Free Memoir Workshop | Learn to Write Authentic Dialogue | What’s on in April
PLUS: Expert advice on pitching, plotting, pacing & poetry
Get 25% off a paid Forever Workshop subscription! Link below…
Hey friends,
Welcome to our latest Very Best Digest — all the best bits from the past month at The Forever Workshop and a bunch of even more exciting stuff coming up sooooon…
What’s inside:
4 exceptionally useful techniques from our March workshops
A calendar of upcoming workshops and live events in April
Free Workshop of the Month & The Dialogue Workshop reboot
20 lit mag recommendations from our latest instructors
AND an extra lil’ discount because you’re special and we love you
Okay, get in there:
No Bullsh*t Tips from Our March Workshops to Help You Write Your Best Work & Get Published
A top tip on outlining your novel (without sobbing in the middle) from:
“Most writing books talk about character flaws, but I think you can go deeper and think about limiting beliefs. A flaw might be: my protagonist lies. The more profound question for story is: why do they lie? What beliefs does your character hold that limit their growth?”
— Nina Schuyler
A top tip on nailing your pacing in short fiction from:
“I think writers would be surprised by how little exposition is actually needed for a piece to do its job. Yes, context is great (and necessary) but it should serve the forward momentum of a piece. It offers a deeper understanding of what’s happening, sure, but that understanding should also heighten the reader’s anticipation of what might come NEXT.”
— Steve Chang
A top tip on pitching your articles and essays like a pro from:
“Editors are looking for unique and unusual perspectives (especially for personal essays). So start with something you know. What questions do you get asked again and again by clients, friends, family, because of your specific skillset or knowledge? What’s a common problem that you have an answer for? Can you apply your niche knowledge to a broad situation?”
— Amber Petty
A top tip on writing multi-layered, meaningful ecopoetry from:
“Poetry is a practice of triangulation and of movement: putting multiple ideas or images into conversation or negotiation with each other, and exploring where that leads. With ecopoetry, we’re toggling between big and small, internal and external, physical and imagined. The magic is to lean into these dualities: seeing how they coexist — or, maybe, how they’re dissonant.”
— Madeleine Bazil
Get full access to all previous and upcoming workshops and events with a 25% off a paid subscription to The Forever Workshop:
The Workshop Line-up for April 2026
We have five brand new one-shot workshops for you in April, and we’re kicking things off the a freebie (seriously, not an April fool).
On 1st April you’re getting a fresh off the press workshop from one of our new instructors for exactly $0, because a) she offers some amazing advice and we want everyone to read it and b) we’re just nice like that.
So keep your eyes on your emails for this one and the rest of our April curriculum:
✨ FREE WORKSHOP OF THE MONTH ✨
How to Write about Real People in Memoir — April 1
Insights on navigating the sensitive topic of telling a truth that some people in your life might not want to hear… An incredibly valuable, step-by-step guide to different memoir approaches from award-winning essayist Lilly Dancyger.
Self-editing Sentences — April 8
A step-by-step masterclass in analysing your own writing with an objective eye, identifying issues, and rewriting to perfection, with author, editor and educator Helene Kiser.
Five Ways to Create an Amazing Protagonist — April 15
An exploration on crafting three-dimensional, relatable characters that readers, agents and editors will want to meet, with bestselling, award-winning author Maurice Carlos Ruffin.
Writing & Publishing Short Fiction Collections — April 22
Insights, guidance and practical tips on creating a collection from author of 13 books and former Wigleaf series editor Shome Dasgupta.
Witchcraft for Writers — April 29
A practical way to incorporate ritual and intention into your writing, from tarot to manifestation (hey, it worked for Octavia Butler!), with poet, pop culture & creative process expert Erin Karbuczky.
Learn How to Write Dialogue the Way Real People Talk
And if that wasn’t enough, we’re rebooting Lauren Veloski’s brilliant 4-part dialogue workshop and she’ll be around all month to answer your questions, comments, and offer feedback on your dialogue drafts.
