Applications for the Spring 2026 Fanauthor Workshop are open!
The Spring 2026 Fanauthor Workshop is a 7-week writing course led by Betts (@bettsfic). The workshop offers fanwriters a supportive space to receive constructive feedback on fanfiction, original fiction, or creative nonfiction.
Where & When
We meet weekly over Zoom. You can apply for one of two sessions:
Group A: Fridays from Apr 10 - May 22, 12-2pm ET [See what time that is in your time zone]
Group B: Tuesdays from Apr 14 - May 26, 6-8pm ET [See what time that is in your time zone]
What
FAW is a feedback-oriented workshop. This means that each week we read 2 pieces submitted by participants, offer written feedback, and discuss them over Zoom. You'll be able to sign up for the week you would like to workshop your own piece, which can be anything under 6k words.
There may be weeks where, in lieu of workshopping, I present external readings to discuss and writing exercises.
I developed a workshop model that focuses mostly on affirmations and positivity, as well as descriptive (rather than prescriptive) feedback, which is to say, describing one's experience of reading rather than prescribing solutions to perceived problems. We also present improvement-oriented feedback, though we avoid negativity, judgment, and pedantry. Week 1 is spent going over the workshop model and how to give feedback.
About
The first FAW was held in 2017 as an independent study in my MFA. I restarted it in 2022 and since then have led 15 sessions with ~75 participants, over half of whom have participated in the workshop more than once.
Participation in the workshop includes entrance into the FAW community, an active Discord server. We have many social events, writing groups, and other workshops, including:
Eligibility to attend WTFS (Write the F*cking Story), a 7-week generative workshop where everyone, you know, writes a f*cking story
Eligibility to attend WIP Cleanout, another 7-week generative workshop aimed to help work through each writer's WIP list
Ongoing accountability meetings during which we chat over Zoom about our projects and set goals for ourselves every other week
A monthly longform writing workshop, where writers can workshop any story between 6k and 100k words
Weekly movie nights
Scheduled write-ins and impromptu writing sprints
A group quarterly progress tracking sheet that accidentally turned into a micro social media platform
And there are always other things going on, like international snack exchanges, craft exchanges, support during the looming deadlines of fic exchanges, and so on
We also chat about writing and craft, offer resources, and share many, many pet photos.
In addition, participants of the workshop receive:
A one-hour consultation with me to go over your workshop feedback, come up with a plan for revision and/or publication, or anything else you’d like to discuss regarding your writing
Open enrollment in future workshops
Eligibility
Anyone over the age of 18 who considers themselves a participant of fandom and who is familiar with fanfiction may apply. A stable internet connection is also required.
Cost
The cost of the workshop is "pay what you can" with the recommended amount of $300. To be as inclusive as possible, I don't want money to be a deterrent for anyone interested in participating.
At least partial payment (or notification of nonpayment) will be requested prior to the start of workshop via PayPal, Venmo, or Wise. Installment payments are fine.
Fill out this form to apply. Applications close March 20.
If you have any questions at all, or are on the fence about it for whatever reason, please feel free to DM me. You can even just say "I'm on the fence about applying to FAW" and we'll chat about it.
Art by @emimayooo!
FAQ under the cut
