Upcoming Workshops

    • 07 May 2025
    • 19:00 - 20:30
    • Online (Zoom)
    Register

     The 12 week year for writers:
    Building and executing a productive writing system

    Online workshop

    Imagine you had a writing system that helped you:

    • Clarify your vision and increase the energy you bring to your writing
    • Create a healthy sense of urgency and motivation
    • Focus on the only the most important tasks necessary to reach your goals
    • Design a writing routine that reduced stress by making you more consistent and productive
    • Build confidence that you can finish any writing project you start

    If you had a writing system like this in place today, what would that mean for your writing projects? What would it mean for your peace of mind? What would your life look like in a year? Two years? What might be possible?

    The first half of the workshop will introduce the 12 Week Year for Writers, a proven system for helping writers of all genres plan, execute, and manage their writing. The second half will focus on answering common questions raised by fiction writers about productivity systems:

    • How can I plan creative work, especially if I’m a pantser?
    • How can I use the system to track my writing without getting overwhelmed by metrics?
    • How can I deal weeks that go off the rails?
    • How can I handle busy seasons, non-writing tasks, and multiple projects?
    • How can I break projects into more manageable chunks?

    Where: Online via Zoom. 

    Time: 19:00-20:30 CEST



    Trevor received his Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a professor and a business owner, Trevor has spent more than 20 years using the 12 Week Year system to manage his writing, publishing ten books and edited volumes, a host of academic articles and book chapters, and scores of op-eds and commentaries. His work has been published in outlets such as the Atlantic, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, the Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, and the Detroit News, among others. He also sat on more than 50 Ph.D. dissertation committees and helped hundreds of students write their undergraduate and master’s theses.

    In 2022 Trevor retired from George Mason University to become a full-time writing coach. Trevor is the author of three books writing including The 12 Week Year for Writers, The Weekly Writing Routine Workbook, as well as The Lightning Draft with Michael Lennington and Miguel Rivera. His mission is to help writers be their most productive selves.

    When he is not writing, coaching writers, or thinking about writing, Trevor is usually on the beach with his wife or walking one of their two naughty dogs.


    • 17 May 2025
    • 13:00 - 19:00
    • Maison des Associations rue des Savoises 15, 1205 Geneve.
    Register


    Okechukwu Nzelu

    Opening a novel:
    What your opening chapters need to do 


    The opening lines to novels like Pride and Prejudice and The Color Purple are some of the most famous words in English literature. But starting a novel well is about more than writing a memorable opening line: novels need to do several things pretty quickly in order to succeed.

    In this course, we will look at some of the most important things that the opening chapters of your novel will need to do – including introducing characters, setting up your plot, conveying your voice and grounding your readers in the setting of your novel. Through discussion, writing prompts and extracts from published works, this workshop will help you explore the best way to start your novel.


    Where: Maison Internationale des Associations, rue des Savoises 15, 1205 Geneva. 

    Time: 13:00-19:00

    13:00 - 16:00 Workshop | 17:00 - 19:00 Critiquing session

    Please note that if you only want to attend the workshop you should purchase a "Morning only" ticket; both sessions are "All day."

    *Please note that the critiquing session is limited to 8 places and is on a first come first served basis. Text should be a maximum of 1400 words.

    (Credit: Ajamu X)                   

    Dr Okechukwu Nzelu FRSL won a Northern Writers' Award from New Writing North in 2015. His debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney (Dialogue Books, 2019), won a Betty Trask Award; it was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Polari First Book Prize, and longlisted for the Portico Prize. In 2021, it was selected for the Kingston University Big Read and distributed to all staff and students at three universities. His second novel, Here Again Now (Dialogue Books, 2022) was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Encore Award, the Polari Prize, the Jhalak Prize and the Diverse Book Awards. He has made several appearances on national radio, and is a regular contributor to Kinfolk magazine. He is a non-executive director of ALCS and CLA, and Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University. In 2024 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.


    • 21 Jun 2025
    • 10:30 - 16:30
    • Maison International des Associations rue des Savoises 15, 1205 Geneve.
    Register

    The GWG Presents:

    Zoë Wells

    Submitting to literary magazines


    For many writers, getting their work into literary magazines or anthologies represents their first step into the world of publishing. In this workshop, we’ll explore how to bring a piece step-by-step from concept to publication: from approaches to editing, to insight into how magazine editors assess submissions, to managing submissions processes and ensuring you understand your rights as an author. This session will also feature practical exercises and workshopping, with participants completing the session with the beginning of a project designed for literary magazine submission. Advice will apply across genres and will be relevant to short fiction and creative non-fiction.

    Where: Maison Internationale des Associations, rue des Savoises 15, 1205 Geneva. 

    Time: 10:30-16:30

    10:30 - 13:00 Workshop | 14:00 - 16:30 Critiquing session*

    *Please note that the critiquing session is limited to 8 places and is on a first come first served basis. Text should be a maximum of 1400 words.




