Virtual Critique Classes Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Having a rudimentary understanding of Google Docs, Word, and Zoom is also recommended. | Registration is open to WWA members. |
*NEW* Fiction Out Loud with Sara Biren Every other TUESDAY EVENING from 6:00 to 8:00 pm Central on Zoom
Eight participants maximum and 4 minimum. Register HERE During these six two-hour Zoom sessions, you’ll receive constructive, supportive feedback on your work from colleagues and provide the same in return. Author, editor, and writing coach Sara Biren will also provide insights on individual work and topics that apply to all writers. The group is designed for all levels of literary and genre fiction writers, from novice to advanced. Optional reading list TBD. While generally designed for writers working on book-length projects, short story fiction writers are also welcome. From Sara: “Risk something or forever sit with your dreams.” -Herb Brooks Sharing your work with other writers—and eventually readers—is a big step, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been published many times. Fiction Out Loud provides a safe, welcoming space to share, discuss, provide feedback, and learn. We’ll not only focus on craft and the elements of fiction, we’ll also explore mindset, the creative process, and why it’s so important to put your work out into the world. Sara Biren is the author of four novels and several short stories. She earned an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and has worked as a freelance developmental and copy editor for 14 years, including numerous projects with three small presses. Sara moderates a monthly in-person fiction writers’ group and has mentored aspiring authors from across the US. How it works: A Zoom link will be sent to registrants, and documents will be shared via email. Share your writing sample for critique at least one week before the session so everyone has time to read and prepare their feedback. Send your written critique comments after each session. Writers receive 10-15 minutes each session to listen to feedback on their work, with follow-up questions as time allows. Participants should be familiar with Zoom, but assistance is available if needed. Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Member Fee: $150 for all six sessions. Space is limited to a minimum of four and a maximum of eight participants. If the sessions are not full by December 31, 2026, registration will open to nonmembers for a fee of $200. |
Novel Writing Intensive Group with Lisa Lickel
Brief Meet & Greet as needed the week before the first session (TBD) Morning sessions - Register HERE Afternoon sessions - Register HERE Lisa Lickel, author, book coach, and editor of Creative Wisconsin magazine, is leading five-week intensive critique groups for novel or other full-length book writers who have a drafted (completed or nearly completed) manuscript and experience working with others in critique groups. PLEASE NOTE: these are five sessions in a row. Maximum 4 and minimum 3 participants. Each participant will submit 20-25 pages of their own work for critique each week. In turn, they will read and critique pages submitted by the other 2 or 3 participants (maximum 50-75 total pages each week). These sessions are for authors who want specific feedback on their novel or other book-length work that is well underway or complete. Besides questions that naturally come up during our sessions, Lisa will also focus on aspects that are genre and craft-specific as they arise. Group members may discuss other facets of their work besides what is submitted for feedback, with a generous twenty minutes to a half-hour per author each week. Lisa will provide critiques of the work, answer questions, and facilitate discussions. Before signing up, writers should prepare or be able to prepare a minimum one-page synopsis to share with other group participants and have at least 5 sessions of material available. From Lisa: "By working together, writers have the opportunity to gather the insights of their peers and learn to distill advice and opinions in a small group environment. Sharing feedback is a great way for us to learn and grow in our craft, to ask those questions that might feel awkward elsewhere, and to support and encourage each other. WWA wants to be part of your journey to success." The way it works: Participants will meet via Zoom a week before the sessions, and thereafter email their pages to the other group members at least five days before the session so that each participant may review and prepare critiques for their fellow writers and be ready to discuss on meeting day. During the session, each writer will read from their submission and receive constructive advice from peers and Lisa. Participants will provide their feedback to their peers following the session. Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Member Fee: $125 for all five sessions! Space is limited to 4 participants. Members only. |
*NEW* Five Pieces in Five Weeks: Writing Your Memoir with Weekly Goals with Catherine Stover 5 consecutive Wednesday afternoons from 1 pm to 3 pm, starting on February 24. Register HERE Sign up to participate! During the 5 consecutive two-hour Zoom sessions, you’ll receive feedback on your work from colleagues and a complete critique from instructor Catherine Stover. This is a safe and supportive space that provides insight and encouragement from like-minded writers. There will be a limit of 6 participants in the group so that everyone receives time and feedback every session. The group is designed for entry-level memoir writers or unpublished memoir writers. From Catherine: This workshop is for those who welcome the structure of weekly classes with deadlines. At the start of each session, we will explore a writing strategy. Then, each person will have 15 minutes to share their work with the group. You will learn how to:
