For people who want to to blossom as writers,
finish the project they've started,
and enjoy the process.
You have a writing project that you’ve taken as far as you can on your own.
You believe in this project {are you calling it a book yet?}, but it’s not yet what you want it to be.
You’re constantly revising OR you’re stuck and spinning your wheels.
None of this means you can’t write. It just means you’ve gone as far as solitude can take you.
You long to find proper shape for your material, to finally see the architecture of your own story.
You want feedback that is specific, rigorous and kind, that allows you to break through the
You wish to belong to a room of writers who take your work as seriously as you do.
You know you would benefit from some honest feedback, clear guidance, companionship and accountability.
You are ready to honour your voice, do some great writing, and finish what you’ve started.
If any of that resonates, you’re in the right place.
Let’s have a quick chat to see if this program is a good fit for you.
How This Works
For six months, we work together in two ways: in a small group workshop, and one‑to‑one.
During our workshops, each writer brings two pieces of their own writing to the table, and when it’s your turn, your work receives a full, in‑depth reading. We edit and analyse it closely. We open an interactive conversation about what the piece is reaching for — its intentions, its strengths, the challenges it’s wrestling with, the opportunities it hasn’t yet taken. And you receive detailed, considered feedback from me and from the group.
One of the quiet gifts of this format is that you’ll find you will learn as much or more from the workshopping of other people’s writing as from your own. It may seem counterintuitive, but there’s a reason for it. We can often see in someone else’s work what we are blind to in our own (particularly when we are working with material as intimate as our own life). We also tend to be more receptive to ideas when we’re in a less guarded state (i.e. not the one in the ‘hot seat’). So, even in the sessions when your own work isn’t up, you’re learning the whole time.
Alongside the group, you and I will meet privately. In these one‑to‑one sessions, we will go deeply into your specific project, your unique questions, the places you get stuck. The mentorship component of this program is shaped entirely around where you are and where you’d like to go.
And running through all of it are the lessons on writing craft, the work that turns writing into art.
What You Receive
Six 2-hour group workshops offering in-depth analyses of 2000-word pieces with follow-up notes, detailed editorial marginalia, and clear suggestions for the next draft or iteration. Your work will be featured twice.
The opportunity to submit an additional 80 pages (24,000 words) 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 you 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 add-on 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 review of a larger number of pages is possible for an additional fee.
A final celebration {possibly in person!} 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
The 6-month workshop will run from 15 October - 8 April, 2027.
The group sessions will be held on Thursdays, 4-6pm EST {Toronto}.
PART ONE: OCTOBER - 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 {OCT 15, 22, 29}. 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: NOVEMBER - PRIVATE CONSULTATION #1
Your first 1-hour private session with Alison, for which you may submit up to 40 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: DECEMBER - GROUP WORKSHOPS
This is the second series of 3 weekly Zoom meetings with all 6 writers. These will take place on Thursdays from 4-6 pm EST {DEC 3, 10, 17}. 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. You may choose to resubmit the same 2000-word piece or workshop a new piece of 2000 words. {Expect to see significant progress!}
PART FOUR: JANUARY - PRIVATE CONSULTATION #2
For your second private 1-hour consultation, you may choose to submit 40 new pages and/or a revised version some of the writing from your first private consultation or use this session to discuss your project, looking at story arc, character and theme development, structure, and clear next steps.
PART FIVE: FEBRUARY - 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. Prepare to be amazed by where you are after six months of intensive focus and commitment to your writing.
PART SIX: MARCH - PRIVATE STRATEGY SESSION
The final components of this workshop are a final private session with Alison to develop a strategy for your project’s completion.
*OPTIONAL: 2-DAY IN-PERSON GATHERING (April)
Depending on the geography of the group and people’s ability to travel, we could add on a 1- or 2-day in-person event in either Ontario or British Columbia (Canada). Obviously, there would be an additional cost for this event.
Your Investment
The cost of the 6-month workshop/mentorship, including 6 group sessions, 2 private consultations with Alison, and an in-depth review of up to 80 pages of writing, an accountability gathering, and a final private strategy session with Alison is CA$7000 / US$5,500. 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 this program begins with a Discovery Call
Registration for the In-Depth Writing Workshop is by application, which will require the attachment of a short (2000-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 may choose to book a Discovery Call if you have any questions or concerns before making your $1,000 deposit. The balance will be due 3 weeks prior to the workshop start date. Payment plans are also available on request.
I look forward to making this an illuminating, inspiring, expansive and joyful workshop for all involved, including me. :)
Book a Discovery Call
Please click the button below to be taken to a short application form. You will be asked to attach a 2000-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! ❤️
“If you have the chance to work with Alison Wearing, do not hesitate! After completing Memoir Writing Ink, my next step was Alison’s In-Depth Writing Workshop, which was both illuminating and transformative.
I had been struggling to pinpoint the format and focus for my writing and this workshop helped me see what I didn’t need and, more importantly, what I did. I thank Alison for her incredible insight, ability, and kindness – and for bringing color and joy to our classes. I look forward to more opportunities to learn from her.”
“Taking the intensive workshop with Alison was both an opportunity and a privilege. An opportunity, because I received detailed and insightful feedback on my writing. And a privilege, because Alison is a master writer and teacher, who is also supportive and understanding about the challenges of writing memoir.
I would take this workshop again in a heartbeat.”
“This workshop was a turning point for my writing. Thanks to Alison’s thoughtful editing and the feedback of the other workshop participants, I saw my writing improve significantly.
Highly recommended!”
“Before our workshop, I had wandered around for months in my book manuscript, staring at my screen but not getting any meaningful work done. The workshop, especially the two one-on-one sessions with Alison, provided just what I needed. Last Friday I sent a completed draft manuscript to an editor.
A completed draft of the whole book!!!
There were many times in the last three years when I wondered whether that was even possible.”