    Zoë Wells has worked as an editor and submissions reader at Bandit Fiction, as well as Head Editor at Kamena, during which time the magazine was nominated for a STACK award. Her reviews and creative work has been published in magazines including STORGY, Poetry Wales, and Ink, Sweat and Tears, as well as the anthologies Night-Time Stories (Emma Press), IX: The 2021 Manchester Anthology (Centre for New Writing) and Reclaim: An Anthology of Women’s Lives (Bandit Fiction). Her short fiction has been longlisted for the Bridport and BBC National Short Story Award.


Past Workshops

19 Mar 2025 Seven signs: Storytelling for writers
11 Feb 2025 Intro to Instagram for writers
18 Jan 2025 “So this is how we love”: Poems about people
01 Jan 2025 GWG Literary Prize 2025
28 Sep 2024 Susan Tiberghien: Journaling and Celebration Apero
12 Jun 2024 Wednesday 12 June (via Zoom): Caitlin Jans: Manuscript Publishing
08 Jun 2024 Saturday 8 June: Bashir Sakhawarz: Poetry in Memoir
25 May 2024 Saturday 25 May (via Zoom): Ken Liu - Craft, Magic, and the Mind Made Tangible
14 May 2024 Tuesday 14 May (via Zoom): Angela Misri - Unveiling Truths: Navigating the Art of Journalism
21 Apr 2024 Sunday 21 April: Sara Nisha Adams: Editing Fiction (full day)
23 Mar 2024 Saturday 23 March: Jude Higgins - Spring into Flash
13 Feb 2024 Tuesday 13 February (via Zoom): Lucy Caldwell: Choosing your tense and point of view: the alchemy, the collision, the incendiary possibilities!
20 Jan 2024 Saturday 20 January: Mark Pajak: Writing with a Razor
03 Nov 2023 13th Geneva Writers' Conference: Friday 3 to Sunday 5 November 2023
22 Oct 2023 Sunday 22 October 2023: Kristina Marie Darling
16 Sep 2023 Saturday 16 September 2023: Adania Shibli
12 Sep 2023 Tuesday 12 September 2023 (via Zoom): Anthony Anaxagorou
26 Nov 2022 Saturday November 26: Flash Fiction Unveiled, with Slawka Scarso
12 Nov 2022 Saturday November 12: Find Your Voice Through Journaling, with Susan Tiberghien
18 Sep 2022 Sunday, 18 September: Hope and Renewal: How to Breathe New Life into Your Poetry with Yun Wei
20 Nov 2021 Poetry Workshop: Saturday November 20: The Language of Recovery: Poems of Hope and Healing, with Carmen Bugan
20 Nov 2021 Teen Workshop (in person!) Saturday Nov 20: From Picture to Poem with Carla Drysdale
30 Sep 2021 Thursday September 30 (online): Dramatic Writing for Stages with Aja Lynne
12 Mar 2021 Poetry Workshop: Friday March 12: From Inspiration to Publication: Editing for Poets with Carmen Bugan
16 Jan 2021 Teen Workshop (online) Saturday January 16: Writing about Place, with Carla Drysdale
12 Dec 2020 Teen Workshop (online) Saturday December 12:Using the Five Senses with Michelle Bailat-Jones
14 Nov 2020 Teen Workshop (online) Saturday November 14: What we see, writing our world, with Michelle Bailat-Jones
10 Oct 2020 Teen Workshop (online) Saturday October 10: Worlds at my Window, with Carla Drysdale
22 Sep 2020 22Sep_3A: Online Poetry Workshop with Sharon Mesmer
21 Sep 2020 21Sep_1B: Online Poetry Workshop with Carmen Bugan
21 Mar 2020 Workshop Saturday March 21: CANCELLED
21 Mar 2020 Teen Workshop Saturday March 21: CANCELLED
15 Feb 2020 Workshop, Saturday February 15: The Five Senses with Yun Wei
25 Jan 2020 Teen Workshop Saturday January 25: Creating Character, with Katie Hayoz
18 Jan 2020 Fiction Workshop Saturday January 18: World-Building with Jon Steele
14 Dec 2019 Non-Fiction Workshop December 14: From Darkness to Light, the Alchemy of Writing with Susan Tiberghien
16 Nov 2019 Poetry Workshop Saturday November 16: "Feeling a Sense of Place" with Carla Drysdale
16 Nov 2019 Teen Workshop Saturday November 16: Pop-Up Prose and Found Poetry, with Katie Hayoz
19 Oct 2019 Workshop, Saturday October 19: Artful Prose with Mary-Jane Holmes
12 Oct 2019 Teen Workshop Saturday October 12: Finding Poems in the Secret Self, with Carla Drysdale
28 Sep 2019 Workshop, Saturday September 28: Drawing out the Essence with Colin Grant
25 May 2019 Teen Workshop May 25:Writing About Place with Carla Drysdale
