Los Angeles Writers Group

Waste of money. Might as well read Screenwriting for Dummies. Usual Hollywood scam: has-​beens and never-​weres charge money to dispense ‘advice’.

Los Angeles Writers Group is a fun, caring and low-​cost place to jump-​start your passion for writing. Whether you are a jaded soul with tons of experience, or a total newcomer, their expert leaders will treat you right and inspire you to write more. You can find plenty of self-​proclaimed writing gurus around L.A. who will charge you a fortune to learn their tricks and theories. Been there, done that, paid too much, brought my own lunch. Many fancy M.F.A. programs are all too happy to take your money and leave you deep in student debt. In my experience, L.A. Writers Group offers the best kind of writing workshops. Why? Because the teachers have practical, real-​world experience as writers, facilitators and coaches. The class sizes are always just right — never too crowded. Each class leader is organized, well-​prepared and ready for questions. Most importantly, the focus is on encouragement and identifying the unique strengths of each writer’s work. Your writing will be taken seriously and treated kindly. This is rare — rarer than you think. You will walk out of classes feeling good and eager to keep on writing. This is my second year with L.A. Writers Group. I plan to stick around. You can get started with a single two hour class. Try it. I think you’ll like it. ;-)

Just finish the 15 day Writing Challenge and Nicole gave us prompts that definitely guided us to find why we stopped writing, well why I stopped writing! It was a great group of positive people and I was very comfortable sharing on the private Facebook group! I have always been hesitant in the past to take a class but after this challenge I plan to definitely sign up for some of the upcoming courses! Thanks Nicole!

Fun. Creative. Informative. Intimate. Those are my words to describe the class.
Warm. Professional. Patient. Supportive. Those are my words to describe Nicole.
Unsure of what to expect walking into my first creative writing class, I was greeted by a friendly woman who welcomed me into her home. I have completed my third class and I have to say, each one is better than the last. I look forward to attending each week. Nicole creates a very comfortable environment absent of intimidation or judgement. She provides excellent writing prompts and encourages each participant to share with the group. She offers constructive advice and coaching with a calm voice and a smile on her face. Her genuine interest in each writer is clear and she is able to quickly identify strengths and areas of opportunity to develop a better story and fine tune our skills.
I really love this workshop and will explore some of the other classes offered through this group.

Perhaps only to an Angelino would the term «Sunday Traffic» not seem like an oxymoron but, should you find yourself serious or even casual about your creativity in the form of written prose, you’d be well advised to brave the bustle of Hollywood Blvd, even if it’s your «off“day.
That’s also not a bad place to park once you’ve targeted the unassuming apartment complex on Laurel Canyon. Make sure to stick to the left side when approaching the building as that’s where you’ll find what might be considered a miniature «magic» castle… for creative types that is.
The reassuring simple window sign confirms your arrival at unit B where the ever lovely Nicole will promptly greet you with a warm, welcoming smile and a firm handshake. The space with ample seating for the fortunate few is of a bright, optimistic character as if providing the participants with an unspoken confidence that they could enter as a «newbie» and exit as an author. Clean, comfortable and angelically adorned with shelves of somewhat shy books, the titles often perched high or set back deeply maybe to not reveal too much on the first visit, the soil is fertile for seeds to be planted.
The Socratic circle promotes the interaction among those who wish to share their samples sparked by the prompts Nicole provides following the period of provoking pen to page. Oh don’t expect to arrive sporting the latest laptop and do anticipate writing legibly should you hope for any feedback. And Nicole is excellent at that. Maybe she’ll remind you of «American Idol’s» Paula Abdul only with brains and talent as she responds to your drafts in the most encouraging manner. At the same time she can drop tasty tidbits of information to enhance both the quality and enjoyment of your scribbling endeavors all the while sounding as if she was your peer, not your professor.
Indeed as previously pronounced this is NOT group therapy… unless what ails you is a writing «wall» or «block» over which you hope to hurdle. For my experience today, Nicole may just have well been a metaphorical plumber holding a plunger because what she did was unclog years of accumulated art allowing for a creative flow formerly familiar only in nostalgic memory.
Nicole did all that for a tiny fraction of the price of a real plumber making the LA Writers group one of the best deals around.

In addition to having an AA degree in journalism, I have taken many writing courses and joined several writers groups. Los Angeles Writers Group is head and shoulders above them all! The reason for this is not only the intimate setting, (no more than eight or ten writers at a time). Nicole Corona guides the evenings with kindness and support. Not only are her writing prompts always inspiring, she provides a safe environment in which to explore and express the depths of your emotions and to feel comfortable while you read what you’ve written to the others present. Feedback is always constructive, and I have always been pleasantly surprised with what I have come up with as a result of being one of her students.

