WRITING WORKSHOP
✍🏼Spend a Month Writing with Me!✍🏼
Okay. Here goes. In 2025 I’m dusting off my acclaimed teaching chops to host a one-off, totally brand new, month-long writing course for all abilities, where we write, write, write. It’s called…
~The Joy of Writing~
!!!
The Joy of Writing is for everyone, from seasoned storytellers to those who have never even dared try, designed as a treat of a project over the colder months of January and February 2025.
If you want to get curious, feel creative, and have some fun, The Joy of Writing is for you.
I always leave your courses feeling like you have over-delivered in every way (which is often hard to come by in an online training) - Amelia
The Joy of Writing month-long writing course, is based on the notion that regular creative writing can make us happier, more confident, and help regulate our anxiety to increase emotional resilience.
Losing yourself in creative writing is the ultimate antidote to stress and mundanity - and there’s no qualification needed! You just need to get started.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never written before, have no idea where to begin, or are halfway through the draft of a novel: The Joy of Writing is inspiration for everyone.
With wit, warmth and wisdom, this is Big Magic meets The Right to Write. I’ll give you a step-by-step breakdown of creating imagined realms with original and thought-provoking examples and prompts, inspired by my two decades of teaching and writing - not to mention my absolute determination to keep the process fun.
I can’t thank you enough for how much I’ve learned so far on the course. I love your teaching style and the notes you are so generous to share - Rebecca
The Joy of Writing is the permission slip you need for escaping into a world that you get to make up, and enjoying yourself as you do it - with benefits far beyond what you can imagine…
WHAT TO EXPECT
Honestly? A bit of a laugh. It’s so easy with writing, with creativity, to get so serious about it. We think if we’re going to sit down to play with our imaginations it’s all got to ~mean something~. This four weeks together is light, playful, and a chance to engage our creativity for the simple joy of doing so.
Learning to write shouldn’t be about where to put commas and the three-act structure. That stuff is way more intuitive than we’re led to believe. Where do I start when I teach? I say:
It isn’t that difficult. It’s people you make up, doing stuff, over and over again. That’s it. Just have fun!
Learning to write is about letting go long enough to be curious and experiment. It’s about the magic of make-believe and the thrill of playing God in a pretend world.
I know why my courses get talked about so highly: because it’s a chance for people to lose themselves in order to find themselves.
It’s the definitive self-help. The best therapy. Pure medicine.
Am enjoying myself and learning a lot but also wanted to thank you for your responsiveness and 'presence'. I've done other online courses and had barely any interaction with the host let alone such swift responses. I really respect your professionalism and have been waxing lyrical about how refreshing it is to feel so supported through this kind of process. So thank you - Laura
WORRIED YOU’RE NOT “A WRITER”?
Two things: first, everyone worries they’re “not A Writer” because unlike, say, being a surgeon who gets their medical license and is therefore A Doctor, there’s no governing body who gives out an official entry card into The Writers Club. If you put pen to paper - ta-da! You’re a writer.
Secondly, let me ask you this. Have you ever stood in the shower, making up an argument from scratch with somebody who really deserves a piece of your mind? You know what they’ll say, and what you’ll say, and who will stand where and wear what and who will flounce away first? Then congratulations - you’ve been making up stories this whole time. You’re a storyteller already (!) Now you just need to write it down. That’s something I can help you with - don’t worry.
Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for putting the course together, it is without a doubt the most practically useful training I have ever done… I have loved every second of it - it has changed my world – Nicole
I can’t wait to work with you
I’m a really good teacher. I know I am - it feels good, and people tell me they like learning from me. I’ve been communicating ideas to others so they know what I know for twenty years, since my first day in an English classroom in Sri Lanka. Beyond that, I have run online writing workshops with thousands of participants from all around the world since 2016, and live at major corporate events including with Soho House, Pinterest, Benefit Cosmetics, and at Stylist Live. My Swedish publisher even asked me to talk to their romance authors about writing, which was an honour!
People have said things like this about my courses:
It’s the first time I’ve spent money on something to fuel my creativity (classic! Why don’t we think we deserve to invest in it?!) and I have to say it is so perfectly pitched. I love the focus on curiosity and play and creative expression.
- Molly
and…
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the course and thank you so much for all that you’ve shown me over the past several weeks. I’ve started seeing strangers on the streets as potential characters and I have such a greater understanding of how to tell a story. Thank you for igniting this fire under me. I’ve really enjoyed it.
— Cristina
and!
This class has been such a joy. I’ve felt challenged, encouraged, and bolstered to keep up a personal writing habit outside of work. Taking this class has been the best decision I’ve made in months!
— Amy
Isn’t that nice! Honestly, whenever I teach it leaves me full to brimming for weeks afterwards. I’m so proud people respond to my classes.
A bit more about me…
I’m Laura Jane Williams, and these are my books (so far!):
I’m published by Penguin (yes, that international behemoth) and my teen stuff with Bloomsbury (home of Harry Potter, dontcha know). I love writing, and even worked on the screen adaptation of my novel Our Stop whilst it was in development with Disney+. I’ve written in national press, everywhere from Grazia - where I was a dating a columnist for a while - and Red, where I wrote an opinion column on their website - to The Guardian, Bella, The Telegraph, Closer, Buzzfeed, the Metro and more.
I also have a newsletter called How to Build a Life, with thousands of subscribers from all around the world. That comes out twice a week, and is all about being almost 40, a single parent, and bang in the thick of life’s mess and mayhem - but still trying to find the magic.
My fellow authors have been kind about me, too. Dolly Alderton says, Laura Jane Williams combines sharp, relatable wit and bold, joyful sincerity, and Emily Henry has said my work is, An absolute delight!
And the reason I’m doing this course? I just want to teach you what I know!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Just yourself. And a notebook. And a pen. And a bit of enthusiasm. You won’t be on screen on the call, nor will you be heard - but the chat box will be open for you to ask questions in real time. I’ll give you some exercises, just little ones, that I’ll do too. They’ll all build on each other, week-on-week, and in the end you’ll complete a longer form project based on everything we’ve done. You can submit that to me at the end, for feedback, if you’d like. No pressure though. It’s up to you!
We’re going to start with character - and if you’ve ever met another person in your life, you’ve got everything you need to do that. I promise! After we’ve got characters, we’re going to write some action - and if you’ve ever left your house before, you’ve also got everything in your head to be able to do that too.
I DIDN’T LIE WHEN I SAID IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY, AND FUN!!
I really look forward to a month of lovely creative inventiveness with you. Any questions? Drop me an email on me@laurajanewilliams.com
The Specifics:
WHEN: January 2025 - February 2025
Saturday 18th Jan, Saturday 25th Jan, Saturday 1st Feb, Saturday 8th Feb
WHERE: Online!
And if you can’t attend online live, you’ll get access to the replay valid for one week
TIME: 1- 3pm (UK TIME)
Price: £295 if you pay in full (here)
or, 4 installments of £80 (click here)
QUESTIONS? EMAIL ME! me@laurajanewilliams.com
The Small Print
All sales are final.
No refunds.
Places are strictly limited.
Payment is through PayPal, and your payment receipt serves as confirmation of a place.
You will be emailed on January 6th 2025 with online log-in information and further instructions.
If your PayPal email isn’t the email address you’d like your correspondence to, please let me know on me (at) laurajanewilliams (dot) com
