PROJECT MEMOIR 2026
Energize your writing, elevate your craft and shape your memoir with ten weeks of structure, live community, expert editorial feedback & specific deadlines.
Writing alone isn't enough.
You know you can do the work. But it's hard to make the time, and are the revisions really making it better? You don't need another webinar, prompts, or more hours critiquing other writers' pages.
What you DO need is expert editorial feedback with specific directions, and craft classes that focus on your manuscript right now. A supportive community. And hey, some deadlines would get your butt in the chair.
Let's make big progress on your book.
The Project begins January 29, 2026.
Applications close December 20, 2025
Get ready to finish.
Write better. Right now.
Apply with 10 pages of your writing by December 20th
If that's you, let's make it happen.
Level up your craft, write faster, and finish that draft.
HERE'S HOW...
Allison K Williams
Writer - Editor - Speaker - Coach
I'm the Unkind Editor.
When I became an editor, I saw ads for "Gentle" and "Nurturing" editors. But the writers I knew said, "Just tell me what's not working so I can fix it!"
Just like the circus.
When you write something that works, I'll be cheering! But I'm here to help you write better.To tell you what's not working, and how to fix it.
I've guided writers to literary agents, Big Five deals, indie publishers and spots on the NYT and USA Today Bestseller lists--and helped self-publishers finish books they're proud to sell. Project Memoir is the structure and community I want for my own books: specific craft guidance; focused, measurable revision techniques; and a community who gets it.
Wondering if the program is right for you? Let's talk about it.
I'll never make you guess the price. It's $3795.
Need a payment plan? Four payments of $975, January, February, March & April.
Payment in full gets a discount because fewer processing fees. No application fee.
Calendar and Curriculum
LIVE CLASSES ON THURSDAYS 12-2PM USA EASTERN TIME
Foundation & Focus
Powerful books need a clear Dramatic Arc, and powerful writers need clear goals. We’ll identify the central question that drives your story, and clarify your purpose, audience and genre.
- Live Kickoff Class: Thursday January 29th (12-2PM EST)
- Meet your cohort, your instructor, and our Study Hall hosts
- Set your goals and learn to navigate our online community
- Craft Lessons
- Clarify your book’s Dramatic Arc and core story
- Feedback on your Dramatic Arc
- Community
- Introduce yourself and your book in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- Ask questions and co-write in Study Halls hosted by our Associate Editors
Powerful Scenes
Master scenes that advance your story, structure individual scenes for maximum impact, and discover when to use scene versus summary.
- Live Class: Thursday February 5th (12-2PM Eastern)
- Every week, you’ll submit 10 pages for Live Editing OR 20 pages for private feedback
- Craft Lessons
- How Unities make strong scenes
- Revising key scenes in your story
- Community
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- Ask questions and co-write in Study Halls hosted by our Associate Editors
Tension & Conflict
Tension keeps readers turning pages. Conflict makes a story matter.
Memoirists will explore how to avoid the trap of hindsight that drains conflict from the page. Novelists will learn to layer conflicts and keep tension alive across subplots. The goal: make it impossible for your reader to put your book down.
- Live Class: Thursday February 12th (12-2PM Eastern)
- Every week, you’ll submit 10 pages for Live Editing OR 20 pages for private feedback
- Craft Lessons
- Learn how internal and external conflict feed each other
- Renew reader energy with mini-hooks
- Build suspense even in quiet moments
- Community
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- Ask questions and co-write in Study Halls hosted by our Associate Editors
Meaning, Cultural Relevance & Synopsis
A book isn’t just about what happens—it’s about what it all means.
Identify your book’s themes without being heavy-handed, understand how to position your work in the current literary landscape, and learn how writing the synopsis helps you fix story and structure across the manuscript.
- Live Class: Thursday February 19th (12-2PM Eastern)
- Every week, you’ll submit 10 pages for Live Editing OR 20 pages for private feedback
- Craft Lessons
- Identifying Theme and using your themes in scenes
- Write your Synopsis
- Community
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- Ask questions and co-write in Study Halls hosted by our Associate Editors
Stronger Prose
Good writing becomes great writing at the sentence level.
Learn to tighten bloated prose, eliminate clichés and filler words, and develop a distinctive voice that serves your story.
