The Courage To Write

A Four-Week Writing Intensive for

People Who Want to Write More and Get Out of Their Own Way

You have something you want to write. Maybe it's a book. Maybe it's a memoir, a novel, a collection of stories, poetry, or something you haven't quite figured out yet.

You think about writing. You mean to make time for it. But when you sit down, you might not know where to start. You might second-guess yourself, get distracted, or decide what you're writing isn't good enough before you've really begun.

The Courage to Write is a four-week small-group intensive designed to help you spend less time waiting to feel ready and more time actually putting words on the page.

Together, we'll explore what gets in the way of writing and experiment with practical, creative ways to move forward.

This is not about forcing yourself to be more productive. It's about finding your way back to writing.

I'm ready!

What you’ll get:

By the end of the intensive, you'll have:

  • New writing on the page and material you can continue working with.

  • A better understanding of what gets in the way of your writing.

  • Practical tools for getting started when you're feeling stuck.

  • A collection of writing exercises and creative practices you can return to.

  • A clearer sense of what you want to write next.

  • More experience experimenting and taking creative risks.

  • A realistic writing practice you can continue after the intensive ends.

  • The support of a small group of writers who understand what you're working toward.

Most importantly, you'll spend four weeks giving your writing the time and attention you've been wanting to give it.

What we’ll explore:

Over four weeks, we'll use writing, conversation, and creative experimentation to explore topics including:

  • getting started when you don't feel ready

  • perfectionism and self-doubt

  • developing a regular writing practice

  • noticing and gathering material from everyday life

  • finding new ideas and following your curiosity

  • experimenting with voice, form, perspective, and possibility

  • using art and other creative practices to generate writing

  • figuring out what actually helps you keep going

You'll also be introduced to ideas and practices from writers and artists who have influenced the way I think about creativity, including Julia Cameron, Natalie Goldberg, Anne Lamott, and Elizabeth Gilbert.

What’s included

  • We'll meet once a week for teaching, conversation, guided writing, creative activities, and dedicated time to write together.

  • A guided workbook with prompts, exercises, reflections, and space to explore your writing throughout the intensive.

  • Specific and manageable activities to help you continue writing between our live sessions. You'll always have somewhere to start.

  • A simple, flexible writing practice inspired by Morning Pages that you can use during the intensive and continue afterward.

  • We'll occasionally step away from the page to draw, collect, notice, make things, and find inspiration in the world around us.

    You don't need to be good at art. You just need to be willing to experiment.

  • A space to ask questions, share discoveries, celebrate progress, and connect with the other writers in the group.

  • A one-on-one conversation about your writing, what's getting in the way, or where you want to go next.

  • While you're part of The Courage to Write, you'll also receive full access to my Safety in Numbers co-writing community.

    Safety in Numbers is completely optional, but it gives you additional opportunities throughout the month to show up and write alongside other people.

    Co-writing sessions take place three times each week:

    • Mondays at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time

    • Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

    • Fridays at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time

    You can join whenever your schedule allows. There is no expectation that you attend every session.

Who’s this for:

The Courage to Write may be a good fit for you if:

  • you have something you want to write but aren't writing as consistently as you'd like

  • you start things but struggle to keep going

  • you spend a lot of time thinking about writing and not enough time actually doing it

  • perfectionism or self-doubt makes it difficult to begin

  • you don't always know where to start

  • you want structure without being micromanaged

  • you'd like to write alongside other people

  • you're curious about using art and other creative practices as part of your writing life

  • you want encouragement without a competitive or productivity-focused environment

You don't need to have a book idea. You don't need to be published. You don't even need to call yourself a writer.

You just need to want to write.

A small group by design:

The Courage to Write is limited to 12 writers.

Keeping the group small means there will be room for conversation, questions, connection, and individual attention. You'll have the opportunity to get to know the other writers and become part of a small community for the month.

This isn't a large online course where you disappear into a crowd.

There are just 12 spots available. Sign up today!

The Details:

The Courage to Write takes place over four weeks in October 2026. We'll meet live online via Zoom for four 90-minute sessions. All times are Eastern Time.

Live Session Dates

  • Sunday, October 4: 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

  • Tuesday, October 13: 7:00–8:30 p.m.

  • Sunday, October 18: 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

  • Sunday, October 25: 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

All sessions will be recorded, so you'll have access to the recordings if you need to miss a session or would like to revisit something we covered. However, joining us live is by far the best way to experience the intensive. The live sessions give you the opportunity to write alongside the group, take part in conversations and creative activities, ask questions, and be part of the experience as it unfolds.

The intensive is limited to 12 writers so that the group remains small enough for conversation, connection, and individual attention.

Investment: $497 CAD

Ready to Give Your Writing Some Attention?

You don't need to feel completely confident before you begin, and you don't need to know exactly what you're writing. You certainly don't need to have your entire writing life figured out.

You just need to be willing to give yourself four weeks to explore what might happen when you make space for writing.

The Courage to Write

A Four-Week Writing Intensive

October 4–25, 2026 · Live Online · Limited to 12 Writers

Investment: $497 CAD

Save my spot

Erica Richmond is a Canadian author, college instructor, writing coach, and speaker who believes in the power of brave stories.

Her own writing explores the complicated, uncomfortable, and deeply human parts of being alive. She is the author of multiple books, including the Pixie Series, children's books that explore big feelings such as anxiety, self-doubt, and relationships through the lens of fairy tales. Her creative nonfiction has also been shortlisted for literary prizes and published in literary journals.

Through Open Sky Stories, Erica leads writing groups, workshops, and retreats and works one-on-one with writers who are finding their way into a story or looking for support along the way.

Whether she is writing, teaching, or speaking, Erica is interested in what happens when we approach ourselves and our stories with a little more curiosity, compassion, and courage.

About Erica Richmond