WICE's Creative Writing Program offers a selection of courses to awaken the budding author in you . . . or to provide a whetstone for more experienced writers to use to hone their skills.

We are offering some exciting possibilities this coming autumn. CRAFTING YOUR FIRST THREE CHAPTERS, taught by award winner Alecia McKenzie, is a six-session class workshop for novelists or memoir writers with a focus on voice, characters, setting, theme, and narrative flow. The aim is to produce at least 1,500 words by the end of the workshop, and / or to polish work already begun.

Also, Jennifer Lauck is back with us to teach something new. BONES OF STORYTELLING is a fun, rewarding, “thinking/practicing” series for writers of fiction (novel/short story) and creative non-fiction (memoir/essay). On Zoom.

Emphasizing both craft and creativity, our program is more than a series of classes; it's a community, a place where writers at all stages can come together, learn, share, and grow. Whether you're taking your first literary steps or looking to elevate your established writing practice, WICE's Creative Writing Program offers an inclusive and inspiring environment.

You can stay abreast of our creative writing program by subscribing to our newsletter, WICE Direct, following us on FaceBook, or by simply keeping an eye on this page.

If you have any questions or have requests for future classes, please send them to creativewriting@wice-paris.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS

    • 30 Sep 2025
    • 02 Dec 2025
    • 10 sessions
    • Zoom
    • 11
    Register

    Bones of Storytelling

    Course Description:

    Bones of Storytelling is a fun "thinking/practicing” series for writers of fiction (novel/short story) and creative non-fiction (memoir/essay). It draws from literature and classic storytelling models, as well as screenwriting.

    Structure:

    Classes are organized in a progressive manner and are divided into two parts. Part 1: Pre-watch video teaching/assignment, and Part 2: Join the online meeting to debrief. Total investment of time: about ninety minutes prior, and then a two-hour on-line meeting.

    Expanded explanation:

    Once you sign up, you are guided to a site page with the recordings and are asked to watch the first teaching. At the end of the video, you are given an assignment and instructed to bring that assignment to the class for debrief. You will then share your experience with a fellow writer and the class, and you will be given support information when needed. It is the same formula each week.

    Outcome:

    You will walk away with a comprehensive plan for either a work in progress(a revision plan) or an idea you’ve been considering (draft plan). You will also discover crossover opportunities in creative writing. A lived experience doesn’t always have to be a memoir but can be shifted into fiction. A fictional idea, often born from a lived experience, might find its best expression in memoir.

    This class is on ZOOM.

    About the Instructor: 

    With degrees in journalism and creative writing, Jennifer Lauck is the New York Times and London Times bestselling writer of the memoirs Blackbird, Still Waters, Found and The Summer of ’72.

    She has also published a series of interlocking essays in the collection titled Show Me the Way and has had essays published in several anthology collections, including Knitting Yarns. She teaches creative writing in the US and abroad.


    • 09 Oct 2025
    • 13 Nov 2025
    • 6 sessions
    • Address will be sent a few days before the first class
    • 11
    Register

    Crafting Your First Three Chapters 

    Course Description:

    This six-session workshop provides guidance on writing the first three chapters of a novel or memoir, with a focus on developing voice, characters, setting, theme, and narrative flow. The course will include a range of writing exercises, with participants exploring different forms of telling their story and engaging readers. The aim is to produce at least 1,500 words by the end of the workshop, and / or to polish work already begun

    About the Instructor: 

    Alecia McKenzie is a writer and editor based in Paris. Her first collection of short stories, Satellite City, and her novel Sweetheart have both won Commonwealth literary prizes. Sweetheart - translated into French as Trésor - was awarded the Prix Carbet des lycéens in 2017. Other books include Stories from  Yard and A Million Aunties (her most recent novel, long-listed for the Dublin Literary Award). She holds an MSc from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and has written numerous articles for a wide range of international publications. www.aleciamckenzie.com 


