Madison Writers' Studio

Madison Writers' Studio High-level workshops, classes, and editing for creative writers, live in Madison and on Zoom. Get writing, keep writing.

Madison Writers’ Studio cofounders Susanna Daniel and Michelle Wildgen are passionate about reading, writing, and discussing how to write compelling literature. Michelle and Susanna have a combined decade of experience teaching at the university level, and both have widely published and award-winning novels, essays, and short stories. They hold degrees and distinctions from top-ranked MFA programs

. The Madison Writers’ Studio was born from their dream of bringing intimate, high-quality writing classes to a round-table setting. In their workshops, local writers will have the unique opportunity to develop meaningful connections with other writers, inspire and encourage each other, and be led with humor and honesty through the creative process.

09/04/2026

No one is going to give you time to write.

Even the most supportive people in your life are going to need things from you. And sometimes the person least likely to protect your writing time is you.

We tend to put creative work into the margins: after the work is done, after the errands, after everyone else has what they need.

And then we’re surprised when there’s no time left.

Instead of trying to find extra time for writing, consider trading something for it. Your morning walk. An hour of TV. The power nap. Something you enjoy and value.

Because writing time isn’t extra time. If writing matters to you, something else may have to move over.=

For protected writing time twice weekly, check out the MWS Fall (Co)Writing Collective, starting September 8.

08/31/2026

Your inner editor is a really important part of your creative process. The problem is that it’s notoriously bad at waiting its turn.

When you’re drafting, your inner editor thinks its job is to tell you that your opening is wrong, or this character isn’t working, or chapter three needs to be completely rewritten — but actually it’s job while you’re drafting is to WAIT ITS TURN.

There is nothing in your first draft that can’t be changed and improved. Everything you write is a placeholder. And every chapter you write gives you more information about what the book is and what you’ll eventually need to revise.

So when your inner editor muscles its way to the front, send it back to its seat.
For now, keep your eyes in the headlights, not on the horizon. Write what comes next, stop trying to trick yourself out of wasting time and words, and trust the process.

ONE SPOT LEFTAre the lights on in your scenes?Most writers build scenes in layers. We get the facts down first—what happ...
08/25/2026

ONE SPOT LEFT

Are the lights on in your scenes?

Most writers build scenes in layers. We get the facts down first—what happens, what needs to be conveyed, what changes—and leave much of the work for the next draft.

In The Alchemy of Scene Work, we'll start with a scene and build it layer by layer, adding physicality, interiority, and setting until the reader isn't just following what happens, but experiencing it.

In our second session, we'll bring back our revised scenes and workshop them together, looking at where the lights are bright, where they dim, and what might bring the scene more fully to life.

The Alchemy of Scene Work
Thursdays, October 22 + 29
6–8pm CT
2 sessions · $150 · Limited to 8 writers

Come with a scene that isn't quite working yet—or write something new with us.

Details + registration at madisonwriters.com.

You don't have to know exactly where your book is going before you begin.The Book Incubator is a 6-session, biweekly sup...
08/22/2026

You don't have to know exactly where your book is going before you begin.

The Book Incubator is a 6-session, biweekly support + craft group for writers who are ready to get a novel or memoir started and build the creative momentum to keep going.

Every other week, we'll work on the practical and creative challenges of beginning a book: finding time to write, developing characters, choosing point of view, shaping scenes and plot, solving problems as they arise, and staying focused as the work grows.

The goal isn't to have everything figured out. It's to get the book moving.

Sept. 8–Nov. 17
Every other Tuesday · 5:30–7:30pm CT
with author and book editor Susanna Daniel

Join us in person in Madison, WI, or live on Zoom
6 sessions · Limited to 8 writers

Learn more and register at madisonwriters.com.

We are big fans of WRITEABILITY®, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting BIPOC voices and joyfully living the writing life. ...
08/20/2026

We are big fans of WRITEABILITY®, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting BIPOC voices and joyfully living the writing life. So check it out.

WRITEABILITY®’s Book Club and Craft Seminar for Writers examines work from celebrated authors through the lens of a writer and there are TEN SPACES LEFT in this class, which starts in a couple weeks. Each month for six months – through readings, conversations, livewriting, and live craft-based instruction – you will be given the opportunity to discuss and practice applying the featured author’s craft techniques to your own writing and creative lives. This season’s authors include Pam Houston, Patrice Gopo, Elissa Bassist, Steven Dunn, Lucy Ives, and Andy Mozina. Pay $630 for 7 months of instruction, or opt for a month-by-month payment plan (no penalty). You can even request to “pay what you are able” by contacting the nonprofit. And you can save $25 using coupon code ‘BCCS202625OFF’ when you select the one-time payment option. Register here: https://www.writeability.org/bookclub

Ten minutes. No plan. Go.Don't overthink it. Set a timer for ten minutes, follow the prompt wherever it takes you, and s...
08/20/2026

Ten minutes. No plan. Go.

Don't overthink it. Set a timer for ten minutes, follow the prompt wherever it takes you, and see what shows up.

If you write something, we'd love to hear how it went.

We made you something.Over the years, we’ve accumulated a lot of material addressing the questions that come up when wri...
08/20/2026

We made you something.

Over the years, we’ve accumulated a lot of material addressing the questions that come up when writers are trying to get a novel onto the page:

Where should I start?
What does my character actually want?
Why is my middle sagging?
Does this need to be a scene?
How do I know what to revise first?

So we took the craft lessons and exercises we use in our novel workshops, cut them way, way down, and turned them into A Minimalist Guide to Your Best Novel.

It’s 50 pages of practical guidance, exercises, and checklists for getting your story moving—and keeping it moving all the way through revision.

It’s free. Get the Novel Toolkit at the link in our bio.

Happy writing. ❤️

08/18/2026

Setting isn’t just where a scene happens.

A meaningful setting interacts with the characters and with what’s happening between them.

If you have a scene that feels bland in a coffee shop, ask what happens if you move it somewhere one character doesn’t want to be.

Or somewhere only one character feels comfortable. Or somewhere that means something very different to each of them.

A breakup in a kitchen is one thing. A breakup at the restaurant where two people had their first date is another.

You haven’t changed what happens in the scene. You’ve changed the pressure around it.

So when a scene isn’t working, don’t just ask, “Have I described the setting?”
Ask: Why does this scene happen here?

We’ll be putting scenes on the page in Write a Story in a Day and Ready, Set, Novel.

Upcoming workshops + classes at madisonwriters.com.

08/18/2026

Often the problem with a story's opening is simple: the story hasn’t started yet.

We set the stage. We explain the history. We get everyone into position.

But on page one, the rubber should already have met the road.

We’ll work on beginnings—and how to get a novel or memoir moving—in the Book Incubator, our six-session fall workshop, as well as Ready, Set, Novel, a 3-session jumpstart-your-book class.

Details + registration at madisonwriters.com.

Outlines are drafts, too.The outline you made before you started writing was based on the book you thought you were goin...
08/17/2026

Outlines are drafts, too.

The outline you made before you started writing was based on the book you thought you were going to write. Then you wrote it—and things changed.

That's not a problem. Outlines get revised and revised and revised, just like everything else.

Once you've gotten well into a book, try outlining what you've actually written rather than trying to force the draft back into your original plan. You may be surprised by the structure that's already taking shape.

We'll be doing exactly this kind of big-picture work in the upcoming BOOK IN A YEAR workshop at Madison Writers' Studio: stepping away from the pages long enough to see the book that's emerging—and figure out where it needs to go next.

Details + registration at madisonwriters.com.

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Live In Person And On Zoom
Madison, WI
53704

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