A self-paced online course that will teach you how to write fiction with ease and confidence.
If you find fiction intimidating but would love to try it, or if you struggle with writing fiction, this course is for you. You’ll finally be able to write something and say, “I have no idea where that came from!”
“I really enjoyed getting back into creative writing in a way that didn’t feel overwhelming. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for so long but felt intimidated by, and Hajera really did a great job at breaking it down and making it enjoyable.” — M. A.
Does this sound like you?
>> The idea of writing fiction feels impossible to you and you feel scared to even try it.
>> You find it difficult to write about something that you haven’t directly experienced.
>> Most of your fiction is about yourself but you’ve changed some details and hope no one will notice.
>> You struggle to write in a captivating way, in a way that makes your writing feel alive.
>> You compare yourself to your favourite writers and feel like you can never be as good.
I’ve worked with many writers who felt like when they sit down to write, they could only write about themselves. No matter how much they wrote, they couldn’t make things up in a way that felt natural and effortless.
It’s normal to write about your life and the things that have happened to you. It’s also normal to base your characters on yourself or people you know. We all start out writing about ourselves. But it’s easy to get stuck in this phase.
Even if you’ve never tried it before, Ease Into Fiction can get you writing fiction in as little as six weeks. This light and fun course is packed with simple writing prompts and short craft lessons that will make you look forward to writing and help you discover all the untold stories you have lying dormant within you!
“Hajera is a brilliant writing instructor MashaAllah. She is extremely professional while at the same time compassionate and understanding. I learned so much from her and was inspired to write (after not being able to write for a long time!)” — Sherine Aboelezz
By the time you finish this course, you’ll:
>> Understand how to use your real life experiences as inspiration and combine them with your imagination.
>> Learn how to write vivid and captivating scenes.
>> Create new characters and write stories that aren’t entirely autobiographical.
>> Feel confident in your ability to write fiction and appreciate how you can better with more practice.
In six weeks, you’ll go from not knowing how to integrate meaningful fictional elements into your writing to creating dynamic scenes and characters who will surprise you with their depth and breadth.
It’s not hard to write fiction. I’ve taught many writers who struggled to make that transition from nonfiction to fiction, and I know you can do it too.
Ease Into Fiction will help you write from a place of joy and freedom. You’ll finally be able to write something and say I have no idea where that came from!
How the course works:
After you sign up, you’ll receive an email from me once a week for the next six weeks. Each email will contain notes on craft and how to approach your writing that week, followed by a list of writing prompts and reflection questions. Every other week, I also include a short reading assignment.
Ease Into Fiction is a six-week program so you’ll get a total of eight emails – one introductory lesson, six emails with writing notes and prompts for the week, and one conclusion email, delivered at the end of the six-week period.
This is a self-paced course, which means that although I’ve designed it so that you can complete the course in six weeks, you’re also free to work on it on your own pace and take as long as you need with each lesson. You’re never going to fall behind! I’ve also prepared a PDF document with all the lessons accessible in one place. Whether you’re doing the course at your own pace or you want to refer back to the lessons after you’ve finished the course, you won’t need to go hunting through your emails to find each lesson.
The course is designed to gradually move you from nonfiction to fiction. Weeks 1-2 will help you get into the routine of writing as you unearth and excavate your memories for inspiration. In Week 3, you’ll start to incorporate fictional elements in your writing. Weeks 4-6 will introduce you to simple craft lessons that will support your fiction-writing process.
The course is intuitive and playful, so much so that you might even find yourself veering off into fiction right from Week 1!
What you’ll learn:
- Introduction: How to approach writing fiction and the relationship between fiction and nonfiction.
- Week 1 – Start Writing: Learning how to write without judgement and without censoring yourself.
- Week 2 – Keep Going: Going deeper into memory and keeping up with freewriting. This lesson includes a creative nonfiction reading assignment.
- Week 3 – Two Truths And A Lie: Introducing fictional elements into your writing in a manageable way and without getting into the deep end too quickly.
- Week 4 – Zooming In: Learning how to write vivid scenes with sharp details. This lesson includes a short fiction reading assignment.
