It's spring. Reawaken your creative energy with a writing group just right for all midlife writers.
Join us for three weeks of writing prompts, community, support, and accountability.
May 12 - May 31
Are you feeling...
- overwhelmed by the world around you but craving a creative outlet?
- stuck in your writing life?
- uninspired and alone as a writer?
- desperate to return to writing as a source of comfort and solace?
- ready to mine for new writing material?
3 Prompts Each Week
New prompts delivered to your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Post your writing in our private workshop forum.
Writing Feedback
Get insightful, supportive, and compassionate feedback on your responses to the prompts from the instructors and your fellow writers.
Community
Connect with other midlife women in our forum, in our (optional) Zoom meetings, and feedback threads about your writing.
The Story Behind This Group
We are long-time admirers of Jena Schwartz. Over the years, we have been in awe of her unique style of coaching and editing, her fearless and transformative writing groups, and her gift at writing prompts that deepen a writer's practice.
We approached Jena about collaborating with us soon before the publication of her book of prompts, Fierce Encouragement: 201 Writing Prompts for Staying Grounded in Fragile Times. We are honored that she agreed to partner with us in using a selection of her prompts — from the "Blossom" mini-collection of Fierce Encouragement — for this group.
From the book's description:
"Feeling overwhelmed by the world, creatively stagnant, or simply ready to write? Put down your devices, pause your downloads, and open this unusual collection of prompts.
Whether you have writer's block and need help generating new material, or are seeking solace on the page during a time of stress or uncertainty, these pages offer a resource for refuge, release, and realization.
Designed equally for those who write for an audience and anyone who turns to the page to process life, the premise of Fierce Encouragement is that everything counts. Don't have time? Write for just 10 minutes per prompt and be amazed at how much emerges. Not sure where to begin? Here are 201 ways. Start today – then keep going.
Written over six tumultuous years and proven in hundreds of writing groups, these prompts reflect the author's personal practice as much as they invite readers to develop and deepen their own."
About Jena Schwartz
Jena Schwartz is a writing coach who brings her whole heart to her work and believes that the only secret to writing is writing. Author of three previous books, Don't Miss This (2012), The Inside of Out (2013), and Why I Was Late for Our Meeting (2016), her poetry and personal essays have been widely published. Jena holds a BA from Barnard College and an MFA from Emerson College. A queer wife and Jewish mother, she lives in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Visit her website at www.jenaschwartz.com and subscribe to her Substack, Dispatches from Daily Life..
Learn more about Jena and the book
Why should you join a writing group?
Year after year, we continue to be amazed by the impact of community on women’s writing. When women write together, we can provide insights and suggestions, support and direction, encouragement and inspiration, and it always elevates the writing of each individual as well as strengthening the collective.
When you are a writer, you also yearn to be read, and that can be a vulnerable aspiration when you may not be ready to launch your words into the public. A writing group gives you the opportunity to share your words with like-minded women who will receive and care for your stories, whether or not you later choose to polish them and prepare to share them more widely.
When are the weekly Zoom meetings?
Is it required to buy the book Fierce Encouragement?
How much time will each prompt take?
What if I get behind?
About the HerStories Project
We are a community by and for midlife women who write.
Jessica and Stephanie have been teaching creative writing workshops to women for over a decade—everything from prompt-based groups to personal essays to month-long summits to planning books. Our community members have shared what matters most to them, and we are listening.
What Writers Have To Say About Our HerStories Writing Groups...
"Prompts were like magic"
I felt deeply connected to this incredible group of women from varied backgrounds and interests, all of us joined together for the same reason--a shared desire to write through a tumultuous and uncertain time in our lives. The prompts were like magic for me, too..
"A profoundly transformative experience"
I loved the intimate and supportive nature of this class and the bravery demonstrated by my fellow participant writers.
A 3-Week Online Writing Group
$149
May 12 -31
- 3 Prompts each week
- (optional) Weekly Zoom meeting
- Writing feedback
- Private community forum
