Attention!

It has recently been brought to my attention that I know a whole lot about SEO writing – that is, getting your eyes on posts like this one – but I have not been implementing it on my very own website. I’ve basically been doing this work for other folks when I write for them, but not for myself.

So in this post about my new online creative writing class, I will seek to change that. Because I do want your eyes on this post, and I would love you to be in this class. That said…

Introducing: My Latest Creative Writing Class for 2022

Starting in January of 2022 – which sounds like some crazy Jetson’s future, but is just a month away – I will be bringing back my online creative writing class. As the name implies, this course is online, and so available to anyone anywhere in the world. It is all via Zoom.

This is an online course for writers of any experience level who want to…

– Become an expert at writing a compelling plot for a story

– Create rich, developed characters, backstory, and dialogue

– Master the art of description, details, and showing; not telling

– Learn to develop and trust your own writing style

– Write

– Write

– Workshop each other’s work

– Read & learn from some excellent short stories

In this class, we will focus on learning the elements of great storytelling, first and foremost, and will do so by way of creating a short story. (Fiction – between 1,500 and 10,000 words.)However, if you feel more drawn to working on a novel during this time, that is also possible here. You’ll just turn in a chapter to workshop.

We will spend the first five classes of the course learning the elements of storytelling, reading a short story per week on each theme, and creating the bones and details of our stories. Then, we’ll begin working on writing the stories themselves. And then we’ll workshop.

Here is a detailed breakdown of our time together:

– 2.5 hours per week

– Each Monday for 10 weeks

– January 3 – March 7

– Cost: $500 (Deposit of $200 due upon registration; remaining $300 due by first class)

– Tuition is nonrefundable

– Maximum number of students accepted: 8

********************************************************************

ABOUT ME:

I am an author, illustrator, and facilitator from Austin, Texas. I’m the author of seven books, including the bestselling Peter Able series. I’ve been writing and editing professionally for the past ten years and have been teaching classes on improv and creative writing for the past three.

More information at…

http://www.NatalieGrigson.com

********************************************************************

TO REGISTER:

Please pay the $200 deposit via Eventbrite (plus a small fee.) This will secure your spot in the class. The remainder of your class cost will be due by first class, May 10. Your remaining balance will depend on when you sign up or if we have agreed on an alternate price. Let me know if you have any questions! 🙂

********************************************************************

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: 

I had no fiction writing experience going in to Natalie Grigson’s Short Story Class. By the end of the ten weeks, I had written a short story and workshopped it with the class. Natalie offers a clear class structure, does a brilliant job of teaching storytelling basics and offers informed support and activities to encourage creative risk taking with a group. I loved this class!

Patricia T.

*******

Natalie is a master teacher who knows the art of storytelling. She knows how to create a sense of community, how to communicate the foundations of story, and how to warm up our creative engines. For me, the most educational part of all came near the end, when we critiqued one another’s stories. We would each share our thoughts, and then Natalie would share hers. Over and over again Natalie found and clearly articulated issues I also experienced that for me never advanced from feeling to observation. I was learning how to truly see a story.

Joe L.

******

Natalie Grigson’s creative writing class was mind-blowing! The class exposed me to a lot of helpful information and exercises, but more importantly, Natalie gave me the confidence to take my writing more seriously – and the class was fun. Thanks, Natalie!

Jeffrey E.

The Perfect Holiday Gift for Writers

And let’s not forget: An online creative writing class may be just the holiday gift for your emo niece who wants to be a writer but hasn’t found the time, or your Mom who retired last year and has been putting off writing her book and instead watching Tik Tok, or perhaps, even, for yourself, who will no doubt make a New Years Resolution to write more, because of that whole NanoWriMo disaster…

This 10-Week Intro to Fiction: Short Story class could be just the thing.

