by Writing Workshops Staff
2 weeks ago
Three years ago, while her daughter endured leukemia treatments during the pandemic's isolating grip, Austin found herself battling another demon—alcoholism. Writing became not merely an outlet but a lifeline, a way to navigate the labyrinthine corridors of dual traumas that threatened to consume her.
Now, as she prepares to teach Writing Your Pain, a one-time Zoom seminar for Writing Workshops, Austin has transformed her personal crucible into a methodology for others seeking to give voice to their suffering.
"There's a common stereotype of writers as aimless, tortured souls waiting for inspiration to strike," Austin says. "I reject that idea."
Her forthcoming seminar isn't about wallowing or crafting performative trauma narratives that have become ubiquitous in certain literary circles. Rather, Austin offers something more nuanced: a framework for dialogue with one's pain, treating it not as an adversary but as a complex companion with stories to tell.
What distinguishes Austin's approach is her emphasis on craft alongside catharsis. A published writer whose work spans from TIME and Harper's Bazaar to McSweeney's and The Sun, she understands that effective personal writing requires structure. "Memoir needs plot," she says, citing wisdom from author Courtney Maum that transformed her own approach to writing about suffering.
In an era when public discourse often seems to alternate between toxic positivity and unprocessed trauma-sharing, Austin's workshop offers a third path: a guided exploration that acknowledges pain while maintaining artistic integrity.
For writers navigating illness, grief, heartbreak, or simply the complicated terrain of being human, Austin creates what she calls "a space where we can be both honest and artful."
The workshop begins with a deceptively simple prompt: "If your pain could speak, what would it say?" Participants then flip the script, writing letters to their pain—an exercise in reclaiming agency. By the session's end, attendees leave with two original pieces, fresh insights, and perhaps most importantly, a transformed relationship with the very experiences that have shaped them.
For Austin, who is completing a memoir about alcoholism during her daughter's cancer journey while co-editing an anthology exploring isolation and healthcare, this work represents the class she wishes she'd had earlier in her career. "Writing wasn't just a tool for expression," she reflects. "It was, and is, a lifeline."
Writing Workshops: Hi, Elizabeth. Please introduce yourself to our audience.
Elizabeth Austin: Hi, I'm Elizabeth Austin. I'm a writer and solo mom to two teens, and I live outside of Philly (Bucks County, for those who know!) I write cultural commentary, craft pieces, and reported and personal essays. I've written for Time, Harper's Bazaar, McSweeney's, Ms. Magazine, Narratively, and others. I'm co-editor of a forthcoming anthology of narratives that explore the intersection between isolation and healthcare. I'm currently working on edits for my memoir about my struggles with alcoholism during my daughter's years in cancer treatment.
Writing Workshops: What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
Elizabeth Austin: I'm teaching Writing Your Pain because it's the class I wish I'd had early in my writing career. I've always explored pain (both emotional and physical) through my writing, but that instinct deepened after my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia during the pandemic. Writing wasn't just a tool for expression- it was, and is, a lifeline for me. I've noticed that many writers— especially women and caregivers— are hungry for permission, support, and technique when it comes to writing about their personal pain. There's a real need for craft tools that help writers go deep without drowning. We need a space where we can be both honest and artful. That's what I hope to create with this class.
Writing Workshops: Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
Elizabeth Austin: In Writing Your Pain, we'll use guided exercises to transform pain from a silent burden into a partner in our life's journey. The class will begin with a prompt asking "if your pain could speak, what would it say?" and then shift to writing a letter to your pain. I ask, "what would you say to it?" Through these exercises, we'll gain tools for emotional exploration and vulnerable storytelling, building confidence and connection in a supportive space. Participants will leave with two new pieces of writing, fresh insights, and a sense of empowerment. My aim is to help people reframe their relationship with pain.
My favorite part is that it's writer-focused, applicable to anyone trying to write through and about their own pain, and accessible across genres and stages of writing careers. I also love watching participants give themselves permission to be vulnerable as we explore the healing power of our shared stories.
Writing Workshops: What was your first literary crush?
