A Community to Help You Live Your Best Literary Life!
The Writing Barn is committed to helping writers like you deepen their craft through classes and events. The Courage to Create Community, led by Writing Barn founder and creative director Bethany Hegedus, is made for writers seeking support in navigating the triumphs and challenges of living a literary life.
Maybe you are a pre-published writer looking for guidance and inspiration along your journey to publication. Maybe you’re a mid-career writer, having already reached certain milestones but looking for energy and new enthusiasm to meet others!
As pre-published writers, we might ask: How can I make industry connections? Where can I best spend my writing craft dollars? Is my work ready to submit? How can I meet an agent? An editor? How is publishing changing? Where does my voice fit in?
As published writers, we might ask: The industry is changing and I want to be a part of that change — but how? My agent left the biz… now what? How do I approach launching and marketing? Where are the opportunities to engage with other published writers?
No matter where you are on your literary life journey, there is space for you at the Courage to Create to find valuable resources and get the support you need.
With years of industry experience and a calling for helping other writers uncover their purpose and passion, Bethany Hegedus is dedicated to shifting the exclusive, “country club” model of the publishing industry into a flourishing, transparent, inclusive community garden. She created the Writing Barn Manifesto focused on this goal, and the Courage to Create Beliefs share the same mission.
Praise from Writing Barn attendees/Courage to Create Members:
“Thankful for CtC, WSS, and the Writing Barn this year. My craft has grown tremendously thanks to the amazing instructors and programming, and I feel truly supported by the community.”
“Bethany’s energy and the personalized way of supporting such a great number of our members is something that I haven’t seen anywhere else. I’m not sure where I’d be without it.”
“The journey is different for everyone. There is no magic formula. I appreciate that the hidden feelings of insecurity about the journey are often discussed.”
Join the Courage to Create if…
- You are a new or long-term Writing Barn writer who wants the opportunity to be coached by Bethany in a group setting AND get access to discounts to many of the Writing Barn classes and events.
- You find the business side of publishing frustrating and challenging.
- You want intimate industry connections instead of the crush of conferences and the frenzy of online pitch events.
- You hold an MFA and are either in MFA recovery OR miss both industry and craft talk.
- You are willing to work with your creative resistances, answering questions to deepen your work and sharpen your passion and purpose.
OR IF…
- You are agented but not confident the relationship is serving your creativity or your career fully.
- You are happily agented and want to keep it that way and are interested in editor connections.
- You are published but find marketing a challenge — a serious challenge.
- You are looking for a community of fellow travelers to discuss the joys and pitfalls as you build a career.
- You know you thrive when setting goals and engaging at your own pace, and you enjoy cheering others on as we ALL meet our milestones.
What do you get when you join?
Intimate Industry Connection
- Monthly Literary Life Group Coaching Sessions. Each monthly webinar/session will be built around a literary life challenge, or an aspect of craft/creation or publication/promotion. There will be time for reflection and connection as well as questions submitted in advance that relate directly to your circumstances. These sessions will be led by Bethany, a CTC Champion, or a special guest.
- Bethany will coach the group and have spotlight conversations with two to three writers per webinar. The sessions will be 90 minutes and added to the password protected Mighty Networks Courage to Create Hub for unlimited replays for the continuation of your paid membership.
- Access to the private password-protected Courage to Create Mighty Networks Hub, where we will goal set, share resources, ask for support, and celebrate our milestones.
- 3 Ask an Agent sessions with top agents who will open to Courage to Create Community members for a brief submissions window.
- 3 Editor Insight sessions with top editors who will open to Courage to Create Community members for a brief submissions window.
- 2 Behind the Book conversations with authors celebrating new releases to discuss the journey from initial idea to final publication, with insights into the creative and business journey.
- CTC Champion for Speaking and School Visits: 3 webinars on a variety of topics relating to school visits and speaking gigs, led by Carmen Oliver of the Booking Biz.
- Resource Alert! For those in the query trenches: Resources/spreadsheets with OPEN agents in children’s: PB-YA, memoir, adult literary, and commercial fiction.
- For those published: Resources/spreadsheets on when and where to pitch yourself for conferences, writing organizations, festivals, and more.
- Monthly Craft & Community opportunities: Join member-led craft presentations, craft book discussions, or join a like-minded CTC critique group, being matched by a small group of CTC visionaries using our questionnaire to make the matches happen. OR search for writers in your local area and create CTC meetups with nearby writers. Your level of participation is up to you!
- Select discounts on Writing Barn programming; including half-day and 6-week classes, and potentially in-person retreats when they are safe to resume.
- Investment: Literary Life Community Coaching PLUS Intimate Industry Engagement + submissions opportunities
Courage to Create Scholarships: Representation Matters and Financial Need
To work towards our vision of publishing as a community garden: where a variety of voices thrive, every 6 months, we will be offering the following full scholarships, which are not need-based:
- 4 scholarships for BIPOC writers
- 2 scholarships for LGBTQIA+ writers
- 2 scholarships for neurodiverse writers
- 2 scholarships for writers with disabilities
Need-Based Scholarships
- 2-4 full or partial scholarships for those in economic need.
If you would like to apply for any of the above scholarships please fill out a scholarship application here.
Bethany Hegedus’ children’s picture books include the award-winning Grandfather Gandhi and Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story, both co-written with Arun Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), as well Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird, Rise!: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People: Dr. Maya Angelou, Hard Work But It’s Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter and this August Huddle Up! Cuddle Up!–an ode to family, football and bedtime. Her books have been included in numerous “best of” lists such as A Mighty Girl’s Best Books of 2018 and Kirkus’ Best Books of the Year. A former educator, Bethany is an in-demand keynote speaker, workshop leader, and mentor who speaks and teaches across the country about writing, creativity, resilience, and privilege. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from VCFA, is the Founder and Creative Director of The Writing Barn, a writing retreat and workshop space in Austin, Texas and is host of the popular Courage to Create podcast.