Welcome to Trainings!
Here you will find:
- Courses
- Challenges
- Professional Instruction
This library will be updated on an ongoing basis. Click here to see upcoming events.
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The 4 Throughlines, taught by Jim Hull, is available to all members.


Defying Genre: Exploring Experimental Writing, Part 2
Experiment With Genre-Bending Forms and Consider How Invention, Imagination, and Formal Experimentation Can Deepen a Work Rooted in Lived Experience.

Experimental Stories– Playing with Fiction and Form
Looking at Epistolary Fiction, Interactive and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Narratives, Ways to Generate Ideas From Other Media, Unusual Points of Views, Metafiction in Short and Long Fiction, and Other Unconventional Forms.

Messier First Drafts: ALL Your Ideas Belong Here
The Sloppier The First Draft is, The Better The Finished Draft. In This Workshop We’ll Play With Strange Prompts That Lead to The Kinds of Stories You’d Never Normally Write.

Rhetorical Techniques in Flash Fiction
Experiment With a Variety of Different Linguistic Methods — From Anaplosis to Zeugma! — To Develop Flash Stories Full of Rhythm, Emphasis, And Meaning.

Introduction to Writing Historical Fiction
Introduction To Writing Historical Fiction

Defying Genre: Exploring Experimental Writing, Part 1
Experimental Writing is a Three-Part Series For Writers Ready to Break Free From Traditional Genre Conventions and Discover New Possibilities For Their Work.

Unreliable Narrators
Learn to Build Compelling Characters Whose Flawed Perceptions or Hidden Agendas Transform a Simple Tale Into a Captivating Puzzle.

Deepening Your Character Dynamics
Guide You Through Deepening The Dynamics Between Your Characters, so That Tension And Conflict Feel Fresh, And Your Reader is Invested

The Second, Third, or More Lives of Your Stories.
This Workshop Will Examine Some Methods And Strategies For Would-Be Working Authors Who Want To Sustain A Career And Build Their Platforms

Novel Architecture, Part 3
We’ll Dig Beneath The Typical Blueprints of Novel Architecture To Look Into Some of The Less Obvious Structural Sources of Narrative Drive.

Finding New Story Containers: Explore Alternative Formats
Step Outside Traditional Prose. This Session Provides Guided Prompts And a Supportive Space To Play, Creating Surprising Work From Unique Containers.

Setting & Place: Not Just a Backdrop
Create Atmosphere, Build Tension, Develop Character, And Elevate Your Writing Beyond The Generic.


People-watching: Creating Authentic Characters
Get Inside Your Protagonist’s Head, Elevate Emotion, Deepen Meaning, and Create Vivid, Realistic and Nuanced Characters

The Art of the Short Story, part 3
Dive Deeper Into Techniques We Can Use To Improve Our Own Short Story Writing.

Novel Architecture, Part 2
Strategies For Assessing And Improving The Underlying Architecture of Our Own Work.

The Story in a Song
Learn How To Borrow From Songwriting Structures, Narratives, Characters, Settings And Moods, And Explore Your Own Musical Memories.

The Art of the Short Story, Part 2
Create That Feeling That Stays With You Long After You Finish Reading?

Screenwriting for Beginners
This Short Workshop Is Designed For Prose Writers Who Want To Learn How To Translate Their Work To The Screen.

Novel Architecture, Part 1
If You Were To Draw A Simple Diagram of The Plot of Your Novel-in-Progress, What Would it Look Like?

The Reader’s Window into the Story
Discussing What Works and What Doesn’t work — And Then We’ll Apply Those Insights

The Art of the Short Story, Part 1
Dive Deeper Into Techniques We Can Use To Improve Our Own Short Story Writing.


Making It Make Sense: Using Genre to Solve Plot Problems
This Lesson Explores How Understanding And Leveraging Genre Conventions Can Help You Identify Plot Problems And Come Up With Compelling Solutions.

Act Like A Writer, Think Like An Editor: Behind The Scenes of Publishing Part 3
Expect To Leave The Session Armed With Lasting Knowledge And Approaches That Will Improve Your Chances On The Road To Publication

Decoding Voice
A good voice could describe a ketchup bottle and be utterly compelling.

Developing Voice Across Genres
Explore The Elements of Voice and Engage in Generative Writing Exercises Focused on Developing Voice Across Genres

Live Training with Melanie Spencer
This 6 Session Course Will Teach You How To Write Compelling Dialogue.

One Question: The W-H Questions and Short-Story Writing
Answer To One Of The W-H Questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, And How.

What Romance Novels Can Teach Other Genres
There’s A Reason Romance Is The Single Bestselling Genre In Publishing Today.


Act Like A Writer; Think Like An Editor: Behind The Scenes of Publishing – Part 1
WHAT ARE EDITORS LOOKING FOR?


Form & Fiction: A Literary Rebellion
Breaking Free From Conventional Ways Of Telling Stories.