13 Apr 2019 Teen Workshop April 13:Writing Fractured Fairy Tales with Katie Hayoz
13 Apr 2019 Workshop April 13:Beauty in Words (all Genres) with Susan Tiberghien
23 Mar 2019 Teen Workshop March 23:The Business of Writing with Olivia Wildenstein
23 Feb 2019 Teen Workshop February 23: Writing the Image: Adventures in Poetry with Carla Drysdale
16 Feb 2019 February Workshop: Discovering Character with Juliet Gilkes Romero (playwriting/Webster)
26 Jan 2019 Teen Workshop January 26: Breaking the Rules with Katie Hayoz
08 Dec 2018 Teen Workshop December 8: Worldbuilding with Katie Hayoz
17 Nov 2018 Teen Workshop November 17: Playing With Time with Katie Hayoz
10 Nov 2018 November Workshop: What Can Poetry and Fiction Learn from Each Other? with Yun Wei
27 Oct 2018 October Workshop: Telling a Story a Different Way with Mary-Jane Holmes
27 Oct 2018 Teen Workshop October: How Poetry Can Power Your Fiction with Carla Drysdale
15 Sep 2018 September Workshop: Our Words Matter (all Genres) with Susan Tiberghien
02 Jun 2018 Teen Workshop June 2: Revamping your Prose with Katie Hayoz
28 Apr 2018 Teen Workshop April 28: Raising the Stakes with Katie Hayoz
24 Mar 2018 Teen Workshop March 24: Where's the Conflict? with Carla Drysdale
17 Feb 2018 Teen Workshop February 17: Point of View with Carla Drysdale
10 Feb 2018 Workshop February 10: Maximizing Creativity and Scriptwriting with Guest Instructor Gabriel Gbadamosi
27 Jan 2018 Teen Workshop January 27: A Cast of Characters with Katie Hayoz
20 Jan 2018 Workshop January 20: Finding the Right Structure for the Story You Have To Tell with Guest Instructor Patti Marxsen
16 Dec 2017 Workshop December 16: Writing from the Dark with Susan Tiberghien
16 Dec 2017 Teen Workshop December 16: Your Story World with Jason Donald
25 Nov 2017 Teen Workshop November 25: To Plan Or Not To Plan with Jason Donald
19 Nov 2017 Master Class November 19: Poetry with Guest Instructor Kathleen Jamie (registration now closed)
18 Nov 2017 Workshop November 18: Poetry with Guest Instructor Kathleen Jamie followed by Readings from Offshoots-14
28 Oct 2017 Workshop October 28: Short Fiction with Guest Instructor M-J Holmes
28 Oct 2017 Teen Workshop October 28: Your Writing Project with Nicolas Grey
23 Sep 2017 Teen Workshop September 23: Writing Goals with Nicolas Grey
16 Sep 2017 Workshop September 16: Finding Your Gold with Susan Tiberghien
17 Jun 2017 Teen Workshop June 17: with Katie Hayoz
27 May 2017 Teen Workshop May 27: with Nicolas Grey
20 May 2017 Workshop May 20: Memoir with Guest Instructor Wallis Wilde Menozzi
22 Apr 2017 Teen Workshop April 22: with Nicolas Grey
18 Mar 2017 Workshop March 18: Fiction with Guest Instructor Romesh Gunesekera
25 Feb 2017 Teen Workshop: February 25 with Nicolas Grey
18 Feb 2017 Meet The Agents: Saturday February 18
28 Jan 2017 Teen Workshop: January 28 with Katie Hayoz
17 Dec 2016 Teen Workshop: December 17 with Katie Hayoz
10 Dec 2016 Workshop December 10 Dreamwork: Finding Images for Stories, with Susan Tiberghien
26 Nov 2016 Teen Workshop: November 26
20 Nov 2016 Masterclass November 20: Poetry with Guest Instructor Laura Kasischke (class now full)
19 Nov 2016 Workshop November 19: Poetry with Guest Instructor Laura Kasischke
22 Oct 2016 GWG Teen Workshop: Saturday 22 October
15 Oct 2016 Workshop October 15: Short Story with S Tiberghien & J Donald, with guest readings by Marcus Ferrar & Olivia Abittan
17 Sep 2016 Workshop Sept 17: Witnessing with Words--writing the Effective Essay
11 Jun 2016 Panel: What's New in Publishing and Marketing?
21 May 2016 Journal to Story (all genres)
20 Feb 2016 Writing Dialogue
16 Jan 2016 The Spoken Word
12 Dec 2015 December Workshop: Writing From Dreams
21 Nov 2015 November Workshop: The Line in Poetry, Purpose & Composition
17 Oct 2015 Short Fiction: October Workshop
20 Sep 2015 Workshop Sept. 20: Reading Your Own Work
19 Sep 2015 Workshop Sept 19: personal, travel and opinion essays
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