Online Writing Workshops, Online Writing Classes, Online Writing Courses

WRITING THE WAVE is a book
and an online workshop
based on Elizabeth Ayres' revolutionary approach
to creative writing.

WRITING THE WAVE -- book and workshop -- makes creative self-expression through the written word possible for ANYONE: intimidated beginner, struggling intermediate or even an advanced writer who needs a jump-start for stalled batteries.

1. The "Think 'n Do" approach keeps you actively engaged, removes anxiety and guarantees productivity.

WRITING THE WAVE achieves unparalleled reader-participation with its novel format. Instructions are given piecemeal, one step at a time. For instance, "Now you're ready for Step Nine. You'll have a chance to incorporate what you learned in the last chapter about purpose. Step Nine will involve a purpose, like Step Four. So set your timer for ten minutes and..."

You're not permitted to go on to the next step until you finish the current one!

With this "Stop 'n Go" format, the book is in the driver's seat. You can relax and enjoy the scenery. There is no struggle or effort to create anything, because WRITING THE WAVE's instructions are so specific "even a ten-year old child can do it." For example: Make a list of sounds. STOP!GO Put one sound in each of four boxes. STOP!GO Add a color. STOP!GO Add one personal memory. STOP!GO Add a country. STOP!GO Add a male or female. STOP!GO Give the person a height and weight. STOP!GO Give the person an occupation. STOP!GO Give the person a secret. STOP!GO Set your timer for ten minutes and bring together two of the four boxes.

When you stop, you don't know what's coming next. What you're told to do is too easy not to execute. But by the time you get to the last step of this exercise, for example, you will have created four characters complete with motivation and background. If you're inclined towards fiction, the exercise will give you a rudimentary plot. (It's already inspired four completed novels.) Or you will have the beginnings of a poem or essay. Either way you will think, "Heh, that was easy," and be encouraged to keep on working.

This step-by-step format is WRITING THE WAVE's genius. It's why students universally call Elizabeth Ayres' exercises "magic."

I often had no idea where the exercises were going. But because I was off-guard, I could relax and let my inner voice guide me. This was especially helpful when confronting a tender or painful subject, and contrasts to the vague instructions other books use. (Tony Low, student)

Part coach, part magician, Elizabeth gets me writing in ways I can't explain. The novel I'm working on now is a flower sprung from seeds planted in her class -- and I'm writing the way I always dreamed I would. (Ann Markel, student)

This unique format allows the teacher to make all explanations about the writing process BETWEEN the stops and starts of the exercise. WRITING THE WAVE thus imitates the controlled environment of a classroom, where students get in situo guidance from their teacher. Complex ideas can be communicated between steps, "hands-on" for maximum impact, at the precise moment they're most relevant to what the reader's writing. For example, between Steps 5 and 6 in Chapter 5: Have you finished your Summary and Title? Good. I bet you found this step harder than any of the others. The difficulty comes in because, as soon as you have a specific task to execute, the fear of not performing the task correctly arises. Your inner critic is alarmed, wondering, 'Elizabeth said to make this a meeting or encounter between the two elements, but am I really doing this right?' It's good for you to begin to wrestle with you inner critic, because when you start writing on your own, you'll be trying to execute self-imposed tasks. Let's say, for instance, you're watching a beautiful sunset. . . .

You learn to write by writing. Most books bury their instructions or suggestions to readers in lengthy explanations, the star of which is the author's ideas. The star of WRITING THE WAVE is your experience with the written word, an experience Elizabeth guides from beginning to end. For example, from Chapter Six, between Steps 2 & 3: Have you finished writing down your themes? Good. Earlier, we compared your first-draft raw material to the shoreline of a river. And we said that in order to get to the opposite shore, you had to leave this one. By looking over your first draft material and searching for themes, you've just taken one step away from the riverbank. Can you sense that? By treating your thoughts-recorded-by-penstroke as naught but a 'source of themes,' you have changed your relationship to them. You have turned them into an object. This is a No-No in the arena of human relationships. But in writing, it's a Must-Do.

This "need to know" approach guarantees that you are never bored or intimidated. By giving instructions piecemeal, the book guarantees successful completion of each creative task. It thus enhances and controls you experience of the mysteries of the creative process.