Elizabeth Austin: Are we talking writer or character? I'm a journal girl, so as far as writers go, I'm Annie Ernaux all the way. I probably would have had a poster of her on my bedroom wall as a teenager if they'd ever sold such a thing at my local Border's. As far as a character crush, Mr. Darcy from P&P. Basic, predictable, cringe, call it what you want, I don't care- he was my crush when I was 13 and he's my crush now. I'm forever luxuriating in the enduring allure of Mr. Darcy.
Writing Workshops: What are you currently reading?
Elizabeth Austin: I'm delighted to say I'm reading an advance copy of M.L Rio's Hot Wax, and it's taking everything in me to take it in small bites. I just want to clear my schedule and read it in one sitting, it's so good. It's out in September and I can't wait to live vicariously through everyone who will be reading it for the first time.
I'm also reading Notes on Surviving the Fire by Christine Murphy. It's another book I never want to put down- the story is gripping, Murphy's writing is skillful, and each scene is vivid and immersive. The good news is it's out now and available through your local bookstore!
Writing Workshops: How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
Elizabeth Austin: Most of my recent freelance pieces were written with the goal of supporting my memoir, so the decision about what to work on has been straightforward. I also write culture and opinion pieces responding to current events and trends, and I need to be more selective about my engagement and work in that space because it can suck me in and then my manuscript languishes. I tend to prioritize a project (book) and work around that. As far as writing to "the end" of something a lot of my writing happens in my head, so I can usually see the whole shape of a project before I bring it to the page. If I can't feel an inclination of an ending, I'm probably not ready to see whatever it is to completion. I always have a dozen or more drafts in process at any one time, so it's easy to rotate around and work on one thing until I'm ready to switch to another.
Writing Workshops: Where do you find inspiration?
Elizabeth Austin: It comes in two parts- my best ideas happen away from the page, when I'm doing other things. Often it's while I'm out walking my dog, or driving, or out to dinner with friends. I'm always typing quick notes into my phone. The development of those ideas, however, happens on the page or in conversation with other writers. There's a balance of solitude and community in my process, and I really enjoy working this way.
Writing Workshops: What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work? Why has this advice stuck with you?
Elizabeth Austin: "Memoir needs plot." Courtney Maum taught me this seemingly obvious lesson during her Turning Points retreat in 2024 and it has transformed my approach to my book-length projects. As a writer who grew up reading confessional poetry and essays, not to mention published diaries of famous writers, I was very much in the habit of putting my experiences down on the page without much thought to story: things happened, and I wrote them down and considered them done. After studying with Courtney, I started looking at my memoir as a story, and stories need structure and plot. My approach to my memoir changed completely- now it's a book with momentum. It tells my story in a way that engages people and keeps them reading.
Writing Workshops: What is your favorite book to recommend on the craft of writing? Why this book?
Elizabeth Austin: Steering the Craft by Ursula K Le Guin. It's a masterclass in the technical aspects of writing. She gives clear guidance on structure, pacing, and point of view while also exploring the philosophical heart of storytelling. It's a book I rarely see listed on craft book reading lists for writers, but it has a permanent place on my desk and I refer to it weekly, at least.
As a writer of all things personal, I'd be remiss not to also mention Body Work by Melissa Febos. It's essential reading for anyone who writes about the difficulties of being a person in the world.
Writing Workshops: Bonus question: What's your teaching vibe?
Elizabeth Austin: I love helping writers feel confident and in control of their work. There's a common stereotype of writers as aimless, tortured souls waiting for inspiration to strike, but I reject that idea. No matter where you are in your writing career, you own your ideas, your skills, and your art. You're in charge— and you've got this.
Learn more about Elizabeth's upcoming seminar, Writing Your Pain, and sign up now to avoid the waitlist.
Instructor Elizabeth Austin’s writing has appeared in TIME, Harper’s Bazaar, Narratively, McSweeney’s, Ms. Magazine, Brevity, and The Sun, among others. She is co-editor of the forthcoming anthology, Root Cause: Stories of health, harm, and reclaiming our humanity in an epidemic of loneliness. Elizabeth holds an M.F.A. from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her two children and their many pets. She writes a newsletter about her family’s post-cancer life and is currently finishing her memoir about her struggle with alcoholism during her daughter’s three years in leukemia treatment.
