PVWW 10-Month Manuscript Program

10 Months: March - December, 2026 • Meets Second Tuesdays on Zoom (6-9 pm EDT) • $2,200

10-Month Generative Writing Workshop

with Melenie Freedom Flynn

Perhaps you know you have a manuscript in you - you want to develop a serious and regular writing routine - but you don't know where to start. This workshop is designed for writers of any genre looking to create regular writing time and commit to a longer-term writing practice. As writers, we want more than anything to be writing, and yet, the pages remain blank as days and weeks tumble by. One of the most effective ways to make space to write is to join a supportive and inspiring community of writers for focused writing time. The Generative Writing section of PVWW's Manuscript Program is for writers of any level and genre, whether you’re just starting out or publishing frequently, and whether you’re writing short stories, novels, poems, memoirs, essays — or if you don’t know yet what you’re writing. We'll focus on acquiring craft tools to help you increase your focus and confidence as a writer. It’s magical how much writing can happen in short, focused periods of time when we show up for ourselves and each other. For more details about what this course entails, including overall features of the program, see the above About the Program section. Limited to 10 writers.

The 10-Month Generative Writing Workshop includes all the features of the 10-month manuscript program, including the live monthly session, interaction throughout the month via a dedicated virtual classroom space, accountability buddies, monthly, write-ins, and one-on-one instructor meetings. *** Though Please Note: This is not a manuscript critique group — we will not be workshopping manuscript pages — rather, this is a dedicated space each month to write in a supportive and inspiring community of peers.

Each three-hour monthly session includes:

Discussion and breakdown of craft topics
Time to connect with your fellow writers
In-session writing time
Opportunities to read your work aloud for supportive responses

Course Outline & Topics Covered

MARCH: Getting started —Why do we write? What lights a fire inside us and inspires us to keep going? “I always start with questions I can’t answer,” writes author Barabara Kingsolver. The answer is as individual as each person. How do we show up fully for ourselves as writers and commit to getting words down on the page?

APRIL: Saying yes — How do we clear the way for our authentic voice to come through? How do we listen deeply to our quiet voice inside and encourage it to speak on the page?

MAY: Perfectionism, permission, and other monsters — As writers, we all have our version of the internal critic that shows up to judge us as we are writing. How do we work with our internal voices of judgement that keep us from going further in our writing?

JUNE: Sensorial time travel — A particular smell (or song, or taste) can catapult us back in time to an experience like it was yesterday. How can we use this time-travel ability to deepen the sensorial elements in our writing?

JULY: Listening and noticing — We are surrounded by stories all day, every day. How can we pay attention in a deeper way, and bring what we’re noticing back to the page?

AUGUST: I said . . . You said — What are the elements of dialogue that lifts up off the page? How do we bring spoken voices to life in our story?

SEPTEMBER: Point of view — First person, second person, third person? Omniscient, limited, objective? Through experimentation, discover which point of view best unfolds the story.

OCTOBER: Where is this all going? — How much do we need to know about where we are going with our writing? Do we plan structure, or does it emerge?

NOVEMBER: Revision and editing — Through revision and editing, how do we take away what’s not needed, and add what is? How do we keep turning the dial of the kaleidoscope until a clear vision comes into focus?

DECEMBER: Shining the light forward — How can we be kind and patient with ourselves when navigating choppy waters in our writing? What are ways we can create a practice and community that will sustain and inspire us going forward

Novel First Draft

Instructor

MELENIE FREEDOM FLYNN's memoir-in-progress is currently being supported by grants from the Elizabeth George Foundation and Massachusetts Cultural Council. She is the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship, Djerassi Artist-in-Residence Fellowship, Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency, and scholarships to the Community of Writers Workshop. Her essay “Message from Your Inmate” won the annual nonfiction contest at Vela Magazine and her recent work can be seen in Provincetown Arts Magazine and the Straw Dog Pandemic Poetry and Prose Journal. A graduate of the MFA Acting Program at California Institute of the Arts, Melenie has performed in theatres across the country including the New York Theatre Workshop, the Kitchen (NY), Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre (MA), and Majestic Theatre (MA). Visit her online at meleniefreedomflynn.com.

Novel First Draft

What Former Students Say

“[This Program] is a great place to explore your writing and work in a community of other writers... I love Melenie's approach and inter-group communication..."

- Layla Cable (Alum, 2025)

“Melenie connected with us as a group and individuals. The smooth flowing conversations and comments on readings were due to her ability as a mentor and leader. I wrote a great deal during class from the prompts and connected them to my memoir writings. I enjoyed the group work and Melenie’s supportive comments. "- Alum (2024)

“I enjoyed the supportive atmosphere and sensible organization of our time...My writing benefited from the in-class exercises, and the class served as a big motivation to continue writing. [Melenie] kept the tone of the class positive and supportive and organized our class time superbly. She did a very good job and the coursework was helpful; also, the other students were an unexpected joy."- Chris Fox