- Live Class: Thursday February 26th (12-2PM Eastern)
- Every week, you’ll submit 10 pages for Live Editing OR 20 pages for private feedback
- Craft Lessons
- The art of precise word choice
- The rhythm and music of sentences
- Finding and developing your voice
- Quick & Dirty Tips to apply to your whole manuscript and elevate your writing, right away
- Community:
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- Ask questions and co-write in Study Halls hosted by our Associate Editors
Catch-Up Week!
Writing a book isn’t always a linear process, and revision often reveals new work that needs to be done.
No new video lessons and no new assignments—instead, you’ll have dedicated time to apply everything you’ve learned in weeks 1-5, catch up on any incomplete exercises, and dive into revision based on your own emerging insights and the feedback from your peers.
- Community
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- No Study Halls this week
World-Building & Structure
Every story exists in a world—whether it’s the emotional landscape of childhood, a historical moment lived through, or an entirely invented reality.
This week focuses on two interconnected elements: creating a fully realized world on the page and structuring the manuscript so readers can navigate it.
We’ll also examine structure at the macro level—how your chapters and sections fit together, pacing across the full manuscript, and when/how to break traditional structures.
- Live Class: Thursday March 12th (12-2PM Eastern)
- Every week, you’ll submit 10 pages for Live Editing OR 20 pages for private feedback
- Craft Lessons
- Dramatic Structures and how to use them
- Structure for scenes and chapters
- Community:
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- Ask questions and co-write in Study Halls hosted by our Associate Editors
Ending with Power
Your ending is the last thing readers experience—and often what they remember most.
- Live Class: Thursday March 19th (12-2PM Eastern)
- Every week, you’ll submit 10 pages for Live Editing OR 20 pages for private feedback
- Craft Lessons
- Avoiding common ending pitfalls
- Techniques for writing powerful final scenes
- Community
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- Ask questions and co-write in Study Halls hosted by our Associate Editors
What YOUR Manuscript Needs
Check in on your goals and get the individual support you need in our one-to-one coaching meeting. (These meetings may also be scheduled earlier in the course as needed.)
- One-to-One Meetings as scheduled
- How to build on your progress in Project Memoir
- Planning your publication path
- Support for challenges you’re still working through
- Live Class: Thursday March 26th (12-2PM Eastern)
- Every week, you’ll submit 10 pages for Live Editing OR 20 pages for private feedback
- Community
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
- Final Study Halls
Next Steps & Moving Forward
By the end of Project Memoir, you’ll have made substantial progress on your manuscript—whether completing a solid first draft, revising key scenes with new craft knowledge, or polished your manuscript for submission. More importantly, you’ll have the skills and understanding to continue the work independently.
- Live Class: Thursday April 2nd (12-2PM Eastern)
- Every week, you’ll submit 10 pages for Live Editing OR 20 pages for private feedback
- Assess where your manuscript stands
- Create a realistic revision/submissions timeline
- Sustaining the habits and community connections that support your writing
- Community
- Join your cohort in the forums
- Join co-writing sessions for focused work
"I can't tell you how transformational your edits have been."
Samuel Autman
Professor of Creative Writing, DePauw University
"You really see me as a writer on so many levels: gay, black, spiritual and so much more. So many editors have tried to push me into directions that weren't a match for my goals. In grad school they tried to paint my family into a gothic southern corner. Being black means so many things to so many people, but I have not had one moment where you tried to paint me into a black box.
Your confidence in me and my work and the privilege of watching a master editor have been transformative. After many failed starts, no editor has helped me make out the structure and content of my manuscript-in-the-works more than the fabulous Unkind Editor. Tough, smart, fair."
Project Memoir is for you if...
But not if...
Stop guessing what to fix.
The Team
Allison K Williams
Writer - Editor - Speaker - Coach
Allison K Williams brings deep understanding of dramatic structure, sensitivity to voice and theme, technical expertise, and contagious enthusiasm for your work.
She is the author of Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro From Blank Page to Book and the Social Media Editor of Brevity.
Charlotte Wilkins
Associate Editor, Alumna 2023
Char Wilkins is a retired psychotherapist and longtime meditator, living in Connecticut. Her essays have appeared in Memoir Magazine, Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, Brevity Blog, and Social Work Today.
While seeking representation for her completed memoir, UnRaveled, she continues to write at Substack
Linda Tate
Associate Editor, Alumna 2024
Linda Tate is a former Professor of English at Shepherd University, where she was named 2003 West Virginia Professor of the Year.
Linda is the author of two books: A Southern Weave of Women: Fiction of the Contemporary South (U of Georgia P) and Power in the Blood: A Family Narrative (Ohio UP). She is working on a new memoir, I Found Love, and It Did Not Leave Me.
