St. basiL​

“Each class left me feeling more free to write in a way that felt real and natural. I now feel more capable as writer, and I find that I don’t get stuck as often.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve gotten more accomplished creatively this year than I have in the last decade combined, and I don’t believe I’d be where I am now without the St. Basil Workshop. I’m almost finished with my first novella, and so many ideas are flowing I almost can’t keep track! I feel like a writing career isn’t just a fun thought or dream, but a very real and practical possibility for me now.

100% would recommend St. Basil’s! For writers and storytellers, the instruction received and connections made were priceless. I feel like I can write again, and I don’t know how I would have gotten to this point were it not for the Workshop and the grace of God.”

“Writing for me is no longer a possibility, but a reality. I’ve had a clear picture of the story I’m writing for a long time now, but the St. Basil Workshop has given me a clearer approach on how I should write it. It has done more good for me than all my years in college combined (especially in writing fiction).”

“The St. Basil Workshop has been very influential. I’m essentially re-starting my main project from scratch, and checking my new version against class notes and recordings. Both the depth of story-telling and the “tactical” techniques far exceeded my expectations. I’ve already been recommending the program! I genuinely think the course was completely worth the time, effort, and tuition. The depth of material presented is really not something I’ve found anywhere else.”

“St Basil’s is a crucial lifeline for the writer who doesn’t necessarily want to write “Christian fiction”, yet is looking to find unparalleled creative Christian fellowship and instruction. What I have created since starting St Basil’s is far better than anything I was writing before, and I now feel much better equipped to move my projects forwards.”

“Writing in a vacuum doesn’t produce the best work, and we truly need positive, uplifting community as writers (and Christians). This cohort was that for me.”

“Starting on the first day of the Adirondacks retreat, I have grown increasingly convinced of how special the St Basil Writers’ Workshop is as a project and as a community. Setting out to organize a contemporary successor to the Inklings is the sort of pie in the sky goal that sounds nice but impractical. However, as we wrote and told stories and shared work with each other, I started to feel like it was actually happening. It’s so rare to find friends gathered around a vocation with sincerity. It’s a worthwhile investment.”

“I found all the classes transformative; substantive and complementary but not redundant. Workshops and conversations on faith and art, in my experience, have not been able to pin down what makes them, faith and art, work together. St. Basil’s supplies the mechanics of that, so I feel confident that my writing, in its best realization, will serve the reader, be effective but not overbearing, smart but accessible. I understand better how to think about what makes a story. And the work a story accomplishes.

Also, as distribution of ideas changes and the future is uncertain, I wasn’t sure what kind of publishing path to pursue. Now I know where to go. (And an audience motivates me, so without them, I don’t see a point in writing.) Having a community of writers on that same wavelength is not to be underrated in helping a writer bring her work to that audience. It helps to know that I’m not crazy, or at least that I’m not alone.

Further up, and further in! I would recommend St. Basil’s For my kids, and their kids, and everybody’s kids, so there are better stories in the world.”

“For anyone serious about their writing, St. Basil Writers’ Workshop is the natural choice. It’s so easy to get lost in a big crowd, but St. Basil’s small class sizes make the program very personal; because of the small group dynamic, there’s inherently a high level of engagement in the courses, which means everyone gets to know each other and everyone pushes each other to grow in craft.”