Micro-Fiction
Explore How To Build Entire Worlds, Develop Compelling Characters, And Deliver Resonant Emotional Punches In Under 300 Words.

The Art of the Pitch: Writing the Perfect Elevator Pitch
Focus On The Essential Elements Of Crafting Pitches For Marketing Your Book, Including A Log Line, A Short Synopsis, And Comp Titles.

The Ultimate Guide to Villains and Anti-Heroes
Classic Villain And Anti-Hero Types To Help Inspire Writers To Craft Thrilling New Antagonists

Outside the Margin: on Ergodic Fiction
The Use of Footnotes And Endnotes And Marginalia To The Actual Physical Orientation of The Book

Book to Film 101
Bring Your Work To The Big Screen, or Deep in The Querying Trenches And Looking Toward The Future, This Introductory Seminar Will Help You

Feed The Monster (Spooky Writing Prompts)
Writing Horror, And Then Prompts To Build The Bones Of A New Idea

Fresh Takes on Genre Tropes, Motifs, and Clichés: Nothing is Ever Over
Going To The Source Material For Inspiration, Mashing Up Ideas, Taking Techniques And Formatting From Other Media.

Anti-Stories: Writing What Doesn’t Belong
Uncover Narratives That Traditional Storytelling Ignores.

Find Your Lightning: Generative Writing
Live Training with TJ Price. About This Training This session is a mix of lecture and workshop focused on overcoming creative paralysis through generative writing

Making Your Writing Feel REAL
Crafting Fictional Stories Woven Into Realistic Historical Backgrounds, Using Real Events, Places, and Even Living People

Revising Your Revision Process
Building on your current practice to help you revise more efficiently.


Beginnings and Endings: Starting on the Right Foot and Leaving ‘em Satisfied
Nail the opening and the conclusion.

The Time Braid: Groundhog Days & Sliding Doors
Relive a single day or split into parallel paths.

Reading Like A Writer
Live Training with Jenny Kiefer. About This Training — 101 level — A good writer is a good reader. In this course, we will discuss


Finding The Right Markets For Your Fiction
Resources & submission strategies to help you get published.


Loop & Spiral: Flash Fiction Through Poetic Forms
Flash fiction thrives on precision, momentum, and depth – qualities also found in structured poetry.




Plotting Through Music
Settle in with some headphones and build the movie score for your world.


Employing the Five Senses to Engage Readers
Use the senses to add emotional depth and insight into your characters.


Does Your Novel Need a Haircut?
Learn the key factors that make some books brilliantly paced.

Near Future: Writing Speculative Fiction
Try your hand at prophecy by guessing at the future.



Comparing Trade vs Self Publishing Paths
unique opportunities and challenges that can shape your author journey

Thrills and Chills: Tension and Misdirection in Isolated Settings
techniques to keep the story flowing while heightening suspense








Shivering and Lonely: Rescuing Your Abandoned Drafts
A toolbox of tips and tricks to revitalize those abandoned drafts.

Vibe-Chasing: Tactics for Discovery Writers
Begin with a sparkly idea and drag it across the finish line


Why Didn’t I Think of That? Little-Known Venues to Help Market Your Fiction Writing
Build a readership for your work.





Character Foils: Presenting An Inclusive Future
Multiculturalism and generational differences in horror.




Traditional Publishing
7+ hours of training to prepare you for the trade pub industry.

Publishing Journey Essentials
4 hours of training before you begin either publishing path.

Writing & Storytelling Skills
15+ hours of recorded lessons with bestselling and award-winning authors

Actionable Agent Advice
What an agent actually does + how to write synopsis, first pages, and query letters they notice.

LORE: Using Past to Build Future
Establish traditions and knowledge for your characters












Complex Magic Design
Designing a magic system is easy. Designing a robust magic system that stands up to scrutiny? A little harder.




How To Make Money Writing
Learn the many different income streams, and the effort involved.


Writing and Publishing Short Fiction
How to approach your writing to see it in print.




Publishing for Non-Pros
Getting your foot in the door, with guest judge Oghenechovwe D. Ekpeki.



Authentic Diversity
Present diversity as a vital part of your story using the REACH system.




What An Agent ACTUALLY Does
Peek behind the curtain to find out what the life of an agent is really like.


Email Marketing 101
How to get set up and improve your results. Taught by Richie Billing.


Scene Critique Masterclass
Peek over a professional editor’s shoulder as they work their magic right before your eyes.


Radical Candor
Bharat Krishnan. The STOP methodology to emotionally honest manuscripts.

Jim Hull II: Outlining With AI
Efficient and in-depth outlining using Subtxt AI narrative software.

Jim Hull I: The 4 Throughlines
Former story consultant at Disney teaches narrative structure.

Author Mindset Mastery Course
Set a strong foundation for rapid growth before picking up the pen.