About Our Writing Workshops
Surprising, Yet Inevitable: The Art of the Ending (with Joy Baglio)
"I learned a lot about specific techniques for ending stories. I've always admired the ability of good writers to craft a powerful closing, but had never recognized/analyzed the mechanics of the craft. Identifying these techniques with concrete examples was very helpful. Joy is an outstanding instructor."
-Ed Orzechowski, author of I Think You'll Like It Here: The Story of Donald Vitkus, Belchertown Patient #3394
"Couldn't have wished for anything better. Joy really has a talent. It was well structured. The way she presented the different types of endings was just excellent. I'm sure I'll go over them at length and in detail. No doubt it will help my writing...All I can say, is thank you Joy, and thank you all who attended.
-Dennis Dymek
"Ms. Baglio's knowledge and her ability to transfer this knowledge is exceptional. A confident communicator and facilitator, she effectively achieves the goals of the session through the interplay of the participant's ideas and concepts."
-Jim Spencer, author of Red, White, and Black Lies
4-Week Fiction Workshop: The Art of Connecting with Readers (with Seth Harwood)
"The readings were excellent and introduced me to helpful concepts and practices such as triggering/generated subject, how a writer's workshop works, steps of revision, and how to give/receive helpful feedback. Seth's feedback in writing and in class were helpful and instructive. I liked being able to do short assignments each week, hand them in, and get feedback. I really liked our group, and Seth helped create a space where we could enjoy learning together. [He] did a great job structuring this as an introduction to the writers' workshop. I feel very prepared and ready to join a writing group to continue my development."
-Daniel Ritchie
"Seth was a great instructor. He was engaging yet low key and knowledgable about the subject matter...I walked away from this 4-week workshop motivated and inspired...A learning experience for sure!"
-Laura Mikolaitis
"As a novice writer, Seth introduced me to a lot of concepts I hadn't thought of, like focusing on meaning, sense, and clarity. I also learned about the writing process finding the story as you go. I enjoyed the readings he selected for us too."
-Nikolas Guardia
Hooking the Reader from the First Line: The Art of the Opening (with Joy Baglio)
"A truly excellent class. Joy is wonderful. Her teaching is very clear and allows all involved to be included in discussion and clarification when needed."
-Dot Wentworth
"Great class - great participants - great energy - great (and skilled) instructor - I couldn't ask for anything more. It was all over too quickly."
-Jim Spencer, author of Red, White, and Black Lies
Starting Your Memoir (with Lynn Magovern)
"Lynn [Magovern] is exceptional...a highly skilled facilitator with the ability to balance too much, in too little time, with finesse...I took away much more than I anticipated. And I am on my way to a memoir I have been thinking about for many years."
-Peg Whalen
"Lynn offered a friendly, open environment in her class that was easy to relax into...She did a great job leading the class. She was prepared to teach with handouts and extra paper, pens...for any ill-prepared attendee. She not only listed additional resources (books on writing) in her handout, she brought the books with her so we were able to see them firsthand...[Her] workshop was informative and hands-on. We were given short blocks of time to free-write and also given resources to look into later. I will be referring to them often."
-Beth Ann Jedziniak
Flash Fiction Workshop (with Joy Baglio)
"I got a very thorough introduction to what flash fiction writing is, and how to do it. Joy walked us through several examples of flash fiction, then gave us a writing assignment that helped to cement what she had taught us. Throughout the class, she encouraged dialogue amongst herself and the students, which helped keep me engaged in the process of learning to write flash fiction."
-Patrick Regan
"Joy is an excellent teacher. All the classes are super well organized. There are handouts for every class with notes about the material we are learning... It's extremely helpful to learn concepts behind the craft and then have examples in front of us of how authors utilize these techniques. At the end of each class, we're provided an opportunity to engage in a writing exercise to try our hand at what we learned. I always find these exercises to be fun and exhilarating. Honestly, the class by far exceeded my expectations. I left every class feeling inspired."
-Shaun Lamory
"Joy is very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly... [She] was well prepared and utilized the time well, allowing time for her instruction and our input. She was interested in what everyone had to say and offered ample support and encouragement. The handout continues to be useful for me, as well as her suggestions. She was clearly committed to the success of her class."
-Kimberly Smith
"The tone was serious but fun and Joy was great at directing the class...Everything was executed perfectly."
-Elise Ghitman
Revision Strategies for Short Fiction Writers (with Kate Senecal)
"I have been writing stories for about a year, but was unsure how to go about revising. This workshop was just what I needed. Now I have tools in my toolbox with which to work. I am inspired and activated."
