11 Best Creative Writing Classes in Austin

We’re going above and beyond the experience of spending the day writing at a café—enjoy complimentary coffee, tea and water, chat with local creatives and maybe even find a new writing partner and friend!

Many new writers hoping to become published authors often ask themselves, I’ve written a book…now what? Chances are, the first thing they need is a literary agent. This class focuses on the correct methods of obtaining a literary agent and helps simplify the process.

In this fast and fun, 90 minute event we will cover every facet of the creation process from research and ideas to creating and selling your book. Above all, you will discover how to take known facts and transform them into a true story that is uniquely yours.

The writer’s mantra – and the bane of most writers’ existence – is Show, Don’t Tell. In this workshop, writers will get down and dirty with ways to show and how to identify in their drafts where they are telling and how to enjoy transforming that telling into showing.

Led by Kritika Pandey, this class meets over two consecutive weekends (December 2-3 and December 9-10, 2023). It focuses on various aspects of short story writing, including passing time in fiction, structural unity, and dialogue. The course includes in-class generative writing, editing, and selected readings from authors like Donald Barthelme and George Saunders. Participants will have a revised short story by the end of the workshop.

A 6-week online Zoom class, designed to help writers discover and develop their unique voice through personal essays and poems. Taught by author Lynne Golodner, this course encourages mining life experiences for powerful stories, offering guidance in writing with purpose to leave a lasting legacy. It's suitable for those wanting to write for personal fulfillment or to inspire others​​.

Conducted by Sophia Benoit, a writer featured in GQ and The Guardian, this seminar delves into blending personal essay writing with comedic storytelling. It's perfect for those looking to use humor to make personal stories universally relatable, and for writers wanting to enhance their humor writing skills.

Led by award-winning author Manuel Gonzales, this fiction seminar explores crafting engaging plots through characters' decisions and actions. Focusing on how characters drive plots, the course aims to build organic and compelling narratives. Ideal for writers interested in character-driven storytelling

Led by author and editor Ted Dodson, this seminar delves into the serial poem format. It offers a cross-medium approach, incorporating literary, video, and visual art techniques. Ideal for writers seeking new challenges or developing ideas for a poetry collection, the course examines works by various influential poets.

Taught by Hilary Leichter, author and Columbia University instructor, this seminar explores the art of flash fiction. Participants learn about the form’s history, analyze works by prominent authors, and engage in class exercises. It's open to writers at all levels, from beginners to seasoned poets venturing into prose.

Dive into the realm of storytelling with Austin Public Library's writing workshops. Featuring sessions like 'Write with Spike: Writing Workshops with Spike Gillespie,' this series welcomes all, with a special 2-hour session on December 5, 2023. Explore writing basics across genres in a supportive community, with no prerequisites required, making it an accessible literary venture