In-Depth Writing Workshop

Twice a year, Alison offers an intensive online workshop for writers interested in doing a deep dive into their writing. Participants will receive personalised feedback on their work and learn what it takes to make their writing crackle to life.

NEXT DATES: TBA

Prior to launching Memoir Writing Ink, Alison spent years as a small group facilitator famous for her deep insight into craft, her compassion for both story and person, and a unique ability to pose questions that illuminate a story's path forward. Since then, she has gained an even broader understanding of what helps writers take work to its finest state and, ultimately, to completion.

This workshop offers the opportunity to explore layers and depths of craft, from the lyricism and rhythm of sentences to the architecture of story, the mechanics of structure, and voice. In both small groups and in private sessions with Alison, writers will dig into the nitty-gritty of how to sculpt a piece of writing into a work of art.

In the groups sessions, each writer will have the chance to workshop two pieces of writing, meaning that the work will receive an in-depth editing and analysis, be the focus of an interactive discussion about the work’s intentions, strengths, challenges and opportunities, and receive feedback from Alison and the group.

One of the many advantages of this format is that it offers every writer direct and detailed feedback as well as the chance to participate in the in-depth analysis of the work of fellow writers. It may seem counterintuitive, but chances are good that writers will find themselves learning more from these analyses than from the workshopping of their own writing. (There are many reasons for this, but one is that we can often see in someone else’s writing and process what we are blind to in our own. It can also be less terrifying to witness the workshop process than to be in the ‘hot seat,’ and we tend to be more open and receptive to ideas when we are in a less guarded state!)

Regardless of the pedagogical psychology, this In-Depth Writing Workshop, coupled with compelling craft lessons and 1-to-1 mentorship with Alison, is a literary learning experience like no other.

What You Receive

• Six 2-hour group workshops offering in-depth analysis of two 2000-word pieces with follow-up notes, detailed editorial marginalia, and clear suggestions for the next draft or iteration of your story.

• The opportunity to submit an additional 50 pages of writing for private review with Alison.

• Two 1-hour private sessions with Alison to discuss the above submission(s) and/or a larger writing project, looking at structure, story arc and development, and whatever other specific concerns, challenges or questions the writer might have.

• A group accountability meeting to examine revisions and discuss progress, questions, and goals for each person’s project, with the possibility of an in-person event in Ontario (depending on geography of participants). See details below.

• An additional 1-hour private strategy session with Alison at the end of the workshop to establish clear steps forward toward the completion of your project.

• A final celebration, and ongoing connection, with a small group of like-hearted writers at a similar stage of development, all of whom are devoted to refining and deepening their writing.

Dates & Details (6-month workshop)
*see 4-month workshop below

The 6-month workshop will run from 4 June - 19 November, 2026.
The group sessions will be held on Thursdays, 4-6pm EST {Toronto}.

PART ONE: JUNE - GROUP WORKSHOPS
This part of the workshop consists of 3 weekly Zoom meetings with all 6 writers. These will take place on Thursdays from 4-6 pm EST {June 4, 11, 18}. In each session, two writers will present works of 2000 words, submitted in advance for detailed feedback from Alison and other members of the workshop.

All calls will be recorded and the replays made available the following day.

PART TWO: JULY - PRIVATE CONSULTATION #1
Your first 1-hour private session with Alison, for which you may submit up to 25 pages, can be booked on Mondays or Thursdays for the month of July. Your submission can be a stand-alone piece or an excerpt (or several shorter excerpts) of a longer work.

PART THREE: AUGUST - GROUP WORKSHOP
The final month of the workshop will be a combination of group sessions and private consultations. Writers may choose to resubmit the same 2000-word piece or workshop a new piece of 2000 words. {Expect to see significant progress!}

PART FOUR: SEPTEMBER - PRIVATE CONSULTATION #2
For your second private 1-hour consultation, you may choose to submit an additional 25 pages or use this session to discuss and outline a larger project, looking at story arc, character and theme development, structure, and clear next steps.

PART FIVE: OCTOBER - GROUP REUNION & ACCOUNTABILITY GATHERING
It can be difficult to keep up the momentum once a workshop or retreat has ended, which is why there is one more critical event on the calendar: a group reunion and accountability gathering. This is an opportunity to discuss progress, talk through issues or obstacles, receive answers to important questions, and chart your next steps with clarity and support. *Depending on the geography of the group and people’s ability to travel, this could become a 1- or 2-day in-person event (at an additional cost).

PART SIX: NOVEMBER - PRIVATE STRATEGY SESSION & FINAL CELEBRATION
The final components of this workshop are a final private session with Alison to develop a strategy for your project’s completion. as well as one last celebratory event with the group as a whole. Prepare to be amazed by where you are after six months of intensive focus and commitment to your writing. :)

To see the 6-month workshop schedule in calendar form, click here.

*THE 4-MONTH OPTION WOULD BE A CONDENSED VERSION OF PARTS 1-5, ending in September.

*To see the 4-month calendar, click here.

Your Investment

• The cost of the six-month workshop, including six group sessions, two private consultations with Alison, and an in-depth review of up to 50 pages of writing, an accountability gathering, and a final private strategy session with Alison is CA$4,400 / US$3,700 {THE 4-MONTH option would be CA$3800 / US$3200.} One scholarship position is available to a writer who shows exceptional talent and is unable to afford the full cost of the workshop.

• Registration for the In-Depth Writing Workshop is by application, which will require the attachment of a short (500-word) sample of writing. Every effort will be made to curate a mutually beneficial workshop for all writers. To that end, you may be asked to submit a second (longer) sample of writing to ensure that everyone is working at a similar standard of writing.

• Upon acceptance into the workshop, you will be asked to make a $1,000 deposit. The balance will be due 3 weeks prior to the workshop start date. Payment plans are also available on request.

• NOTE FROM ALISON: Please don’t feel intimidated! You do not need to be a whiz-bang professional writer to join this workshop! It’s just important, with such a small group, that everyone is more or less on the same page—bahahaha—in terms of experience and commitment. I look forward to making this an illuminating, inspiring, expansive and joyful workshop for all involved, including me. :)

Application / Registration

Please click the button below to be taken to a short application form. You will be asked to attach a 500-word sample of writing. This sample will most likely be an excerpt from a longer work and no supplementary material or explanation is necessary, as it is the writing itself, rather than the subject matter, that is of primary interest. (In other words, just send us a few pages of writing. It doesn’t matter where it fits into your larger work.)

If your application is successful, we will be in touch with registration instructions and a payment link within 5 business days.

One thing: Applications take considerable time and energy to review and assess, so please begin the application process only if you are committed and prepared to make your deposit immediately. In other words: serious applicants only. Thank you! ❤️

There is only so far we can take our writing on our own.
Then we need a discerning eye and a kind, experienced hand.