Sunday, July 12th, 2026

Live Seminar via Zoom from 3:00PM - 6:00PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PDT): 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM / Chicago (CDT): 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM / New York (EDT): 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM / London (BST): 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM / Berlin (CEST): 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM

Note: If you can't attend live, this class will be recorded. 

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

Instructor GG Renee Hill is an author, creative coach, and workshop facilitator whose work bridges wellness and creativity, centering writing as a tool for healing and storytelling. Her mission is to help others enrich their lives and communities through the transformative power of the written word. Her most recent book, Story Work: Field Notes on Self-Discovery and Reclaiming Your Narrative, was published by Broadleaf Books in November 2025. She is also the author of Self-Care Check-In: A Guided Journal to Build Healthy Habits and Devote Time to You (2020) and A Year of Self-Reflection Journal: 365 Days of Guided Prompts to Slow Down, Tune In, and Grow (2021). She lives in Maryland with her family.

Who is this class for?

This reflective, idea-generating writing workshop is for beginning and intermediate writers who want to explore family stories with insight, care, and emotional integrity. Whether you have personal material but struggle to find a clear theme or angle, or you're unsure where to begin writing about family, ancestry, or intimate relationships, this workshop will meet you where you are.

What to expect:

Find the story beneath the story in your family narrative. In this one-day online nonfiction writing workshop, participants will receive guidance on exploring family relationships, dynamics, and lived experiences as a way to generate ideas and angles for personal essays. Rather than focusing on drafting a polished piece of writing, you'll use reflective prompts and short, low-pressure writing exercises to surface themes, questions, and narrative possibilities.

Together, we'll explore the emotional and ethical complexities of writing about family, the importance of clarifying your intention as a storyteller, and how this inner work can shape what and how you choose to write. This creative writing workshop is ideal for writers who want practical exercises to help generate ideas for writing projects and are seeking a supportive space to do both the craft work and the inner work of personal storytelling. Participants will leave with themes, angles, and multiple starting points for future personal essays and storytelling projects.

What are the writing goals?

In this seminar, students can expect to leave with a toolkit of prompts and techniques for generating meaningful story ideas, themes and narrative angles for writing personal essays about family, and clarity around the emotional and ethical complexities of writing about real people and relationships.

COURSE OUTLINE

Section One: Emotional & Ethical Foundations

1. Examining limiting beliefs and inherited narratives about family and storytelling
2. Using intention as an ethical compass when writing about real people and relationships

Section Two: Idea Generation for Personal Essays

1. Using self-inquiry exercises to uncover themes, questions, and story seeds
2. Translating personal moments into narrative arcs
3. Identifying and refining a unique angle to shape meaning and focus

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Lists of themes, questions, and moments drawn from personal or family experiences
• Rough notes, sketches, or short excerpts exploring specific scenes or anecdotes
• Brainstormed angles for stories or essays
• A preliminary narrative arc connecting key moments, turning points, and insights
• A stronger sense of your unique voice and perspective in approaching family stories

TESTIMONIALS:

"Renee was a gem to work with. She was so attentive to all of the participants, and really helped me feel more empowered in my writing process and coming out of the fear of telling my story. I appreciated this class!" - former participant

"I loved your style of teaching. It was very honest and super insightful. Thank you for helping me rediscover my spark again for writing." - former participant

"GG was such a warm and welcoming instructor! She conveyed her genuine passion for the craft and its many gifts. If anyone present wasn’t convinced they wanted to write, I bet that they are now. GG clearly cares about each student who shows up to learn from her. She shared a wealth of resources with us - during and after the class. I would happily take more of her workshops, and direct other writers to do the same!" - former participant

"GG is a talented facilitator who skillfully created a container for us to explore our vulnerability. The workshop inspired me to write more and practice embracing the imperfection. Would love workshops or classes that touch on the themes of today’s session." - former participant

"GG was a wonderful, confident instructor. I hope to take another with her again." - former participant

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $99 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: GG Renee Hill
• Sunday, July 12, 2026
• Class will meet once via Zoom on Sunday, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $99 USD.