Weekend Intensive will Meet on Saturday, July 11, & Sunday, July 12th, 2026

Class will meet both days via Zoom for 3 hours at 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PT): 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM / Chicago (CT): 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM / New York (ET): 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM / London (BST): 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM / Berlin (CEST): 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM

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

Instructor Debra Jo Immergut is the author of the novels You Again, named a New York Times Best of the Year and shortlisted for the 2021 Gotham Book Prize, and The Captives, a 2019 Edgar Award finalist and published in over a dozen countries. She has also published a collection of short fiction, Private Property. Her essays and stories have appeared in American Short Fiction, Narrative, The New York Times, PANK, Hobart, and elsewhere. A recipient of Michener and MacDowell fellowships, she has an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and lives in western Massachusetts.

Who is this class for?

This online writing seminar is designed for writers of all levels who want to deepen the emotional impact of their work and make their characters feel more truthful and alive. The strategies discussed will strengthen both fiction and nonfiction work. Whether you're just starting out or deep into a manuscript, you'll find new tools for transforming lived experience into compelling storytelling.

What to expect:

Keeping in mind Joan Didion's observations about the differences between truth and fact — "How it felt to me: that is getting closer to the truth" — this weekend writing workshop will explore ways to mine your life for powerful raw material while avoiding overexposure. You'll consider when it's best to stick close to "real life" and when it's better to recast or reshape for greater resonance, working on strategies for evoking setting, summoning characters, and shaping narratives.

Sessions will consist of illustrated lecture, generative writing exercises, and discussion of examples from published work, with 1–3 short pieces to be read in advance. If time and interest exist, participants may share bits of their writing, but the main goal of this creative writing course is to pick up new tools for storytelling and to make new work. The underlying lesson is this: every life can yield ample material for compelling writing.

Participants will have a chance to share bits of in-class work. Sharing is always optional, and feedback will be focused on what's working in the new material.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will take away a set of practical tools for building stronger stories, plans and/or drafts for two new scenes, and a list of "excavated memories" that will deepen the reality of their characters and their fictional world. Debra Jo Immergut's operating principle is that anyone can create compelling narratives with a few key strategies.

Readings:

Readings will include short excerpts from a variety of authors such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Jesmyn Ward, Shirley Jackson, Justin Torres, and Michael Cunningham.

COURSE OUTLINE

Day 1: Remembered Landscapes – A "memory into fiction" recipe to try – How to locate and use your remembered landscapes – How to summon characters who feel real but aren't

Day 2: Building a Narrative – Why the truest story might not be the true story – How to construct strong momentum and how to resolve it – How to keep nurturing your project and process

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• A "recipe" for creating a compelling, propulsive narrative based largely or partially on your own memories
• Lists of your own recaptured and recast memories to use as raw material for your work
• 2–3 flexible tools for creating settings and characters that feel real and "lived in"
• Drafts or starting points for new scenes
• Practical strategies for mining personal experience while maintaining creative distance
• A deeper understanding of when to stay close to real life and when to reshape for greater resonance

TESTIMONIALS:

Debra is not only a gifted writer, but she is a gifted teacher of writing. She meets writers where they are and gently takes them to the next level, with insightful feedback, warmth, and good humor. — former student

Debra has a magical way of fostering rigor, curiosity, and generosity, and my work has grown immensely since the start of the course. — former student

Debra’s laserlike comments and brilliant suggestions have kept me going this fall and winter. I really can’t recommend this experience enough. — former student

I had a wonderful time in Debra’s workshop. A few things stand out: Debra’s warm, welcoming manner and her care in assembling a group of bright, engaged writers. She helped me develop a non-punitive plan — “a roadmap, not a train schedule” — toward completing the first draft of my novel, which has resulted in fruitful writing months. — former student

I made so many notes throughout the course about how I might use these strategies in my work. I want to map out the existing structure of the stories I'm revising to help me see what patterns and rhythms emerge and how I can work to complete them in a satisfying and resonant way. I'm feeling excited about completing an unfinished story and revising the two that I'm trying to get ready to send out into the world. Thank you for pointing out a few mechanisms to try! — former student

Great balance of instruction and writing time. Loved it, wouldn’t change a thing! Appreciated the instructor’s thoughtfulness and engagement. I’m very new to writing and found the content very helpful and accessible. — former student

The content was fabulous; the examples were so eye-opening. It really is the best workshop I've taken in the last year. — former student

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $180 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: Debra Jo Immergut
• Weekend Seminar will meet on Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, 2026
• Class will meet both days via Zoom for 3 hours at 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $180 USD.