Narratively Academy Classes
Narratively Academy classes are all about sharing knowledge throughout our unique and diverse community. We offer classes, seminars and writing critiques taught by Narratively’s editors, contributors and storytelling heroes. All classes are conducted online and accessible to students anywhere in the world.
Psst: Paid subscribers to Narratively Academy get 20% off all classes. Click here to become a paid subscriber today. If you already are a paid subscriber, email academy@narratively.com for the paid subscriber promo code.
Here’s a look at what we have coming up soon.
Winter 2026 Classes
The Fine Art of Deep Revision: Starts Feb. 5
One of our perennially popular classes, Katey Schultz’s The Fine Art of Deep Revision explores how revising your own writing can be efficient, productive and even fun — once you identify the concrete techniques that work best for you. Our previous sessions of this class all sold out quickly, so grab a seat now if you want to get to work on revising your own writing projects this winter.
How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal: Starts Feb. 8
We got a bunch of requests to offer another session of How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal That Sells, and we also scheduled this one for a Sunday time slot that can work for writers in many different time zones. Over four sessions, Narratively contributing editor Shawna Kenney, who has published an award-winning memoir, authored two nonfiction books and edited an anthology, will guide you through how to write a compelling book proposal that will demand attention from publishers.
Deeply Personal: Starts Feb. 12
We’ve also very happy Caroline Rothstein will be teaching another session of her sold-out class, Deeply Personal: Writing First-Person Essays on Raw and Difficult Topics. It’s been so wonderful to see the writers in this small workshop class develop close relationships while they explore writing *those* kinds of pieces — the ones you always want to write but that require a push to figure out how to tell them in the right way.
From Essays to Novels: Starts Feb. 19
It was fantastic to have Rafael Frumkin teach our very first fiction class this winter. Writers loved that one-off seminar so much that we’ve decided to expand it to a full six-week workshop. In From Essays to Novels: Fiction Writing for the Nonfiction Writer, Rafael will help you put the considerable research and storytelling skills you’ve built as a memoirist, essayist, journalist or scholar to work on your first substantial piece of fiction.
How to Write a Memoir with Magical Realism: Starts Feb. 24
Magical realism — which blends fantasy with reality — is a wonderful genre in its own right, but it can also be used as a plot device in memoir and nonfiction to help emphasize otherwise complicated themes. Jasper “Jaz” Joyner used it to great effect in their Richard Wright Literary Award-winning work, Pansy: A Black American Memoir. This February, Jaz will lead How to Write a Memoir with Magical Realism, an intensive six-week workshop, in which students will learn how to shape an effective (and true!) memoir using fantastical elements borrowed from this beloved genre.
31 Days, 31 Revision Prompts: Starts March 1
OK, so you’ve written some essay drafts—maybe even a lot of drafts—but now what? Does the idea of revision and editing strike fear in your creative heart? That’s natural, but it doesn’t have to be that way. This self-guided course is designed to help you tighten, strengthen, expand and contract your essays or memoir. It will help you add depth and background, make your narration shine, be more active with your word choices — in short, take what you’ve already written and prepare it for potential publication. Daily exercises and prompts include creating a narrator personality chart, finding the most resonant starting/point of your essay, and identifying ways to make your writing more active. The overall goal is to provide you with a self-editing toolbox of techniques you can use to polish your current drafts and perfect future essays.
Critiques and Manuscript Reviews
Whether you’d like feedback on your one-page pitch, a 5,000-word story or your entire book, our experienced editorial team is ready to dive in. We’ll provide an in-depth developmental edit, including specific notes throughout, a detailed overall plan for perfecting your story (or larger project) and a one-on-one phone consultation with you to discuss and answer your questions.
More Classes
Each of the classes below are sold out and/or have already taken place, but we will offer new sessions as soon as there are enough students on the advance wait list.
Click here to join an advance waiting list for the next session of any of these classes.
Getting Started With Memoir
Memoir Workshop Classes
Writing and Publishing Nonfiction Books
Journalism & Reporting
Getting Started with Fiction
Social Issues and Advocacy Writing
How to Pitch
Refining Your Craft
Speechwriting
Writing for TV and Film
Figuring Out What You Want to Write
Questions? Not sure which class is right for you? Don’t see what you’re looking for and want to suggest a different class we should offer? Want to teach a class yourself? Drop us a line: academy@narratively.com.