As a bonus, Catherine will also share information from her book on writing memoirs, coming from the Wisconsin Writers Association Press in March of 2027. Please note that these are five consecutive weekly sessions, starting on Wednesday, February 24, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. The maximum is 6 participants, and the minimum is 4. After the first session, participants will be encouraged to write 1-3 pages each week. Catherine Stover is an award-winning writer and an award-winning teacher at Madison Area Technical College. Her blog about books is at https://www.catherinestover.com/ . The way it works: Zoom links will be sent to writers before each session, and documents will be shared via email. Participants should be familiar with Zoom and Word. Please note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Member Fee: $150 for all five sessions. Space is limited to a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 participants. |
Poetic Imagery with Jennifer Morales Alternating Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Register HERE Sign up to participate in the Poetic Imagery series. During the 2-hour Zoom sessions, facilitator Jennifer Morales will focus on writing using examples and prompts. There will be a limit of 8 participants to the group so that everyone receives time and feedback every session. From
Jennifer: The way it works: Zoom links will be sent to writers before each session. Participants will share their work electronically. Participants should be familiar with Zoom and willing to read their work aloud during the session. Formatting requirements and critique guidelines will be provided by Jennifer Morales. Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Having a rudimentary understanding of Word and Zoom is also recommended. Member Fee: $150 for all six sessions. Space is limited to a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 participants. |
*NEW* Focus on Character (prose) with Jennifer Morales Alternating Wednesday evenings, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Register HERE Sign up to participate in the Focus on Character prose series. During the 2-hour Zoom sessions, facilitator Jennifer Morales will focus on writing using examples and prompts. There will be a limit of 8 participants in the group so that everyone receives time and feedback every session. From Jennifer: Characters carry our stories and they do that work best when they are well-rounded, believable, and memorable. In this critique group, fiction and nonfiction writers will focus on developing vivid characters using voice, physical description, motivation, inner life and backstory, and more. We’ll look at powerful examples from other writers and help each other develop and refine characters in our own writing. Participants will be expected to produce 1-3 pages of character-focused prose in advance of each session. The way it works: Zoom links will be sent to writers before each session. Participants will share their work electronically. Participants should be familiar with Zoom and willing to read their work aloud during the session. Formatting requirements and critique guidelines will be provided by Jennifer Morales. Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Having a rudimentary understanding of Word and Zoom is also recommended. Member Fee: $150 for all six sessions. Space is limited to a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 participants.
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*NEW* Haiku Beyond 5-7-5: A Way to Connect with the Natural World with Katrina Serwe Alternating Mondays 10 am to Noon
Register HERE This six-week poetry critique series introduces poets to haiku beyond counting syllables. Participants will read haiku and learn techniques for crafting their own. They will write and edit their own haiku, then share for appreciation and possible revision. Each week introduces a new strategy to bring haiku to life. 1. focus on concrete images 2. use of juxtaposition to create meaning 3. the art of directness and conciseness 4. unspoken emotion 5. action in white space, line cuts, and punctuation 6. seasons of words February is National Haiku Writing Month. The series will include optional writing prompts and suggestions for a month-long celebration. From Katrina: You don’t have to travel somewhere exotic to find a haiku. A bird at the feeder, frost on dry goldenrod, or a bare branch moving in the wind can be enough. What interests me is how writing haiku asks us to stay with these small encounters instead of rushing past them. My hope is that you’ll leave our time together not only with poems, but with a closer relationship to the world just outside your door. The way it works: Zoom links will be sent to writers before each session. Participants will share their work electronically. Participants should be familiar with Zoom and willing to read their work aloud during the session. Formatting requirements and critique guidelines will be provided by Katrina Serwe. Please Note: WWA highly recommends that participants have a computer and reliable access to the internet. It is nearly impossible to participate in the sessions using only a smartphone. Having a rudimentary understanding of Word and Zoom is also recommended. Member Fee: $150 for all six sessions. Space is limited to a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 participants. |