Dates: August 23-September 28, 2024

You want to make an impact. You have more to say. But your words aren’t resonating the way you know they could.

Imagine this: You learn one key creative writing skill and how to apply it to the real world and suddenly…

  • Your words inspire real engagement

  • Readers eagerly await your every post, book, article, etc.

  • You attract not just readers but superfans 

This 6-Week Voice Mastery Class is a transformative journey designed to help you unearth, refine, and amplify your unique voice and use it to stand out in the crowded publishing landscape.

August 23-September 28, 2024

2 SECTIONS: 

6 consecutive Fridays, 1 PM CDT—8/23, 8/30, 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27

6 consecutive Saturdays, 10 AM CDT—8/24, 8/31, 9/7, 9/14, 9/21, 9/28

  • 2 hours class time + up to 1 hour of Office Hours afterward (optional for students)
  • Replays available

How does the class work?

This is a generative, highly interactive class where you’ll learn one of the key (and rarely taught) tools of great writing and apply it to a professional arena, i.e., Substack.

  • Weekly writing prompts

  • Hands-on exercises and writing time

  • Breakout rooms for personalized feedback from your colleagues

  • Substack lab to put it into practice and get real-time results from readers

  • Office hours with Sarah and Marya after every class

Week-by-Week Journey

Week 1: Launch & introductions

  • Meet and share your Substacks and other work

  • What it means to find (or hone) your voice

Week 2: Voice primer

  • Elements of voice: tone & diction

  • Put it into practice in your next Substack post

Week 3: The writer-reader/speaker-audience connection

  • Assess your current reader experience

  • Forge stronger reader relationships

Week 4: Advanced voice techniques that are easy to master

  • Style, style, style

  • Put it into practice in your next Substack post

Week 5: Refine your on-page persona

  • Why persona is the key to a strong voice and ultimately builds a connection with the reader that makes them want to read more

Week 6: Final integration & next steps (+a party!)

  • Turn your voice into currency

Your teachers...

Marya Hornbacher (MFA) 

  • New York Times bestselling author
  • Award-winning journalist
  • Creative writing professor at Northwestern and elsewhere
  • Book coach, book proposal whisperer
  • Creator of the bestselling, featured Substack Going Solo at the End of the World
  • Voice artist and coach


Sarah Fay (MFA, PhD)

  • Award-winning author @HarperCollins
  • Creative writing faculty @Northwestern
  • Freelance writer @The New York Times, et al.
  • Former advisory editor @The Paris Review
  • Creator of two bestselling, featured Substacks: Substack Writers at Work & Sarah Fay
  • Substack Growth Strategist

This workshop offers more than techniques. It's a space to connect, build confidence in your writing, and grow your writing and your career.

A secret: Most successful writers aren’t literary geniuses. 

They’re people who’ve mastered something far more powerful: their own distinct voice.

Join us. Develop your voice. Expand your writing career.

(Workshop cats Sweets and Baby Theo may make guest appearances.)

FAQs

Where does the class take place?

You’ll find everything here on The New MFA: Craft to Career course site: 

  • Weekly lessons 
  • Course materials
  • Zoom links to live classes
  • The library of class replays
  • The private group chat
  • An interactive social feed for sharing and commenting on each other’s work throughout the course

How many students will be in the class?  

Each section is capped at 45 students. 

Breakout rooms will be limited to 4 people.

What will writers take away?

  • 2-4 pieces of writing informed by a deep exploration into your authentic voice
  • 2-4 Substack posts to “test” your voice on your readers
  • Access to engaged peers and a supportive community of fellow writers
  • A deeper understanding of voice
  • Strategies for using voice to produce publishable work on Substack and in traditional media outlets
  • Renewed faith in your own unique voice

What kind of writer should take this course?

All writers with a Substack! If you think you’re too new to writing or too seasoned, if you’ve been on Substack for 1 second or 1 year, it’s for you. 

What are the requirements?

A willingness to find your true voice, connect with a group of amazing writers, and grow your Substack and your career.

What is the cost?

Exclusive offer:

Tuition for the six-week class is $499 and is non-refundable. 

  • The cost goes up to $599 on Tuesday, 8/20 at midnight CDT

How is this different from Substack Writers at Work and the Cohort? 

The New MFA: Craft to Career courses are completely separate from Substack Writers at Work. 


The New MFA courses are where you learn the craft of creative writing and how to use it in your Substack to become a working, income-earning writer.


They're where I bring you other exceptional writing teachers and an MFA-caliber education that ultimately earns you money instead of putting you in debt. 


Substack Writers at Work is the only expert guide to growing your Substack. It’s where I teach you the publishing, marketing, sales, tech, and publicity skills you need to be a professional writer in the 21st century.