Learn to write flawlessly fucked-up, halting, gorgeously messy and staggeringly good REAL dialogue! This is a fun, exploratory, and interactive workshop where we learn to identify and adore the perfect imperfection of how real humans really talk.
Join screenwriter, educator and coach Lauren Veloski and discover why the screenwriting lens is a the perfect “in” point for radical dialogue work.
It will seriously change the way you think about — and write — dialogue. And to celebrate the return of Lauren’s workshop, you can get 25% off a monthly or annual subscription to The Forever Workshop when you sign up before 8 April:
Live Events
You can also join in with a bunch of live sessions and literary AMAs over at the source of all that’s wordy, Chill Subs:
Submit it Now! Time & Support to Get Published — April 2
A live lit mag submissions session with resources, recommendations and Q&A to help you find the perfect home for your writing — hosted by essayist and editor Andrea A. Firth
Ask Me Anything with Kelsey Evans, Rosecliff Literary — April 9
Aspiring novelists! Learn about querying agents, the book submission process, and the literary landscape with this live Q&A session with associate agent Kelsey Evans
Simplify Submitting with Chill Subs — April 16
A handy tutorial session to help you navigate all of Chill Subs’ features, including making a profile, browsing journals and contests, tracking submissions, and more — with editor, author and columnist Svetlana Litvinchuk
Ask Me Anything: Maureen Langloss, Split Lip — April 30
A special Q&A with editor-in-chief Maureen Langloss — bring your burning questions about the lit mag submission process and how to get published to this free live event
20 Lit Mag & Submissions Recommendations From Our March Instructors
Finally, here are our latest instructors’ favorite places to read (and submit) great work:
“Colorado Review — where the inimitable and wicked-smart Stephanie G'Schwind serves as the Editor-in-Chief. It's difficult to overstate just how much I learned under Stephanie's direction. Colorado Review remains one of my favorite magazines to read — and, not for nothing, it's quite a handsome publication!”
(Recommended by Derek Askey, senior editor at The Sun)
“I bookmark work from Wigleaf the most. The consistency in quality there is great. I also appreciate any mag that isn't scared to get 'weird.' Porter House Review, The Normal School, Pinch, The Massachusetts Review, XRAY, HAD, etc. So many. And Okay Donkey of course.”
(Recommended by Steve Chang, fiction editor at Okay Donkey)
“Besides Ploughshares, of course, I love AGNI, The Yale Review, West Branch, Poet Lore, The Common, The Sewanee Review, Shō Poetry Journal, New England Review... I've found that these journals consistently publish excellent work but still surprise me issue after issue. They're the journals I'm eager to read and energize me to write; they appeal to me in my capacity as both an editor and writer. I also admire many of these journals for their approach to publishing content online, their beautiful design as print objects, and their efforts to build community through in person/hybrid events.”
(Recommended by Rachel Dillon, poet, teacher, and managing editor of Ploughshares)
“Sub Club is honestly my favorite because it actively helps people get their writing out into the world!”
(Recommended by Amber Petty, writer and creative marketing coach)
“New Contrast — South Africa's oldest literary journal! South Africa has a small but mighty literary community and New Contrast is a lodestar. It's a consistent privilege to contribute poetry and interviews and be a friend of the journal, which is always full of thoughtful, brave, and innovative work. It's also edited by a wonderful team — including subeditors for English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans, which means the pages contain a diversity of language and voice that reflects the landscape of contemporary South African literary voices in all their nuance and boldness.”
(Recommended by Madeleine Bazil, artist, writer, and researcher)
Them’s a lotta writing resources, y’all.
(And don’t forget your 25% discount — valid until 8 April)
Let’s get some words out there this month, huh?
Jo & Shel
What are your writing plans for April?
Tell us what you’re working on — and which workshops you’re excited about this month!