Stop Rewriting the Same Draft: Two Incredible Year-Long Incubators to Finally Finish Your Book in 2026
by Writing Workshops Staff
6 months ago
You've been writing the same book for how long now? Maybe it's been two years. Maybe five. Perhaps you've lost count. The draft sits there, half-finished, structurally wobbly, waiting for you to figure out what it needs next.
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You've likely read craft essays, listened to podcasts, and told yourself that this will be the year.
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But here's what nobody tells you: most writers don't need more inspiration. They need sustained guidance, honest feedback, and a community that won't let them disappear into the revision wilderness alone.
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As Electric Literature's education partner, we're excited to share two incredible year-long manuscript incubators.
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Both programs start in January 2026. Both are limited to just 12 writers. And both are designed to do one thing: get your book done.
FOR FICTION WRITERS
Year-Long Novel Incubator with Joss Lake January 6 – December 2026
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Joss Lake's debut novel, Future Feeling, was longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award. He teaches fiction at Columbia University and has guided writers through the MFA process for years.
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This program is for novelists with an early draft (ideally 25,000+ words) who are ready to transform messy pages into a polished, publication-ready manuscript.
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What you'll get:Â
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→ Five one-on-one sessions with JossÂ
→ Two full developmental reads (beginning and end)Â
→ Four workshop rounds with your cohortÂ
→ Guest faculty, including agents, editors, and novelists
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One of those guest faculty? Denne Michele Norris, Electric Literature's own editor-in-chief.
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APPLY TO THE NOVEL INCUBATOR →
FOR NONFICTION WRITERS
Write Your Nonfiction Book in a Year with Melissa Petro January 15 – December 2026
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Melissa Petro is the author of Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification (Putnam/Penguin Random House). Her students have published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Cut, The Nation, and beyond.
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This program is for memoirists, essayists, and narrative nonfiction writers at any stage, whether you have an idea or an existing draft.
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What you'll get:Â
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→ 75 hours of instruction across 25 sessionsÂ
→ Five one-on-one sessions with MelissaÂ
→ A finished manuscript OR book proposal ready for submissionÂ
→ Guest faculty, including agent Betsy Lerner (Forest for the Trees), Ryan Harbage, and Laura Mazer
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APPLY TO THE NONFICTION INCUBATOR →
THE DETAILS:
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Both programs meet every other week via Zoom, and you'll need to commit 10–15 hours per week to your project.
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These aren't passive courses. They're intensive, selective, MFA-level programs for writers who are serious about finishing.
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Applications are open now. Space is limited to 12 writers per incubator.
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"After this program, I became less nervous about writing and felt gradually that 'writer' is something I could call myself." — AJ, Novel Incubator alum
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"Working with Melissa not only held me accountable to finishing my memoir, but made me a better writer." — Shannon O., Nonfiction Incubator alum
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Make 2026 the year the draft becomes a book.
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APPLY NOW →
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WritingWorkshops.com is Electric Literature's education partner, offering online workshops, destination retreats, and year-long mentorship programs for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenwriting.
