Why Am I Not Writing? Cultivating a Writing Practice

Class Description

The skill of craft and the cultivation of a writing practice are a marriage. A writer cannot have one without the other. Writers push full steam ahead to learn craft, and often lose steam while writing. MFAs don't typically teach their students how to cultivate a lifelong, generative writing practice. "Just sit down & write" is the least sustainable piece of writing advice. Your daily rhythm, your inner voices, and your unique life situations are the vital threads that can be the motivation and path to writing, not your saboteurs.

This session is for those who can't seem to figure out how to break through, inconsistently going through stop and starts, or anyone with a project longing to be completed who just doesn't know how to start writing again. From the lens of a writer and editor, this session will encourage writers to go deeper and interrogate their relationship to their creative practice. Writing prompts & readings will lead to self-reflection and guidance, and help tap into that inner fire that can be utilized to identify why you're not writing right now—and how to begin.

Class Format

This class will take place in-person at our Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport neighborhood. Please note that proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is required to attend this class. Please submit your proof of vaccination here at least 48 hours before your class begins. Read on to learn more about GrubStreet's vaccine protocol and find information about where to get vaccinated below.

GrubStreet Vaccine Protocol

Please submit your most recent proof of vaccination, which requires a booster shot for those eligible, here at least 48 hours before your class begins. If you have previously submitted a proof of vaccination that did not include your booster shot, you will need to resubmit your updated vaccine card. If you are not able to fill out our vaccination form 48 hours before your class begins, please bring your vaccine card (or a photo of it) with you to the building. Please note that if you arrive for class and you have not filled out the form and do not have proof of vaccination with you, you will not be allowed to participate in the class. And don’t forget your mask! In accordance with the City of Boston, masks will be required at all times while inside the building. Click here to read GrubStreet's full Vaccination and Masking Policy.

Vaccination status: For in-person classes and events, your vaccination status is considered up-to-date until the time you are eligible for a booster – which is 5 months after the second dose in a two-shot series. Boosters are required for all visitors on our second floor if your second shot was more than 5 months ago.

Need help getting vaccinated? It’s free and easy to receive a COVID-19 vaccine! Please visit Massachusetts’ VaxFinder page to find a vaccination site near you. If you'd like to learn more, you can read the answers to some commonly asked questions about COVID vaccination here.

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.