-Kara Bohonowicz
"I really enjoyed Kate. She seemed very knowledgeable and had a large and varied bag of tricks in regard to revision tools. She was diplomatic and smart especially sharing personal writing process experiences."
-Linda Rowland-Buckley
The No-Nonsense Guide to Submitting to Literary Magazines (with Sara Rauch)
"Sara [Rauch]'s extensive knowledge of the subject matter made this a completely worthwhile class to take (worth the money, certainly). Her experience as both a writer and an editor gave me some very useful tips. I appreciated that she centered the class around our questions and interests."
-Emily Butler
8-Week Intermediate/Advanced Fiction Workshop (with Joy Baglio)
"I really enjoyed the structure of the class, because it offered a great mix of craft instruction and group feedback. I've taken fiction classes before and sometimes craft and technique can get sort of bogged down and unhelpful. In this class they were short, to the point, and came with helpful handouts so we can think more about it at home...Joy did a great job of moderating the workshop to encourage the most helpful and useful feedback, keeping things on track. She also did a great job directing our attention to aspects that we might have otherwise glossed over. For example, not just if we "liked" the end, but if the writer "earned" the end, if it worked on a plot level and an emotional level. Joy's feedback was, unsurprisingly, very useful and specific. It's the sort of editorial eye writer's always hope for - someone who can recognize big picture ideas and structure, but also provide very specific notes on lines, characters, dialogue, and style."
-Emily Everett, Managing Editor of The Common
"This #@$%&*# Poem!" An Introduction to Radical Revision (with Adam Grabowski)
"Adam clearly loves his subject...great enthusiasm and useful content combined for a productive and fun afternoon. I was delighted."
-Jovonna Van Pelt
All About Character (Joy Baglio)
"[The class] was packaged very well! The handouts are a great resource to keep around as I write, and the quoted material was excellent. In under two hours, Joy guided us adeptly and concisely through the subject. A+!!!"
-Edo Mor
"Lots of useful information conveyed in a lively format. Good handouts to use in future writing. I learned a lot about character development during the two-hour session."
-Anne Seuthe
Lyric-Writing Workshops for Songwriters (with Kelly Vogel)
"Kelly was extremely well prepared - prepared in excess for the time we had together. Many handouts and references, so I was able to understand everything she was teaching and having us practice. I went home and helped my daughter with an Emily Dickinson project because I had just learned about different types of rhymes from Kelly two hours before!"
-Elena Ciampa
"Kelly was great. She was well-prepared. The materials she shared pointed me to some good resources. Her way of interacting with participants was very positive, warm, and affirming."
-Bill Blatner
Intro to Fiction (with Kate Senecal)
"Kate was well-prepared with fun and challenging exercises...our speedwriting flowed...I was surprised when my own pen kept going with real energy, and I could tell others left with the same encouragement and inspiration simply because we had really worked, which is what a workshop is all about. Thanks so much! A genuinely memorable experience. Kate was a super leader."
-Marcia Lewis
"Kate was very upbeat and encouraging...All the exercises were very helpful and interesting to complete."
-CJ Lammers
About Our Writing Services
Editing and Manuscript Consulting
"Joy is an exceptional reader and editor. Not only is she thorough with grammatical edits, but she's also terrific in critiquing my stories from a craft perspective. Be it character motivation, the veracity of dialogue, stakes, overarching themes, or other aspects of story-building, she has a keen sense of what works and what doesn't, and my stories are so much stronger for her feedback."
-M.V. Fierce, 2016 Tin House Scholar
"I enthusiastically recommend Joy Baglio's skills as an editor, having presented her with a sprawling, 25-page short story I'd been working on for a long time...Joy's work on the story helped tip me in the direction of turning this dense and confusing piece into what it wants to be: a novel. I'm keeping her notes and questions in front of me as I now proceed to write it."
-Maureen Henderson
"Joy has a great attitude. She offers her skill and experience in every aspect of the editor-author relationship. Grateful for her hard work!"
-Christina
"Joy provides invaluable feedback! She has a knack for interpreting a writer's intentions. She knows the story you're trying to tell. She knows its strengths and its weaknesses. Her expert advice will help you fix things in your story that are broken, as well as things you didn't even know needed fixing. She is a brilliant mind, a great communicator, and a very sweet person. I'll definitely be sending my future projects her way."