Please get in touch with any questions. 🙂

This just in…

My latest class schedule for improv and creative writing classes, October – December! I’ll probably throw in a few Art Walks as well (this is a thing I do when the weather is not unbearably hot in Austin, where we grab our art supplies, go for a hike, and then create art together), so keep your eyes open for those come October. For now, though…

Intro to Fiction: Short Story Class (10-week course, online via Zoom)

Upcoming Dates: Monday nights, 7-9:30pm CST, October 25 – December 27

OVERVIEW:
This is a course for writers of any experience level who want to…
– Become an expert at writing a compelling plot for a story
– Create rich, developed characters, backstory, and dialogue
– Master the art of description, details, and showing; not telling
– Learn to develop and trust your own writing style
– Write
– Write
– Workshop each other’s work
– Read & learn from some excellent short stories.

In this class, we focus on learning the elements of great storytelling, first and foremost, and do so by way of creating a short story. (Fiction – between 1,500 and 10,000 words.) That means we focus on creating new work during these ten weeks. We spend the first five classes of the course learning various elements of storytelling, reading a short story per week on each theme, and creating the bones and details of our stories. Then, we work on writing the short stories themselves. And then we workshop as a group.

Price: $500 with some scholarship pricing available. More information here.



CREATIVE WRITING WEEKLY GROUP (10-WEEK GROUP, ONLINE VIA ZOOM)

Upcoming Dates: Thursday nights, 7-9:30pm CST, October 21 – December 30

OVERVIEW:
This is writing group for those who have already taken the above Intro to Fiction course, or have equivalent experience. In this group, things will be less structured. There will still be plenty of writing exercises and tools provided; but the first five classes will not be spent in lessons. You’ll already have those under your belt. Instead, much more time will be spent writing, supporting each other’s process, and in the end, workshopping the stories you’ve come up with (optional.) Additionally, the focus of this group is more flexible – you can choose to work on a new short story, revise your previous short story from the class, begin working on a novel, an essay, articles, etc. Overall, this is a group of writers, supporting each other in their writing.

Price: $350 with some scholarship pricing available. There is no online registration for this group, as it is limited only to previous students or those with equivalent experience. Please get in touch!

CONNECTION-BASED IMPROV: LEVEL 1, 6-WEEK COURSE, IN-PERSON

Upcoming Dates: Sunday evenings, 7 – 9 PM, October 17 – November 21

OVERVIEW:

Here we have an in-person improv class for those living in Austin, Texas. It’s not just any improv class, though: this class is slightly more focused on connection and relationship with each other. These classes are Covid-cautious and are offered outdoors.

This class is the equivalent to an intro or level 1 improv class. If you already have experience, you may be a better fit for the level 2 class on Tuesday nights.

Price: $200 with some scholarship pricing available. Registration is now open!

CONNECTION-BASED IMPROV: LEVEL 2, 6-WEEK COURSE, IN-PERSON

Upcoming Dates: Tuesday nights, 7-9 PM, October 19 – November 23

OVERVIEW:

Here we have an in-person improv class for those living in Austin, Texas. It’s not just any improv class, though: this class is slightly more focused on connection and relationship with each other. These classes are Covid-cautious and are offered outdoors.

This class is the equivalent to a level 2 / advanced improv class – perfect for those who have already taken my level one, or an equivalent class.

Price: $200 with some scholarship pricing available. Contact me for details. No online registration, in order to make sure all signing up have appropriate experience!

Soooooo, I’ve finalized my creative class / group schedule for this summer and fall! Here’s what I’ve got so far…

IMPROV CLASSES:

– in person, in Austin

– six week series

Level 1: July 11 – Aug 22

*Sunday nights

*no class July 25

Level 2: July 6 – Aug 24

*Tuesday nights

*no class July 27

CREATIVE WRITING:

– online via Zoom

– 10-week series

Intro to Fiction: Short Story Class: Aug 2 – Oct 11

*Monday nights

*no class Labor Day

Weekly Writing Group: Aug 5 – Oct 7

*Thursday nights

You can sign up for the level one improv class and intro to creative writing class here. Contact me if you’d like to sign up for level two improv, or the writing group here!