WRITING THE WAVE's friendly "I'm-with-you-every-step-of-the-way" style makes you feel safe from the very first page. For example: Well, here we are. The moment of truth. Standing on the edge of the shore, with an endless vast ocean before us. Is it inviting? Is it threatening? No matter. You are going to plunge in. Awful reluctance. "But I'm so nice and warm," you think. "It's going to be freezing." Still, you know you are going to plunge in. Nothing for it, then, but to get it over with. So let's begin with Step One. . . .

You get something no other writing book or online writing workshop can deliver: a personal coach, a supportive guide to comfort, cajole, encourage or explain at each moment of your journey. For example: "My, My. You're out in the middle of the river now. The known shore is far behind you, but you're still a long way from the opposite bank. And in quite a muddle, too. All you have is a bunch of unconnected images. And a big question looming front and center in your mind: "Now what do I do?"

You're online, but you feel like you're in a workshop. It's as good as raising a hand when the author knows how you're going to react before you react! For example: "A word of warning before going on to the next step. The writing you will produce for it is going to be really stupid. Got that? Really stupid. I want you to know this in advance because I don't want your mature, adult 'This is dumb' judgment to interfere with your experience of the exercise. So, with lowered expectations, set your timer for five minutes and...."

You'll be sighing "At last!" over this "bed in a bag," personal, nurturing approach.

3. You learn skills, develop confidence and change from an intimidated wannabe into an accomplished writer.

Mary Poppins was onto something: a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. While you are being safely shepherded through writing wilds, you're also learning important skills which will give you the confidence and knowledge you need to keep on writing after you have finished the workshop.

WRITING THE WAVE is revolutionary because it breaks the writing process down into basic elements, then recombines those elements in progressive stages corresponding to beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of writing. Your experiences are carefully controlled to ensure maximum learning with minimum effort.

"Imaginative Layering" is the phrase the author gives to the basic building block of all creative writing. Presented as a technique in Chapter Two, "Layering" is a way to force together stimuli from different paradigms in the imagination's crucible. "Layering" is rather like atom smashing, and it always guarantees an exciting explosion of creativity. As the layering techniques in each chapter become more complex, they're manipulated to teach certain skills.

WRITING THE WAVE's exercises can change beginners into pros. These few graduates of the workshop had never written before. Now:

And this is just a tiny fraction of the students who've studied with Elizabeth Ayres. At least six Center writers have completed or are working on novels started from the first layering exercise alone. And countless stories, poems and essays are daily flowing forth at the Center. WRITING THE WAVE gets results.

4. WRITING THE WAVE's non-judgmental approach and playful exercises delight you and help you learn.

The creative act -- bringing something forth from nothing -- should feel good. Most writers usually feel bad, because self-doubt, fear and self-criticism outweigh everything else. WRITING THE WAVE's readers catapult beyond fear in Chapter One (MONSTERS OF THE DEEP: HOW TO WRITE YOUR WAY PAST YOUR FEARS). Subsequent chapters promote a process-oriented attitude which will act like a balm on up-tight readers. For example: In the past two chapters, you've learned how to generate what I call 'raw material' for writing. You probably haven't written anything you consider finished, and you probably feel there's quite a gap between what you've written so far, and what you'd like to write. You sense there's something missing. That what you've done is just tiny glimmers of what you could do. So far, your writing probably seems more potential than actual! That's okay! If you've never written at all before, at least you've done something. And don't you think interesting glimmers are superior to boring finished pieces? Believe me, it's much better for your overall growth as a writer that you enjoy your ten minutes of writing and put it aside incomplete than that you force yourself to a false completion you take no pleasure in.

Freed from crippling worry, you can relax and have fun. Who wouldn't? After all, you get to

You will relish every page, because each is a delightful surprise. And while the writing exercises charm you with their childlike playfulness and exuberant spontaneity, they're also teaching you something. You're learning. Gaining proficiency. Developing prowess. And achieving a long-cherished dream.