-Drew Rogers
Surprising, Yet Inevitable: The Art of the Ending (with Joy Baglio)
"I learned a lot about specific techniques for ending stories. I've always admired the ability of good writers to craft a powerful closing, but had never recognized/analyzed the mechanics of the craft. Identifying these techniques with concrete examples was very helpful. Joy is an outstanding instructor."
-Ed Orzechowski, author of I Think You'll Like It Here: The Story of Donald Vitkus, Belchertown Patient #3394
"Couldn't have wished for anything better. Joy really has a talent. It was well structured. The way she presented the different types of endings was just excellent. I'm sure I'll go over them at length and in detail. No doubt it will help my writing...All I can say, is thank you Joy, and thank you all who attended.
-Dennis Dymek
"Ms. Baglio's knowledge and her ability to transfer this knowledge is exceptional. A confident communicator and facilitator, she effectively achieves the goals of the session through the interplay of the participant's ideas and concepts."
-Jim Spencer, author of Red, White, and Black Lies
4-Week Fiction Workshop: The Art of Connecting with Readers (with Seth Harwood)
"The readings were excellent and introduced me to helpful concepts and practices such as triggering/generated subject, how a writer's workshop works, steps of revision, and how to give/receive helpful feedback. Seth's feedback in writing and in class were helpful and instructive. I liked being able to do short assignments each week, hand them in, and get feedback. I really liked our group, and Seth helped create a space where we could enjoy learning together. [He] did a great job structuring this as an introduction to the writers' workshop. I feel very prepared and ready to join a writing group to continue my development."
-Daniel Ritchie
"Seth was a great instructor. He was engaging yet low key and knowledgable about the subject matter...I walked away from this 4-week workshop motivated and inspired...A learning experience for sure!"
-Laura Mikolaitis
"As a novice writer, Seth introduced me to a lot of concepts I hadn't thought of, like focusing on meaning, sense, and clarity. I also learned about the writing process finding the story as you go. I enjoyed the readings he selected for us too."
-Nikolas Guardia
Hooking the Reader from the First Line: The Art of the Opening (with Joy Baglio)
"A truly excellent class. Joy is wonderful. Her teaching is very clear and allows all involved to be included in discussion and clarification when needed."
-Dot Wentworth
"Great class - great participants - great energy - great (and skilled) instructor - I couldn't ask for anything more. It was all over too quickly."
-Jim Spencer, author of Red, White, and Black Lies
Starting Your Memoir (with Lynn Magovern)
"Lynn [Magovern] is exceptional...a highly skilled facilitator with the ability to balance too much, in too little time, with finesse...I took away much more than I anticipated. And I am on my way to a memoir I have been thinking about for many years."
-Peg Whalen
"Lynn offered a friendly, open environment in her class that was easy to relax into...She did a great job leading the class. She was prepared to teach with handouts and extra paper, pens...for any ill-prepared attendee. She not only listed additional resources (books on writing) in her handout, she brought the books with her so we were able to see them firsthand...[Her] workshop was informative and hands-on. We were given short blocks of time to free-write and also given resources to look into later. I will be referring to them often."
-Beth Ann Jedziniak
Flash Fiction Workshop (with Joy Baglio)
"I got a very thorough introduction to what flash fiction writing is, and how to do it. Joy walked us through several examples of flash fiction, then gave us a writing assignment that helped to cement what she had taught us. Throughout the class, she encouraged dialogue amongst herself and the students, which helped keep me engaged in the process of learning to write flash fiction."
-Patrick Regan
"Joy is an excellent teacher. All the classes are super well organized. There are handouts for every class with notes about the material we are learning... It's extremely helpful to learn concepts behind the craft and then have examples in front of us of how authors utilize these techniques. At the end of each class, we're provided an opportunity to engage in a writing exercise to try our hand at what we learned. I always find these exercises to be fun and exhilarating. Honestly, the class by far exceeded my expectations. I left every class feeling inspired."
-Shaun Lamory
"Joy is very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly... [She] was well prepared and utilized the time well, allowing time for her instruction and our input. She was interested in what everyone had to say and offered ample support and encouragement. The handout continues to be useful for me, as well as her suggestions. She was clearly committed to the success of her class."
-Kimberly Smith
"The tone was serious but fun and Joy was great at directing the class...Everything was executed perfectly."
-Elise Ghitman
Revision Strategies for Short Fiction Writers (with Kate Senecal)
"I have been writing stories for about a year, but was unsure how to go about revising. This workshop was just what I needed. Now I have tools in my toolbox with which to work. I am inspired and activated."