I just finished an 8 week creative writing workshop with Nicole, and it was amazing! I had never taken a writing workshop before, in fact, I hadn’t written anything creatively in over 15 years, and I was extremely nervous and didn’t know what to expect.
After the first class, my first thought was, «oh crap, I’m in WAY over my head.» Such was the talent of the diverse group in this class. I decided to see that as a blessing (I’m going to be the one learning the most here!), and with Nicole’s easy-​going, supportive nature, I felt myself relaxing and blossoming more and more every week.
I love that no laptops were allowed, I loved hearing everyone’s different take on the different writing prompts, I loved reading my classmates’ manuscripts, I loved getting feedback on my work and its potential strengths. I loved having a structured deadline every week that forced me to make time to write.
Nicole (and a few classmates in particular) provided in-​depth, detailed critiques that were always suggestions woven within supportive comments. It was honest without being harsh, supportive without being syrupy.
Most of all, we WROTE. I filled half a journal with writings, and one short piece I did in class I’m developing into a bigger piece — Nicole’s prompts were so creative and great.
I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity and passion of this group and the level of trust we shared. It was a safe haven to share whatever we had, bare ourselves in our writing for better or worse, and we plan to continue our support of each other as we all continue our journey. Having a trusted, talented, set of writer friends is invaluable.
I’m already signed up for my next series (I want to put everything I learned in my first session to work!), and I look forward to developing my passion in real and meaningful ways with this group.

If you are a writer needing a bit – or A LOT of motivation, take this workshop!
I took an 8 week class, meeting once a week, and was heavily involved at each session because the groups are small and intimate.
The facilitator/​leader Nicole, who is as cool as she is creative and intelligent, urged us to bring in work for feedback each week. Every member of the group takes your work home, critiques it, and talks to you about it at the following session. This is a great way to learn from other writers, both by reading their work and seeing what they enjoyed about your writing. And getting feedback is exciting.
Each session includes prompts that are meant to inspire improvisational and creative writing. For instance, Nicole will give you a prompt/​topic, and you will write for 10 – 15 minutes. This was especially beneficial for me because it resulted in novel (as in unique!) ideas that I’m now developing.
I came in the the workshop as someone who really enjoys writing short story fiction, but had a blank list of stories and plots to develop. Now I have over twenty.
That’s something, ain’t it?

For the longest time, I have wanted to attend a writing workshop for poetry. When I came across the Los Angeles Writers group, I knew I was in luck. There were numerous exercises that helped me relax into my writing. Just being around so many creative types, got my pen going. I got to bounce idea off of some of my colleagues and tap into different writing styles. It was great and really refreshing!

If you want to write instead of just think about writing, LAwritersgroup will definitely inspire you. I LOVE the «cold writing» exercises every meeting. Some of these exercises result in amazing pieces and really boost confidence.
The atmosphere is decidedly casual and laid back while having definitive procedures to feedback. It’s meant to be constructive and inspirational and turns out to be great fun.

I’ve attended two groups through the years and have generally had positive experiences. This last group, a whopping $ 240 — for 8 sessions — was a nightmare. Women talking about their personal experiences, lives and using their written word to showcase a cathartic release from mental illness. One woman in particular hinted to her psychiatrist advising that she seek more creative outlets or she might do herself in. This information was offered on our first night at the group. Another lady, with a strong proclivity toward Orthodox Jewry, asked members of the group is they were Jewish! It was highly inappropriate. I asked for a refund and apparently the policy is no refunds. I asked to take the next course, 6 weeks for the same price I paid for 8 classes. I was not able to attend the class, seeing as I work 10 hour days and commute 2 hours per day. The writing session lasts nearly 3 hours!
Upon missing class, I asked the instructor for the writing exercises I missed. She never furnished them!
Instead, she asked about my job and what kind of work I am doing. So I asked for a partial refund. She disputed my claim and took my funds. The quality of this workshop has declined through the years. I am out $ 240 even though I have been a faithful past student who promoted the class and services. I’m deeply disappointed. To charge that much money for a non-​accredited «workshop» is hokey. When I attempted to contact her thrice, the group leader treated me like a «friend» and tried to ease her way out of acceding to my reasonable requests. Shoddy.

I’ve been a part of various forms of writing courses and groups. By far, the Los Angeles Writers Group is truly as good as it gets! The sessions has increased the amount and speed in which my notebooks are being filled. I agree with the other reviewer (Jeremy C) that the setup of the group is what makes it work. 7 people meet at a private home for 8 consecutive weeks. Everyone, even the moderator, participate in the writing exercises by responding and reading their responses aloud. It’s a relaxed and supportive environment. Again, I can’t help but agree with Jeremy C, writing is a solitary pursuit – we’re all there because we want to be there so we make it work. We make it place where you can do what you came to do – WRITE!

What I’ve learned in these these groups has kicked my writing to a new level. Our creative process is a solitary pursuit… many of us banging away in the dark without direction. Because of this, I sought out a group setting and thanks to Google, landed in Nicole’s back in February. I learned how to avoid some of the mistakes new writers make, as well as gain some clarity on my work through peer feedback. The process was so beneficial that I signed up for another with Tom. It’s not a class, rather a structured group of 7 or so people held in private homes. The fact that the facilitators participate in the writing exercises makes for a relaxed setting. And yes, they are worth the money.