Elizabeth's exercises are fun! It doesn't matter if you're a good writer or a lousy writer, if you can spell, if you use good grammar or fancy words -- her methods help you develop ideas, see connections you've never seen before and find your own voice. They teach you to appreciate what's special about you and your writing. The exercises have given me back a tremendous gift -- the joy I had as a child simply writing. (Amy Rosenberg, student)

Without ever being didactic or overbearing, WRITING THE WAVE encourages you to connect your own creative impulse with a divine Source. For example: Doesn't it feel, deep down, that you're being nudged to write? Poked . . . prodded . . . cajoled . . . seduced? The need to write . . . it won't quite leave you alone, will it? So who __ or what __ is acting within you, pushing you along, whispering in your ear, 'Do it, do it, write, go on!' I call it, God. You may call it something else: the Infinite Creative Source. A Higher Power. The Divine Mind. The Great or Holy Spirit. Most people who write believe in some Force which is larger than themselves. I believe that the impulse to write is a gift given by this Force to the individual for the benefit of the world. As one of our Center writers has so beautifully expressed it, "Sometimes I feel like Something Else is writing through me. I just happen to be the one holding the pen in her hand at the time."

WRITING THE WAVE addresses the spiritual dimensions of the writing process because writers, especially beginning writers, are responding to a mysterious urge. You may not understand why you want to do something which makes you so afraid. You need to replace fear with trust. But trust in what? WRITING THE WAVE helps you equate your personal unconscious with a transpersonal Source of Wisdom. For example: Have you finished re-ordering your Apples? Notice how, in order for you to make the judgment as to which Apple belonged where, of necessity you had to listen. Listen to your own intuition, telling you what your finished Work is really about. You let the Work speak to you. Now you're in dialogue with it. You're letting Inspiration call the shots, instead of trying to control the material with your ego. This is how real art happens, because the writer serves him/herself, but the artist serves ... whatever you want to call it. The Spirit, the Collective Unconscious, Inspiration, the Muse, God. . . .

WRITING THE WAVE's non-intrusive spirituality will embolden you to reach for the stars with your writing. For example: It's important for you to know you can bring together the most widely disparate images, because if you don't know this, you'll never dare to let go of your conscious control and allow your unconscious reservoirs of inspiration to emerge. The deeper nether reaches of wisdom will always show up as apparently disconnected to anything else. It's in the wrestling to make them cohere that the artist triumphs over chaos and creates a truly great and satisfying work of art.

WRITING THE WAVE explains and explores the spiritual foundation of creative writing. It will empower you to dive deeper and ride higher than you ever dreamed possible.

Elizabeth's exercises showed me how to dig into the hidden treasures of my inner world. They called up memories and experiences which seemed to appear out of nowhere but in the end, had their own logic, their own beauty. I've been empowered to let my creative forces loose. (Pascale Duclos, student)

With each exercise I felt I was being led on a journey to a place inside I had an inkling existed, but saw little of each day. The place __ imagination __ is the wellspring of my writing. Elizabeth's innovative and creative techniques have helped me grow as a writer and explore this place in wonderful ways. (Michael McGarry, student)

I've received a sense of freedom from the Course. I can write without worrying if I am doing something right. I'm much more open -- free to express my thoughts and ideas, to explore them further and deeper. (Ruth Rubinstein, student)

6. WRITING THE WAVE keeps your enthusiasm alive with one-of-a-kind hints, novel techniques and cut-to-the-chase explanations of complex concepts.

WRITING THE WAVE is the only workshop in the world where you will learn Wall-Work. For example: Obviously, in order to add all this to your boxes, you will need bigger boxes! So I recommend you begin to experiment with what I call 'Wall-Work:' wall-sized 'boxes' which serve as large 'containers' for your process. I'm particularly fond of something I get at my local grocery store. It's called Freezer Wrap (I find it in the section where the aluminum foil and saran wrap are stocked). . . . The name of the game here is to remove your writing process from the realm of the purely cerebral/emotional and put it into the realm of the tangible. When its tangible, process-work can become process-fun. . . .

WRITING THE WAVE is the only workshop in the world where you will learn to make a writing map. For example: Your three worksheets taken together have now become a Map. Think of how some maps indicate climactic changes, mountainous regions, vegetation spreads, population, and so on. Your three worksheets are a picture of your unknown piece of writing. They provide you with an overview of it. Let's enhance that Map with Step Eight, where you will. . .

WRITING THE WAVE is the only workshop in the world where you will learn to organize your writing by treating it as a piece of music. For example: Pretend, for a minute, you're not a writer at all, you're a composer. Mozart. Beethoven. (Or some lesser figure, if you can't imagine yourself a genius!) You've decided you're going to create your next great Symphony. So far, you haven't come up with any musical ideas, but the Symphony is not a total blank. You know one thing about it already. You know it's going to have four Movements, four major divisions or sections. . . . Unlike the composer, however, the writer does not have a given structure. So in this next step you're going to provide yourself with one. . . .

