Begins Sunday, January 4th, 2026

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.

Sarah McColl is the author of the memoir JOY ENOUGH. Since January 2021, she has published LOST ART, a monthly newsletter about the creative work of (mostly) dead women and a 2023 finalist for the Andy Warhol Arts Writers Grant. Her essays have appeared in the Paris Review, McSweeney’s, and StoryQuarterly, and her work has been supported with fellowship awards from Millay Arts, Ucross, Vermont Studio Center, and MacDowell. She lives in small town Northern California.

Who is Winter Writing Camp For?

In the Woodshed with a Woodstove is for writers looking for structure, community, and accountability around their writing practice. This class is especially well-suited for writers between projects, those starting a writing practice for the first time, or anyone looking to bust through a writing rut with generative practice. In the Woodshed with a Woodstove is an 8-week generative course in which we will draw inspiration from winter's quiet and cold to nurture our writing practice with creative experiments, generative writing, and community. Coursework will be delivered via newsletter, and Wet Ink will provide a meeting place for discussion threads and feedback.

Course Description

Before a musician can take the stage, they spend time in the woodshed. Woodshedding is more than just practice, though; it's an acknowledgment that mastery requires devotion and solitude. As Paul Klempered, Texas-based sax player and teacher explains, woodshedding is a process both exalted and mundane:

"There's something philosophical, almost religious, about the term. The musical treasures of jazz are not easily accessed. You have to dig deep into yourself, discipline yourself, become focused on the music and your instrument, before you can unlock the treasure chest.

At the same time, woodshedding is a process of demystifying the music. The amazing solo, the intricate bebop melody, the complex rhythmic pattern, can be learned, if one is patient. It is a humbling but necessary chore, like chopping wood before you can start the fire."

What's true about jazz is true about writing. Digging deep and discipline are both required, and we have to generate pages and pages of flawed, half-formed, and messy work before we can polish our gems.

At the same time, we have to honor the natural rhythms of the season. At the beginning of the new year, our culture screams about setting goals, intense effort, will power, and change. Everything in nature asks us to slow down and turn inward.

In the Woodshed with a Woodstove is woodshedding for writers. We need the woodstove because we spend a lot of time sitting, it's winter, and we want to be cozy. The Woodshed is a no-fail zone where every effort is the right effort.

New year, new you? No way. Same old us, still practicing.

What to Expect

In this generative course, writers will receive a weekly newsletter containing a variety of themed readings paired with writing prompts.

Students will receive feedback on their generative assignments that is designed to get them to keep writing with questions, encouragement, and opportunities for expansion.

Course Takeaways

Writers participating in In the Woodshed with a Woodstove will:

• Connect with a community of like-minded writers through ongoing discussions and shared learning.
• Receive 8 In the Woodshed with a Woodstove newsletters full of writing prompts, reframes, readings, and radical ideas to encourage a sustainable writing practice.
• Replace hard-charging, productivity-based January resolutions with a quiet, gentler invitation to show up for their writing practice as process-based experimentation and reflection.
• Discover new ideas and experiment with creative approaches.
• Overcome perfectionism by generating a mass of messy, imperfect material.
• Preserve time for their vital, inner relationship with self, art, and creativity.

Course Readings

Writers will engage with works by Natalia Ginzburg, Gretel Ehrlich, Barry Lopez, Jenny Diski, Miriam Toews, Katherine May, Tricia Hersey, and Natalie Kusz.

Course Outline

Week 1: Gather nuts, stock the larder
Week 2: Hearth, rocking chair
Week 3: Snow & ice
Week 4: Chop wood, carry water
Week 5: Lean times
Week 6: Night sky
Week 7: Digging deep
Week 8: Hibernation

LIMITED ENROLLMENT:

Summer Camp is limited to 20 adult writers.

TESTIMONIALS:

"Sarah McColl’s workshop was an experience I will neither regret nor forget. Her remote workshop sessions guided us gently through intense and important journeys, and her genuine interest in each and every one of us was clear in both her approach and style. In addition to remote workshop classes, thought-provoking newsletters which included themed writing prompts encouraged me to push past my comfort zone into a territory I’d not explored in many years, and the Group Diary we all shared helped me realize that both my successes and my shortcomings were not unfounded nor uncommon. It was the perfect mix of cherishable challenges. I would recommend Sarah McColl’s workshops to anyone and everyone who wants to not only improve their writing and/or write more often, but to learn more about themselves and their part in the process of furthering their art. This experience was the indisputable highlight of my summer. Highly recommended." —Marnie M.

"The prompts really pushed me creatively, and the instructor's feedback and enthusiasm were much appreciated. I loved just having time to experiment in the class and hear others' responses. Sarah was great." -former student

"This generative writing camp with Sarah was exactly what I was looking for at exactly the right time. Sarah did a great job facilitating this class, and I really appreciated the time she took with the feedback I received from her." -former student 

"I wanted a space where I could experiment without too much pressure. I liked that we didn't analyze the experience of the writing exercise too much, we just kept moving along. It made it all feel less important somehow, which made it less stressful, which made it more fun, which made for better writing. At least, for me. I also commend you, Sarah, for setting the tone of the workshop as a collaborative and supportive and curious space."

“From the readings to the generative prompts and lively discussions, I came away feeling refreshed and invigorated not only to write and read, but to make writing an important part of my daily routine. I'm grateful to you for helping me to feel alive and curious again."

"I felt like I was in really compassionate orchestrating hands. The experience, wisdom and energy provided at such a high level makes it really easy to just let go and go for the ride and see what you can mine from yourself. Okay....I don't want to get weird and whip out a pan flute but it's a really special blend of pragmatism, craft, inspiration, and magic. There's a feeling of it being spiritual if you want it to be without it having to be group therapy. I felt lucky to be there and definitely don't really know how to explain it's more than a writing workshop to people."

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This is an 8-week online class and Sarah has designed a weekly email newsletter that includes prompts, readings, and ideas. Wet Ink will be used for online discussion.

This class is entirely asynchronous which means you complete the weekly assignments on your own schedule. There are no set meeting times in order to allow for greater participation; your cohort will consist of writers from across different time zones, which allows for a wonderful diversity of voices.

Along with your weekly deadlines there is plenty of interaction with Sarah and your peers within Wet Ink, our dedicated online classroom. Craft materials, lectures, reading assignments, and writing prompts are all available through the online classroom. 

You can get the work done as you see fit week-to-week, so it is perfect for any schedule. There are discussion questions each week inspired by the assigned readings and topics in the lecture notes. Students are encouraged to take these wherever is most compelling and/or useful for them. Sarah engages with these discussions throughout the week and you will receive feedback from all assigned writing activities.

HOW DOES WET INK WORK?

Wet Ink was built and designed specifically for online writing classes. Wet Ink is private, easy to use, and very interactive. You can learn more about the Wet Ink platform by Watching a Class Demo.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $495 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.

• Instructor: Sarah McColl
• Class starts Sunday, January 4th, 2026
• Course is fully ONLINE; students can work according to their own schedule within weekly deadlines.
• Once you have enrolled, the instructor will send you a link to our online classroom, provided via Wet Ink.
  
• Tuition is $495 USD

Contact us HERE if you have any questions about this class.