The Interior Gaze: Six Weeks to Discovery

Calibrating your narrative voice in nonfiction

Sep 16, 2024

I am thrilled to announce an upcoming community project!

THE INTERIOR GAZE: Calibrating your narrative voice in nonfiction.

The Interior Gaze is a community learning environment aimed at cultivating a grounded sense of self-understanding and determination as writers— whether you are a published writer or you scribble in secret, all levels are welcome.

As writers it's easy to feel as if we're being pulled in many conflicting directions. One moment we're told to follow our creative instincts; the next we're asked how many followers we have on social media. The whims of the public, the publishing industry, and the algorithm are fickle as the weather. Writers must be resilient— THE INTERIOR GAZE is designed to build confidence and resilience.

Confidence can be felt through the page by readers, as authority.

This class is informed by over a decade of teaching creative writing and embodied learning, as well as my experiences as a student of creative writing at Syracuse University.

All paid subscribers have access to the course. Membership prices will be changing soon (info at the bottom of this post) so now is the time to subscribe!

George Orwell once said,

"I find that by the time you have perfected any style of writing, you have already outgrown it."

Here, we do not seek perfection.

Instead, the Interior Gaze fosters a sense of identity and purpose as writers, outside of the act of consumption.

Through reading, writing, and community dialogue, you will learn to orient your gaze towards why you write; what you long to express; and how your life experiences and unique perspectives inform your writing.

We will embrace failure, because it's essential to the practice of writing. We will also examine our conceptions of success: where they come from, and what we really believe.

Participation is up to you: Subscribers can participate as much or as little as they would like. It’s okay if you’re only able to engage half the time (or less)! It’s also great if you want to immerse yourself in the experience and engage fully.

THE INTERIOR GAZE begins on Tuesday, October 8th and lasts until Tuesday, November 19th.

Every Tuesday, I will post nonfiction PDFs— these consist of both craft lessons and creative essays by other writers, along with some prompts and exercises.
On Saturdays we will discuss the readings and practices, via online posts and a discussion thread.
Participants will have opportunities to share their own writing with the group.
There will be two group meetings via Zoom— times and dates TBD by survey.
Live (!) silent writing groups each week.
I will also post three videos discussing my writing practices throughout the length of the course, which you can view on your own timeline.

All paid subscribers of NAVEL GAZING have automatic access to THE INTERIOR GAZE for the duration of their paid subscription.

Membership pricing will change on Monday Sept. 30th— see below:

Monthly subscriptions are currently set at $5.95 a month. That price will be adjusted to $7.95 per month. If this prices you out, let me know, and we can work something out.
Yearly subscriptions are set at $44 a year and will increase to $69 a year. Yearly subscriptions are still more economical than monthly subscriptions, averaging out to $5.75 a month. Scholarships are available— contact me if needed.
Founding Subscribers currently pay $80 a year. This will increase to $98 a year in one week. This yearly cost averages out to $8.15 a month.

If you would like to take this course but do not want to become a paying subscriber, please contact me and we can work out another form of payment.

Tell me what you think!

I’m thrilled to finally have enough time and space to dedicate to this newsletter. Are you excited about this offering? Expecting or wanting anything specific? Let me know in the comments!