- Week 5 – People Watching: Creating compelling fictional characters who feel like real people.
- Week 6 – Fiction Ready: Exploring characters and story lines. This lesson includes a short fiction reading assignment.
- Conclusion: How to write a short story and ways to continue growing as a fiction writer.
Throughout the course, you’ll be using tried and tested writing prompts to generate fresh writing. You’ll gradually drift farther and farther away from the shore of nonfiction and into the ocean of fiction! And once you’re there, there’s no limit to how far you can go!
Course components:
- Writing Prompts: Each week you’ll receive five writing prompts, one for each day of the week. These are not complex writing exercises that leave you scratching your head, trying to figure out what to write about. The prompts are simple and freeing and will get you writing, even if you have limited writing experience and haven’t studied craft before.
- Craft Lessons: I will cover some simple yet impactful lessons on craft that can transform your writing. We’ll discuss freewriting, writing scenes with vivid details, and how to write compelling characters in a way that feels natural and intuitive.
- Reading Assignments: Every other week (Weeks 2, 4, & 6), I’ll share with you a short piece of writing. These are related to the craft lessons you’ll be learning in this course. I carefully selected these readings to show you how they can emerge from simple writing prompts like the ones you’ll be using in this course.
- Reflection Questions: At the end of each week, you’ll have a chance to reflect on your writing and sit with any challenges that came up for you. I provide you with journaling prompts that will help you take stock of your progress. You’ll be able to articulate any expectations you may be bringing to the page that are preventing you from enjoying your writing. The prompts will also help you identify what is working well for you and how you can get more out of the program.
“Hajera really helped me to write from a place of authenticity and empowerment, and she gave me plenty of tips and exercises to help me express myself courageously. Working with Hajera has been a wonderful experience.” — Lela Goldsmith
FAQs
When does this course start and end?
Ease Into Fiction is a self-paced online course with each lesson delivered directly to your email. You’ll receive the Introductory lesson as soon as you sign up. There is no start or end date to the program. I’ve designed the course so you can complete it in six weeks, but you can work through the lessons and writing prompts at your own pace. I’ve also prepared a PDF document with all the lessons accessible in one place. You’ll get access to this PDF immediately upon purchase.
What if I have questions during the course?
Because Ease Into Fiction is a self-study course, I won’t be able to offer individual support or give you feedback on your writing. I currently work most directly with writers through my monthly membership program, The Writers Lounge. If you’re looking for more support in your writing, I’d highly recommend joining the membership. I’d love to have you there!
Do you offer any refunds? What if I don’t like the course?
There are no refunds for this course. I offer a lot of free content on my website, including free writing resources and blog posts on various writing-related topics. I invite you to check them out if you haven’t already done so. If you’re familiar with my work, you already know that my approach to writing and how I teach craft resonates with you. And since you’ve read this far, I suspect you already know this course is for you and I’d love for you to embark on this new writing adventure!
About Hajera
I’ve been writing short stories for more than a decade and my fiction has been published in literary magazines in Canada. I have also been awarded grants from the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts for a short story collection that I’m currently working on.
Through my work as a creative writing teacher and writing coach, I’ve come across so many writers who are intimidated by fiction, who are scared to even try it because they’re worried they won’t be able to do it. And for the writers who do try to write fiction, they end up writing mostly about themselves and people they know and can’t seem to enter the realm of pure imagination. They get frustrated, thinking that fiction is not for them.
There’s so much that I want to say about this, and I do address these issues in the course (sneak peek: all writers take from real life and blend memory and imagination to create fiction). But to anyone who can relate, I want to say to you that your experience is very common. I struggled with this too. In my very first fiction-writing class, almost all the stories that I wrote were autobiographical in nature. I didn’t know anyone in the class so it didn’t matter too much. But I didn’t dare show these stories to anyone else. So I get the fear as well as the frustration.
You can learn to write fiction, beyond just the simple approach of changing names and other recognizable details. It is entirely possible for you to write fiction and to enjoy the process. It just takes some time and some practice. I created Ease Into Fiction to help you do just that!