group classes, you’ll spend time in a small breakout group where you’ll share your ideas and work in progress, and offer feedback to others in return. We’ll provide a framework and direct prompts for these conversations, designed to help you feel supported and forge creative connections with other writers.

• A 1-on-1 meeting with Ann or Jade: After you register, you will sign up with either Ann or Jade for a 50 minute 1-on-1 session. These meetings will take place over zoom during the last two weeks of the program (March 23-April 3), and they are 100% for you! Get personalized feedback, reassurance, advice—you can ask us anything. (50 minutes, one time only)

• A discussion board: We’ll have a discussion channel dedicated to the workshop. Ann and Jade will make occasional appearances, and there will be light moderation, but this is really a tool for you to connect with fellow writers outside of class. Do a post-mortem on a group session, discuss your progress, recommend favorite books, complain or brag about your solo writing session, find someone in your city to work with IRL!

• A progress-tracking tool: Ok, so it’s a spreadsheet– but this spreadsheet is exciting, we promise! We’ve designed it so that you can track the obvious things (dates, words, pages) as well as other essential factors, like the art inspiring you or the research you want to do before your next session. We’re so excited about this tool that we’ll be using it, too. We’ll even make our spreadsheets visible to you, as long as you promise to keep them private. 

• Writing prompts with a purpose: Each writing session, both group and solo, will be accompanied by a considered exercise that will help you gain confidence in both your voice and your practice. These prompts will inspire you to put words on the page and move to the next step.

• A complete draft! At the end of the three months, you’ll have a completed short story or personal essay. You’ll be able to say, “I wrote that.” Although we’ll focus on a finished short-form piece of writing, this workshop will also be useful if your eventual goal is a longer work like a book proposal, TV pilot, zine, newsletter, or novel. Most big projects start with smaller pieces of writing. It’s all practice.

• Bonus: Each writing session you will receive a link to an album or playlist to write to. Just for fun.  

Select your track:

1. Non-Fiction (Personal Essay)

2. Fiction (Short story)

Selecting a track doesn’t mean you’ll only ever write in this genre! But it does indicate your focus for this workshop, and will help us with planning. We’ll ask you to choose before the workshop begins.

You commit to:

• Showing up to the weekly group session 

• Completing one solo writing session per week on your own time

• Offering constructive feedback and encouragement to your fellow participants

• Contributing to our generative and thoughtful atmosphere by sharing your unique perspective, welcoming different opinions, and operating from a place of respect and care for your fellow writers

• Taking your own ideas and goals seriously

You’ll leave with

• A complete draft of a personal essay or short story

• Actionable feedback from Jade and Ann

• Established relationships with a cohort of other writers

• Tips, tools, and resources to continue your writing practice

• A strong sense of who you are as a writer

What have past UNFURL participants said?

• “I was impressed with the thought put into this and how different it was from other arts classes I've taken. Yours was honest, encouraging, and focused on the process.”

• “Exactly what I wanted.”

• “It met me as a theoretical writer and gave me step by step tools to practice becoming a writer by doing!”

• “It gave me some actual TOOLS for my writing practice that I will continue to use for a long time! The expectation to keep writing each week was also incredibly helpful -- I love a good homework assignment to keep myself on track.”

• “You really helped ground me in the practice of being a writer - from nurturing my curiosity, to thinking about structure and form, to keeping myself in the work. I can't believe how far I came in 12 weeks with my writing, and how committed I feel to it going forward.”

Workshop Fee: $1850

Enrollment is limited.