{"product_id":"main-character-energy-nonfiction-writing-workshop-online-july-2026","title":"Main Character Energy Writing Workshop: Claiming Our Own Narrative Authority 4-Week Intensive (Zoom) with Brittany Ackerman starts on Tuesday, July 21st, 2026","description":"\u003ch2 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eBegins Tuesday, July 21, 2026\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eClass will meet weekly via Zoom on Tuesdays, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM ET\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e🌍 \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClass Times by Time Zone: \u003c\/strong\u003eLos Angeles (PDT): 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM \/ Chicago (CDT): 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM \/ New York (EDT): 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAny questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstructor Brittany Ackerman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e is a writer from Riverdale, New York. She earned her BA in English from Indiana University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida Atlantic University. She has led workshops for UCLA’s Extension, The Porch, HerStry, Write or Die, Lighthouse Writers, and Stanford. She is a 3x Pushcart Prize Nominee, and her work has been featured in \u003cem\u003eThe Sun, MUTHA, Jewish Book Council, Lit Hub, The Los Angeles Review, No Tokens, Joyland\u003c\/em\u003e, and more. Her first collection of essays, \u003cem\u003eThe Perpetual Motion Machine\u003c\/em\u003e, was published with Red Hen Press in 2018, and her debut novel, \u003cem\u003eThe Brittanys\u003c\/em\u003e, is out now with Vintage. She has a forthcoming novel with CLASH Books called \u003cem\u003eThe Style of Your Life\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex flex-grow flex-col max-w-full\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"3450eee6-13ca-4328-920f-cb6a6b1bfd1f\" class=\"min-h-[20px] text-message flex flex-col items-start gap-3 whitespace-pre-wrap break-words [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-5 overflow-x-auto\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert dark\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is this class for?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThis online writing class is for writers of all levels working in memoir, personal essay, or hybrid forms who want to deepen their voice and sharpen their perspective. Whether you're just beginning to explore personal narrative or you've been writing for years, this workshop welcomes anyone ready to write with curiosity, intention, and boldness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat to expect:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eMain Character Energy is a 4-week online nonfiction writing workshop centered on claiming your own narrative authority by writing yourself as the force that shapes the story. Through short readings, craft discussion, and generative exercises, you will explore how personal narrative gains power through specificity, obsession, place, and emotional risk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eTogether, you'll examine how writers transform lived experience into compelling story, how meaning is constructed, and how attention itself becomes a kind of authorship. In this creative writing course, attention is treated as the engine of storytelling — you'll learn to shape narrative through what you choose to notice, linger on, and question. Using a thematic, generative framework that moves through authenticity, obsession, place, and empathy, you'll access voice in a more intuitive, less rules-driven way than a traditional workshop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThis nonfiction writing workshop is for anyone ready to step more fully into their own story, to write with urgency, depth, and yes, a little main character energy. You'll come away with a deeper trust in your instincts and a stronger sense of yourself as the central force in your own writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the writing goals?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eIn this course, students will produce 4 generative writing pieces (one per week, 500–1,000 words each) developed through in-class prompts and exercises. Writers will generate new work each week and receive first-blush feedback in a supportive and encouraging environment. These generative pieces can serve as the foundation for developing longer works of memoir, essay, or hybrid nonfiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReadings\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eReadings may include excerpts from \u003cem\u003eStay True\u003c\/em\u003e by Hua Hsu, \u003cem\u003eEverything Is Tuberculosis\u003c\/em\u003e by John Green, \u003cem\u003eDeep Creek\u003c\/em\u003e by Pam Houston, and \u003cem\u003eThe Empathy Exams\u003c\/em\u003e by Leslie Jamison.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCOURSE OUTLINE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 1: Voice, Honesty, and Narrative Authority\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e — Generative prompts centered on \"I remember,\" contradiction, and personal mythologies\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 2: Theme, Symbolism, and the Urge to Make Meaning\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e — Exercises that elevate the mundane into metaphor; interrogating personal narratives for deeper resonance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 3: Place, Embodiment, and Interiority\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e — Sensory writing exercises; mapping emotional terrain onto physical space\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeek 4: Emotional Complexity, Perspective, and Compassion\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e — Exercises in reframing, writing beyond our own perspective, and deepening emotional stakes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCOURSE TAKEAWAYS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eA stronger sense of your own voice and narrative authority as a nonfiction writer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e4 new generative writing pieces (500–1,000 words each) that can be developed into longer essays or memoir chapters\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eTechniques for transforming lived experience into compelling, structured personal narrative\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eTools for elevating everyday observations into metaphor and meaning\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003ePractice writing with specificity, emotional risk, and sensory detail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eExperience giving and receiving first-blush feedback in a supportive workshop environment\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePAYMENT OPTIONS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eTuition is $330 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eInstructor: Brittany Ackerman\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eBegins Tuesday, July 21, 2026\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eClass will meet weekly via Zoom on Tuesdays, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM ET\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eTuition is $330 USD.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Writing Workshops Org","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48218431291640,"sku":null,"price":2142.0,"currency_code":"DKK","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0287\/3917\/4532\/files\/BrittanyAckermanHeadshot.png?v=1757382460","url":"https:\/\/writingworkshops.com\/en-dk\/products\/main-character-energy-nonfiction-writing-workshop-online-july-2026","provider":"Writing Workshops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}