Dear fellow writer,
This colorful sunflower collage celebrates the recent launch of Writing in Color (aka Writing in Colour), my latest premium offering for WriteSPACE members and paid newsletter subscribers. I’m so excited about this new 6-week short course — co-created and co-facilitated with my fabulous friend and colleague Sophie Nicholls — that I’m releasing the first workshop module as this month’s Featured Freebie. To get the remaining modules delivered straight to your inbox every Monday for the next 5 weeks, join the WriteSPACE today!
Writing in Color: Week 1 “Notebooking in Color”
In this brief, energizing workshop video (15 min), Sophie and I share our own notebooking practices and discuss our shared penchant for using colorful handmade notebooks as pleasurable containers for messy drafts and creative thinking.
The Pleasures of Notebooking
Paid subscribers can scroll down to the bottom of this post to find a link to The Pleasures of Notebooking, a 29-minute video that looks at notebooks and notebooking through six different pleasure-tinted lenses — patterns, tools, processes, identity, challenge, and balance — and guides you through prompts for exploring those themes via playful notetaking practices.
The following courses and retreats are currently open for enrollment. I’d love to see you there!
Creativity Catalyst (Aug 22 - Oct 1): Get your creative juices flowing with this exuberant online course (now in its fifth year) for academic and professional writers who want to write, think, and live more creatively. Across 6 weeks of workshops, experiments, and prompts, I’ll introduce you to 6 core elements of creative practice — story, poetry, drama, moving, making, and metaphor — and guide you through strategies for integrating each of them into your writing processes and products.
WriteSPACE PowerPack: Take your writing to the next level (and save a bundle) by signing up for this comprehensive year-long sequence of courses, workshops, writing clinics, and personal coaching, all at a steeply discounted price. You can start at any time and complete the sequence in any order and at your own pace.
WriteSPACE members and alumni save up to 20% off all Catalyst courses and may qualify for additional discounts and scholarships. For details of your membership benefits and discount codes, check your WriteSPACE or WS Studio Lounge.
We’re taking a break from live WriteSPACE events this month; I’m travelling to Wengen, Switzerland next week to run my annual Mountain Rise Writing Retreat, and our WriteSPACE Events Manager, Amy Lewis, is celebrating the completion of an intensive 18-month ceramics course in London. (Check out her beautiful creations on her new Instagram page!) We look forward to seeing you again in August when we resume our regular program of live Writing Masterclasses, Writing Clinics, and Community Writing sessions — not to mention my popular annual 5-Day Stay-Home Writing Retreat. Stay tuned for more details!
Business Talk podcast: “Transform Your Writing Life with the SPACE Framework” (Audio Library)
In this episode of his podcast series Business Talk, prolific podcaster Deepak Bhatt interviews me about my most recent book, Writing with Pleasure:
Drawing on research with over 590 writers across 15 countries, Dr. Sword reveals a compelling insight: successful academic writers don't just produce more, they write with more pleasure. Through her innovative SPACE framework, encompassing the Social, Physical, Aesthetic, Creative, and Emotional dimensions of writing, she challenges the widely held belief that productivity and pleasure are at odds, arguing instead that they are deeply and mutually reinforcing. Whether you struggle with writing anxiety, creative blocks, or the weight of academic conventions, this conversation offers practical strategies and a transformative perspective on how to bring more joy, meaning, and craft to everything you write.
If you’d rather watch than listen, check out the video of our 45-minute conversation on YouTube.
Journey Planner – Looking for personalized guidance on how to navigate your own path to better writing? I’d love to hear from you! Simply fill out our members-only Journey Planner, and I’ll get back to you with a customized WriteSPACE or WS Studio Roadmap and Itinerary based on your individual profile and goals.
Personal Coaching - Members of our premium WriteSPACE Studio tier can request an annual one-on-one coaching session with me as part of your membership plan. Contact Victoria to book your time.
If you appreciate hearing about resources and events like these — or just want to make my day — please take a moment to drop me a heart, leave a comment, and/or click Restack at the bottom of this message. Your enthusiasm and support mean so much to me.🩷
Kia pai tō rā (have a great day) – and keep on writing!
Write more, right now! For exclusive access to live workshops, craft-focused coaching, and premium writing and editing tools, join me and writers from 30+ countries in the WriteSPACE, a vibrant international writing community and resource treasury. To try free for 30 days, click below and enter the discount code SNEAKPEEK or STUDIOPEEK at checkout.
If you’re as obsessed with notebooks and notebooking as I am, you’ll love this 29-minute video bringing together all 6 modules of my 2025 ⚔️ Swordcraft series on Notebooking with Pleasure. Enjoy!
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