Apply for The Verge
Courage to Create Community
A community garden for writers who want real support, real access, and steady momentum.
Courage to Create helps writers stay connected to their work, their people, and their next step at every stage of the journey.
Most writers don’t stop because they lack talent.
They quit because the path feels unclear, lonely, and financially exhausting.
So they cobble together conferences, classes, and critiques, spending more, gaining less insight, and still feeling on the outside.
What Courage to Create Solves
Instead of starting over with every class or conference, each step builds on the last and relationships deepen over time. You don’t outgrow Courage to Create. We grow with you.
After 14 years, we’ve mapped clear pathways across all eight phases of the writing life. You’ll no longer chase advice that doesn’t fit your season.
Writers gain clarity about:
What matters most right now
What support actually moves the needle at each stage
Not a crowd. Not a public comment section. A consistent, moderated, values-aligned community that evolves as your questions evolve.
Inside Courage to Create:
Shared language replaces conflicting advice
Belonging doesn’t depend on sales, status, or speed
And publishing stops feeling like a locked door.
Courage to Create writers thrive.
Courage to Create Community
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- You’re ready to turn—or return—to the page
- You want structure that makes writing sustainable
- You crave an intimate, genuinely supportive space
- You want momentum without overwhelm
Your foundation for creative resilience and steady momentum
Community Garden Culture
Moderated, equity-minded, inclusive discussion spaces
Monthly Literary Life Sessions (Live + Replay)
Craft, clarity, and career guidance you can return to
Three Weekly Check-Ins (Async Accountability)
Gentle touchpoints that keep you close to the work
Replay Vault + Resource Hub
Agent/editor conversations, templates, trackers, submission tools, and mindset support
Member-Led Craft Sessions + Critique Matching
Structured peer learning that deepens skill and connection
Select Writing Barn Discounts
Webinars, intensives, workshops, and retreats
Dreamer • Builder • Submitter/Reviser
Ideal Growth Guide Phases:
What You Get:
Progress You Can Feel
- A writing routine you can actually sustain
- A clearer sense of what matters now
- Less isolation, more encouragement
- Learning without drowning in content
- Support that honors the emotional reality of this work
“Courage to Create helped me understand my emotional patterns as a writer and move out of self-judgment. I’ve found no other space that supports both craft and the writer’s inner resilience so thoughtfully.”
— Gayleen Rabakukk
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Courage to Create Community
Investment
pathway o1
$499
Annually
(save two months)
$49
per month
Price-lock advantage: stay active and your rate stays locked—even if pricing increases.
This replaces multiple standalone classes, subscriptions, and accountability tools with one consistent home.
cancel anytime · price-lock included
Price-lock advantage: stay active and your rate stays locked—even if pricing increases.
This replaces multiple standalone classes, subscriptions, and accountability tools with one consistent home.
cancel anytime · price-lock included
“The Courage to Create is completely worth the investment. It offers real community, creativity, and care. When you’re part of Courage to Create, you know you’re surrounded by writers moving toward shared goals—and genuinely supporting one another every step of the way.”
— Nicholas Solis, author of Staring Contest, My Town, Mi Pueblo
What Writers and Industry Pros Say
“Even though I have an agent and had several books under contract, there’s so much I don’t know and so much to navigate as I prepared to launch.”
Founder, Birch Path Literary Agency
Alyssa Eisner Henkin
“Courage to Create helps me better understand my creative process and reminds me that the anxieties I experience are part of the publishing journey—not a personal failure. Knowing I have a supportive community beside me has made all the difference during my debut year and beyond.”
Author of Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua and Abuelita’s Song
Gloria Amescua
“When I joined… the access to agents was the initial selling point, but… I realized how much more CTC had to offer. This is a community dedicated to going deeper… The core philosophies are things I’ll keep close throughout my writing career.”
Bryan Hilson
“Courage to Create helps me better understand my creative process and reminds me that the anxieties I experience are part of the publishing journey—not a personal failure. Knowing I have a supportive community beside me has made all the difference during my debut year and beyond.”
Aileen Johnson
“Bethany mentors writers not only in exquisite craft, but in understanding the real demands of the market. The professional skills writers develop under her guidance—responding thoughtfully to editorial feedback, shaping strong pitches, and positioning their work—translate directly into sales. The three-house auction for my client Jilanne Hoffmann’s nonfiction picture book speaks volumes.”
Steelworks Literary
Lori Steel
"All the classes and programming I’ve ever been a part of are top notch."
Signed with Sara Crowe Literary
Christal Presley
"Writing and creating is an ongoing task and the journey continues after each milestone."
Longtime TWB Instructor
Rob Sanders
"The CTC community made me feel less alone by sharing wins and disappointments."
TWB SS signed with Talcott Notch Agency
Christina Paschyn
"CTC helped me connect with the publishing industry and stay accountable."
TWB SS signed with Full Circle Literary
Johanna Peyton
"CTC kept me accountable and supported me through rejection."
TWB SS
ariel vanece
"I love learning from CTC members who are experts in areas I’m not."
TWB SS signed with Steeleworks Literary
Mary Cronin
"The CTC community made me feel less alone by sharing wins and disappointments."
TWB SS signed with Steeleworks Literary
Jilanne Hoffmann
"CTC helped me connect with the publishing industry and stay accountable."