Past events

21 Jun 2025 WU211 The Poetry Playground: A Beginner's Journey (Part II)
17 May 2025 WY171 The Poetry Playground: A Beginner's Journey
09 Apr 2025 WA091 Fiction Workshop II
01 Apr 2025 WA011 Small Moments, Epic Tales: The Art of Growing Essays into Memoirs
22 Feb 2025 WF221 The Play's the Thing!
04 Feb 2025 WF041 Writing the Short StoryII (Advanced Workshop)
09 Nov 2024 WN091 Story Sprints
16 Oct 2024 WO161 Fiction Workshop
15 Oct 2024 WO151 Foundations of Creative Non-fiction (Memoir and Essays)
30 Apr 2024 WA301 Writing the Short Story
16 Mar 2024 WM1601 Embodied Writing
27 Feb 2024 WF271 Writing Screenplays: From Hollywood to France
10 Feb 2024 WF1001 Poetry!
20 Jan 2024 WJ201 First Page Fresh Start
21 Nov 2023 WN071: Creative Non-Fiction – Writing the ‘Real’
28 Oct 2023 WO281 Writing our Roots
29 Apr 2023 WA2201 The Craft of Writing - Spring Edition
01 Mar 2023 WM011 Haiku: How to Enjoy, Write, and Publish Them
14 Feb 2023 WF141 Writing the Short Story
22 Oct 2022 WO221 How to Build a Story (Let Your Madman Out!)
18 Oct 2022 WO111 Flash Fiction
02 Feb 2022 WJ051: Tension in Fiction
26 Oct 2021 WO261 Writing the Real: Creative Nonfiction
11 Sep 2021 Forum des Associations de Paris 15e
28 Jun 2021 WU281 PWW Panel: Navigating the Small Presses
27 Jun 2021 WU273 PWW FICTION TECHNIQUES in Creative Nonfiction
26 Jun 2021 WU262 PWW Master Class: Beginning Your Novel
26 Jun 2021 WU261 PWW Master Class: Turbocharge Your Creativity
25 Jun 2021 WU252 PWW Collage Technique in Poetry: Bridging Languages and Cultures
25 Jun 2021 WU251 PWW: Settings Across Cultures
25 Jun 2021 PWWJ26 Morning Master Class + Writing craft talks + Panel
04 May 2021 WY041:Writing Poetry - Craft and Inspiration
23 Mar 2021 WM231: Using Your Senses to Write Fiction
20 Jan 2021 WICE Talks: Pancakes in the City of Light with Author Craig Carlson
15 Jan 2021 WJ151 Novels in Progress: An Advanced Workshop (Cancelled)
12 Dec 2020 WD121 PitchCraft: Getting Published (Remote Online)
05 Nov 2020 WN051 Fiction Writing: Openings and Next Steps (Remote)
30 Sep 2020 WS301 Writing Poetry: Craft and Inspiration (Remote)
26 Sep 2020 WS261 Feature Writing Part II: At the keyboard and in the field (6 sessions)
12 Jul 2020 PWL121 Paris Writers Workshop Panel Discussion 3: Writing in the Time of Corona
11 Jul 2020 PWL056 Paris Writers Workshop Panel Discussion 1: Women Write/Women’s Rights
11 Jul 2020 PWL057 Paris Writers Workshop Panel Discussion 2: Cross-Culture or Cultural Appropriation
09 Jul 2020 PWL059 Agent Consultation
05 Jul 2020 PWL058 Writing Craft Talk: Writing the Child by Lauren Grodstein
05 Jul 2020 PWL055 Creative Non Fiction Masterclass
05 Jul 2020 PWL051 Novel Writing Masterclass
05 Jul 2020 PWL053 Poetry Masterclass
29 Jun 2020 WU291 Structuring the Novel
07 Mar 2020 WM071 Feature Writing: At the Keyboard and In the Field (6 sessions - postponed)
04 Feb 2020 WF041 The Tools of the Trade: Techniques in Novel Writing (6 sessions)
07 Nov 2019 WN071 Writing Poetry: Craft and Inspiration (6 sessions)
23 Oct 2019 WO231 Novel Writing: Back to the Basics (4 sessions)
19 Oct 2019 WO191 Travel Journalism for Beginners (2 sessions)
28 Sep 2019 WS281 Writing Features for Fun and Profit (4 sessions)
30 Jun 2019 WU301 Literary Brunch
29 Jun 2019 WU291 PWW Panel Discussion: Navigating Today's Publishing World
28 Jun 2019 WU283 Writing Craft Talk: Settings Make Your Story
28 Jun 2019 WU282 Writing Craft Talks: The Alchemy of Writing, From Darkness to Light
28 Jun 2019 WU281 PWW Writing Weekend
25 May 2019 WA131 Jamika Ajalon Presents: Take Back the Narrative (new date)
11 May 2019 WY111 Writing Features Part 2: At the Computer and In the Field (4 sessions)
07 May 2019 WY071 Writing Your First Novel: Autofiction (Fictional Autobiography) (6 sessions)
04 Apr 2019 WA041 Writing Poetry: Craft and Inspiration (6 sessions)
31 Mar 2019 WM311 Writing Their Hearts Out: Women Writers on Love, Loss and Recovery
05 Feb 2019 WF051 Writing Your First Novel
21 Jan 2019 WJ211 Writing Features for Publication
10 Jan 2019 WJ101 Writing Poetry: Craft and Inspiration
08 Dec 2018 WD081 Writing Features for Fun and Profit: A 2-Day Workshop
06 Nov 2018 WN061 Your First Novel: Tools of the Trade
04 Oct 2018 WO041 Writing Poetry - Craft and Inspiration
12 May 2017 EY121 Bilingual Book Group: "The Harder They Come" by T.C. Boyle
27 Jun 2016 PWU271 The Art of Writing the Novella and the Short Story
27 Jun 2016 PWU272 Writing Creative Non-fiction
27 Jun 2016 PWU273 Writing Novels
27 Jun 2016 PWU274 Writing Poetry
07 Mar 2016 WM072 Paris Vignettes