Thank you for visiting the Fiction Attic Press Fiction and Memoir Master Class.

Here, you will find inspiring, practical writing courses to help you learn narrative craft and get your novel or stories on the page. Whether you took a few creative writing classes in college, you completed an MFA, or you are brand new to fiction writing, you'll find something at Fiction Master Class to help you meet your writing goals. All of the courses are designed and taught by New York Times bestselling novelist and veteran writing teacher Michelle Richmond.

This is a supportive space for both beginning and experienced writers who want to learn at their own pace and enjoy being part of a writing community. We strive to be informative, inspiring, and challenging.

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Substack is simply the best way to build a mailing list and engage readers. In the five-week course, you will learn how to write a compelling newsletter, serialize a novel or memoir, sell an upcoming book or backlist, and grow an engaged audience.

Novel Writing Programs and Memoir Writing Programs

The Fiction Master Class flagship course, Novel in Nine, will help you write a complete draft of your novel or memoir in nine months, with weekly lessons and assignments, monthly word count check-ins and live sessions, and practical downloads to help you plan scenes and chapters and keep track of your progress. You can enroll in the self-directed version of the course year round and start at any time. The cohort-based version of Novel in Nine is offered only once per year, and enrollment is limited. Registration for Novel in Nine 2024 will open in November, 2023.

Novel in Five is an accelerated novel writing program. It includes all of the lessons and assignments in Novel in Nine, but it moves at a faster pace. Students complete a first draft of a novel in five months. There are no live sessions or discussions. Novel in Five is recommended for writers who prefer to work independently.

Short Story Courses

Students in the Flash Fiction Workshop write eight twelve very short stories in four weeks. This is a great way to kickstart your writing and begin publishing flash fiction.

Master the Short Story is a five-week, self-paced course in which beginning writers learn the fundamentals of fiction writing. Students in this class will write at least one full length short story and revise it for publication.

Writing Inspiration

The Writing Reboot (2023 fall dates TBA) is designed for writers who want to get back into writing and establish a productive, positive writing habit. In this course, we examine process, explore narrative forms, and work to get past the barriers that keep you from writing. Highly recommended for writers who have completed an MFA or have extensive writing experience and want to get your groove back.

About the Classes

The classes are practical, informative, focused, and inspiring. Many are self-paced, so you can do them on your own time, at your own leisure. While most classes include lively discussions, one-on-one interaction with the instructor, and the opportunity to post short excerpts, they are not formal workshops. The focus is on writing and studying narrative craft, analyzing literature, and developing your voice as a writer.

You will start writing. You will start making progress.

Whether you're a complete novice, a veteran of creative writing courses, or a professional who has found success in some other field, you will find support, community, practical advice, and inspiration. If you want to write your novel instead of just dreaming about it, if you want to figure out how to start a new project or finish what you started, if you want to write your way out of a corner or find your way out of a creative slump, if you want to maintain a writing habit... you've come to the right place.

You're in good hands...

I have been a working writer for nearly twenty years. I spent many of those years teaching fiction writing at the graduate level. I have published six novels and two story collections, and my books have been published in 30 languages. My writing career has had ups and downs, high points and low points. Through all of it, writing has brought profound joy. I can't imagine a life in which I am not writing.

I look forward to seeing you in class!