WRITING THE WAVE is the only workshop in the world where unforgettable comparisons help you unlearn misconceptions about your writing. For example: 'Plot' is like 'Behemoth,' the mythical monster which ancient cartographers drew over near the legend 'Here Endeth the World.' As human beings became more adventuresome, we discovered there was no monster, just a large, warm-blooded mammal called a whale. As beginning writers become more adventuresome, they discover there are no secrets to writing, just a willingness to listen to the Work. The seafaring writer knows not to impose an agenda on the Work, because it must become what it was meant to be all along.

WRITING THE WAVE is the only workshop in the world that will teach you important, sophisticated concepts with cut-to-the-chase lessons. For example: To understand what I mean by texture: take a flat piece of scrap paper. Lay it on your desk. Notice that it's flat! Now, crumple the paper in your hand, then put it back on the desk. Notice that it's no longer flat. It has wrinkles. There are some parts which are deeper or shallower than other parts. It has texture. For the writer, this means. . . .

WRITING THE WAVE will be a memorable experience. It accomplishes goals no other book or workshop can, using techniques no other book or workshop does. Page after page, Assignment after Assignment, it will keep you mesmerized.

Chapter Four ends with six suggestions, one of which is: Use the "last night I dreamt" device independently, then identify a theme from that process work. I would do this once a day for 15 days, then stop to identify a theme and repeat the whole of Exercise Four. That'll give you a new project each month, for as many months as you want to continue.

Chapter Five ends with three suggestions, one of which is: Repeat the exercise, selecting three natural phenomenon and defining their relationship as a structure. (E.g., for sky, earth and tree: I. The tree is rooted in earth; II. The tree reaches up to the sky; III. Earth and sky meet in the tree.)

Chapter Eight ends with three suggestions, one of which is: Define a structure appearing in the man-made order (e.g., the typical office with telephones, faxes, secretaries, bosses, etc.) and use it as the foundation for your writing. If you use a different structure each month you'll have new projects to work on for years to come.

WRITING THE WAVE is an integrated exploration of the imaginative process essential to any form of creative writing. Each of its twelve exercises transforms a fundamental writing principle into a concrete technique. These techniques work for fiction, non-fiction, poetry -- even play and screenwriting. For example:

Most people solve the 'mush' problem by writing a story. Two people, two countries, two secrets (motivations, if you want to be sophisticated about it). . . the information lends itself naturally to recounting a tale. However, your words may start coming out more like a poem. Or ideas may come to you which seem like an essay. Or you may just want to jot down notes, as if for a movie. All I care about is that you weave together the fragments now lying separate in your boxes. Think of the words in your boxes as steppingstones. . . .

* * *

Perspective and purpose form a kind of 'double helix' underlying all writing. In fiction, we use the term "point of view," and think of narrators and characters. But poems can have narrators and characters, too. Moreover, poetry and essays and plays have perspective, in the sense we're talking about now: depth, texture, highs and lows. So don't worry about labeling what you write for this next Step. Just let the words flow forth, and the perspective and purpose will be there.

WRITING THE WAVE's exercises are specifically designed for beginning writers. However, more advanced writers can use them to jumpstart a stalled creative battery. Hence, WRITING THE WAVE is for anyone who

Regardless of what you want to write or how long you've been at it, WRITING THE WAVE will be a touchstone experience in you writing life.

WRITING THE WAVE is a revolutionary approach to creative writing. It is a first-of-its-kind book and workshop which does for you readers what no other online writing workshop or creative writing book can. The "Think 'n Do" approach keeps you actively participating, removes anxiety and guarantees productivity. It creates a friendly ambience, giving you a supportive personal coach, an encouraging companion and guide in the person of your teacher, and supportive classmates. WRITING THE WAVE teaches skills and transforms beginners into proficient, confident writers. Its non-judgmental attitude is liberating and its playful exercises are fun. WRITING THE WAVE explains and explores the spiritual foundations of the writing process. It uses unique tips, novel techniques and simple explanations to fan the fires of your enthusiasm. WRITING THE WAVE is a permanent reference book which can supply years' worth of writing activities. Finally, the book works for all genres and all levels of writing background, total novice to blocked pro.