Begins Sunday, August 2, 2026

Class will meet weekly via Google Meet on Sundays, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PDT): 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM / Chicago (CDT): 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM / New York (EDT): 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM / London (BST): 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM / Berlin (CEST): 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Now Enrolling! Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.

Instructor Bio

Instructor Sophia Hembeck is a writer, visual artist & cultural critic. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Arts in Berlin. She has published three collections of essays: Things I Have Noticed (2020), Things I Have Loved (2023) & Things That Are Different Now (2025). Her work has appeared in Extra Teeth, off-chance, The Localist, Koralle Magazin, Missy Magazin, Almost Magazin & Culture Vulture. In her substack, The Muse Letter, she wonders about the meanderings of life.

Who is this class for?

This online writing class is for writers of all levels who want to finally start—and finish—an essay or memoir draft. Whether you're new to nonfiction, stuck in ideas without structure, or sitting on half-written pieces, this course is designed to help you move out of perfectionism and into momentum.

What to expect:

This eight-week online nonfiction workshop is built for writers who want to begin—and complete—a full essay or memoir draft. Rooted in a process-based approach to creative writing, the class prioritizes momentum, discovery, and creative instinct over perfection. Rather than teaching a rigid formula, this online writing class helps you build a sustainable relationship with the drafting process itself—learning to move through creative blocks, trust accumulation and intuition, and develop your work by following the patterns, themes, and emotional threads that emerge on the page.

Through weekly writing exercises, readings, discussions, and guided feedback sessions, you'll learn how to generate material, identify thematic threads, shape structure, and craft endings that feel earned. We'll study iconic essays by Virginia Woolf, Melissa Febos, Annie Dillard, and George Orwell as models for voice, structure, and thematic development in literary nonfiction.

Group feedback sessions create a supportive environment for sharing works-in-progress and building confidence as a nonfiction writer. You'll leave with one completed essay draft, a deeper understanding of your own creative process, and practical strategies for moving through doubt, creative blocks, and unfinished work.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will develop and complete one full essay draft through weekly writing exercises, prompts, and guided structure-building. During the group feedback sessions, each writer has the opportunity to share a work-in-progress and receive peer feedback. At the end of the eight weeks, students may submit their final draft (up to 5,000 words) to receive written feedback from the instructor.

Readings

Readings may include excerpts from On Being Ill by Virginia Woolf, "The Wild, Sublime Body: Learning How to Be Human" by Melissa Febos, "A Hanging" by George Orwell, and "This Is the Life" by Annie Dillard.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1 — What Is a Draft? Beginning Without Knowing | GATHERING IDEAS Welcome & introduction. Mini-lecture: redefining the draft—process over perfection. Writing exercise: finding compelling ideas and where to start.

Week 2 — Group Feedback | DISCUSSION Sharing: each writer presents their ideas and thoughts on the essay(s) they want to write.

Week 3 — Finding the Thread | THEMES Mini-lecture: discovering what your essay is "about" while writing it. Reading: "The Wild, Sublime Body: Learning How to Be Human" by Melissa Febos. Writing exercise: identifying themes, patterns, and recurring images.

Week 4 — Group Feedback | DISCUSSION Discussing students' work in progress. Sharing: one piece per writer & group feedback.

Week 5 — Structure Emerges | STRUCTURE Mini-lecture: shaping a draft—order, pacing, and movement. Reading: "This Is the Life" by Annie Dillard. Writing: assembling your material into a working draft. Workshop: experimenting with arrangement and flow. Sharing: one piece per writer & group feedback.

Week 6 — Group Feedback | DISCUSSION Discussing students' work in progress. Sharing: one piece per writer & group feedback.

Week 7 — Ending a Draft | FINISH Mini-lecture: what makes an ending feel earned (not forced), and when a draft is "done." Reading: "A Hanging" by George Orwell. Writing: draft an ending or multiple possible endings.

Week 8 — Group Feedback | DISCUSSION Group sharing: each participant reads from their completed draft. Reflection: what you've learned about your process. Closing thoughts & next steps for revision.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Complete one full essay or memoir draft from initial idea to earned ending
• Build a sustainable, process-based drafting practice grounded in momentum and discovery rather than perfectionism
• Develop strategies for moving through creative blocks, doubt, and unfinished work
• Learn to identify themes, patterns, and emotional threads and shape them into structure
• Study how iconic essayists handle voice, structure, and thematic development in literary nonfiction
• Gain confidence sharing works-in-progress and giving and receiving feedback in a supportive community

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $545 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Sophia Hembeck
• Begins Sunday, August 2, 2026
• Class will meet weekly via Google Meet on Sundays, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $545 USD.