-Kara Bohonowicz
"I really enjoyed Kate. She seemed very knowledgeable and had a large and varied bag of tricks in regard to revision tools. She was diplomatic and smart especially sharing personal writing process experiences."
-Linda Rowland-Buckley
The No-Nonsense Guide to Submitting to Literary Magazines (with Sara Rauch)
"Sara [Rauch]'s extensive knowledge of the subject matter made this a completely worthwhile class to take (worth the money, certainly). Her experience as both a writer and an editor gave me some very useful tips. I appreciated that she centered the class around our questions and interests."
-Emily Butler
8-Week Intermediate/Advanced Fiction Workshop (with Joy Baglio)
"I really enjoyed the structure of the class, because it offered a great mix of craft instruction and group feedback. I've taken fiction classes before and sometimes craft and technique can get sort of bogged down and unhelpful. In this class they were short, to the point, and came with helpful handouts so we can think more about it at home...Joy did a great job of moderating the workshop to encourage the most helpful and useful feedback, keeping things on track. She also did a great job directing our attention to aspects that we might have otherwise glossed over. For example, not just if we "liked" the end, but if the writer "earned" the end, if it worked on a plot level and an emotional level. Joy's feedback was, unsurprisingly, very useful and specific. It's the sort of editorial eye writer's always hope for - someone who can recognize big picture ideas and structure, but also provide very specific notes on lines, characters, dialogue, and style."
-Emily Everett, Managing Editor of The Common
"This #@$%&*# Poem!" An Introduction to Radical Revision (with Adam Grabowski)
"Adam clearly loves his subject...great enthusiasm and useful content combined for a productive and fun afternoon. I was delighted."
-Jovonna Van Pelt
All About Character (Joy Baglio)
"[The class] was packaged very well! The handouts are a great resource to keep around as I write, and the quoted material was excellent. In under two hours, Joy guided us adeptly and concisely through the subject. A+!!!"
-Edo Mor
"Lots of useful information conveyed in a lively format. Good handouts to use in future writing. I learned a lot about character development during the two-hour session."
-Anne Seuthe
Lyric-Writing Workshops for Songwriters (with Kelly Vogel)
"Kelly was extremely well prepared - prepared in excess for the time we had together. Many handouts and references, so I was able to understand everything she was teaching and having us practice. I went home and helped my daughter with an Emily Dickinson project because I had just learned about different types of rhymes from Kelly two hours before!"
-Elena Ciampa
"Kelly was great. She was well-prepared. The materials she shared pointed me to some good resources. Her way of interacting with participants was very positive, warm, and affirming."
-Bill Blatner
Intro to Fiction (with Kate Senecal)
"Kate was well-prepared with fun and challenging exercises...our speedwriting flowed...I was surprised when my own pen kept going with real energy, and I could tell others left with the same encouragement and inspiration simply because we had really worked, which is what a workshop is all about. Thanks so much! A genuinely memorable experience. Kate was a super leader."
-Marcia Lewis
"Kate was very upbeat and encouraging...All the exercises were very helpful and interesting to complete."
-CJ Lammers
About Our Writing Services
Editing and Manuscript Consulting
"Joy is an exceptional reader and editor. Not only is she thorough with grammatical edits, but she's also terrific in critiquing my stories from a craft perspective. Be it character motivation, the veracity of dialogue, stakes, overarching themes, or other aspects of story-building, she has a keen sense of what works and what doesn't, and my stories are so much stronger for her feedback."
-M.V. Fierce, 2016 Tin House Scholar
"I enthusiastically recommend Joy Baglio's skills as an editor, having presented her with a sprawling, 25-page short story I'd been working on for a long time...Joy's work on the story helped tip me in the direction of turning this dense and confusing piece into what it wants to be: a novel. I'm keeping her notes and questions in front of me as I now proceed to write it."
-Maureen Henderson
"Joy has a great attitude. She offers her skill and experience in every aspect of the editor-author relationship. Grateful for her hard work!"
-Christina
"Joy provides invaluable feedback! She has a knack for interpreting a writer's intentions. She knows the story you're trying to tell. She knows its strengths and its weaknesses. Her expert advice will help you fix things in your story that are broken, as well as things you didn't even know needed fixing. She is a brilliant mind, a great communicator, and a very sweet person. I'll definitely be sending my future projects her way."
-Drew Rogers