Inspire 2026: Creative Writing: Cultivating Craft through Daily Practice (July 6- July 10)

This weeklong, virtual course offers the time, space, and guidance to focus deeply on your own writing. Each day combines short lectures, generative exercises, and guided workshops designed to help you build a sustainable writing routine and explore your voice. You’ll engage with inspiring readings and discussions that illuminate how writers craft meaning through structure, language, and revision.

In writing about a topic, idea, or question that matters to you, you’ll experiment with new techniques, receive thoughtful feedback from peers, and meet one-on-one with the instructor to refine your work. By the end of the week, you’ll leave with a polished, dynamic piece of writing—and a renewed confidence in your creative process. More importantly, you’ll gain a set of transportable skills and strategies to help you sustain your writing practice long after the course ends. 

Outline of Concepts 

• What makes writing effective and engaging? 

• What is a writers’ workshop—and what is it not? 

• How do craft and style shape meaning? 

• How can revision deepen our understanding of our own process? 

• How can writing serve as exploration and discovery? 

By thinking about writing as a form of experimentation—with its own hypotheses, processes, and communities—you will be able to explore your ideas, find your words, and as a result, your writing process. 

This course will meet daily Monday-Friday from 10:00AM -12:00PM ET  and requires an internet connection and access to Zoom. The instructor will have 1:1 sessions with each student to offer personal feedback.

Refund Policy: Registrants are eligible for a refund until 60 days from the program start. Please note that a $150 administrative fee will be retained to cover the costs associated with application review and the admissions process. No refunds will be available after 60 days from the program start. To cancel your registration and request a refund, please contact inspire.northern@virginia.edu.