“This has been the single most valuable investment I’ve ever made in my writing. I’ve made other good investments (and some not so good), but the value, Allison’s generosity, being in the company of such great writers… just so far exceeded my high expectations. 🙏🏼❤️”
"The single most valuable investment I’ve ever made in my writing."
Allison Hirschi
Class of 2023
Allison has worked with...
Programs & Pricing
Need less commitment than Project Memoir? Check out Project FLEX (same Craft Lessons, fewer live classes, less feedback) or our January Virtual Intensive weekend.
Project FLEX
Finish Your Book. Your Way. Your Schedule.-
LIVE Kickoff Call and Orientation
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3 LIVE sessions with Live-Editing
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Live-Editing feedback on 10 pages
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25+ video Craft Lessons
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Editorial feedback on Synopsis, Dramatic Arc and 3 Key Scenes
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Twice-weekly LIVE Study Halls with Associate Editors
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Mixed-genre, mixed-level cohort
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Private membership community
December 20th 2025
Project Memoir
Your MFA year in 9 weeks.-
LIVE Kickoff Call and Orientation
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8 LIVE sessions with Live-Editing
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Live-Editing feedback on 30 pages
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Private editorial feedback on 60 pages
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25+ video Craft Lessons
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Weekly feedback on Craft Lesson exercises
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Additional big-picture feedback on 3 Key Scenes
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Twice-weekly LIVE Study Halls with Associate Editors
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Cohort of fiction writers
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Private Membership Community
December 20th 2025
Finish Your Book in 2026
Virtual Intensive Jan 17-19, 2026-
Three days of live classes with Allison K Williams and Dinty W. Moore
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Craft Lessons
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Live-Editing
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Networking and literary community
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Goal-setting and mindset to make big progress in 2026
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Publishing paths: which one's right for you?
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Access to recorded classes for review
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A great start to your writing year!
January 17th-19th, 2026
The Results
Our alumni have successfully published with Big Five, literary and indie presses, as well as self- and hybrid publishing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Project Novel includes revision and generation, and writers join at all stages—early drafts, mid-revision, or nearly finished manuscripts. The program works wherever you are in the process.
You’ll be happiest if at least 40 pages are drafted before we begin. This can be an early draft or polished work that still isn’t “there” yet. Got more pages? Even better! Throughout our time together, you’ll be guided to write/revise key scenes that will anchor your story, plus as many more pages as you can handle.
Over the course, you’ll submit up to 90 pages of your most critical material for Live Editing and private feedback. You’ll receive detailed editorial feedback with specific suggestions for revision, shown in Track Changes and comments, and returned by email.
You’ll also receive weekly feedback on Craft Lessons exercises, including:
- Your synopsis, with questions and comments to refine your story
- Your dramatic arc, with guidance on which arc best suits your story
- Big-picture feedback on your opening, midpoint reversal, and ending scenes
Please note: While you’ll see your cohort’s work & participate in feedback during Live-Editing, you will not be reading other writers’ pages outside class for feedback.
Craft Lessons are the “lecture” part of class. Each lesson teaches an element of structure, plot, story, scene or voice that you will immediately apply to your book.
Watch these short (7-20min) videos at your own pace, and post questions on individual lesson videos for Allison to answer.
Craft Lessons are NOT prompts, warm-ups or freewriting.
Each week includes 6-12 hours of progress:
- 3-5 short video Craft Lessons available on-demand, with transcripts
- Each Craft Lesson includes a short exercise or focused manuscript work—allow 30-60 minutes per lesson
- Optional Study Hall sessions hosted by our Associate Editors, where you’ll work side-by-side with classmates and ask questions about your own work as needed
- Optional community co-writing
- Weekly two-hour live classes, recorded for you to rewatch
While most of Allison’s events are open to all who sign up, Project Memoir, Project Novel & Project FLEX writers are chosen by application. The writers in each cohort will be at a similar stage in their writing journeys & a good fit for mutual support.
The application takes about 10 minutes to fill out, and you’ll upload 10 pages of the manuscript you plan to work on.
We’ll notify all applicants December 28th.
Project Memoir and Project Novel are our flagship programs with more live classes and more editorial feedback.
Project FLEX is streamlined for self-driven writers who need a more flexible schedule.
FLEX includes three live classes and up to 30 pages of editorial feedback. Project Memoir and Project Novel include eight live classes and up to 165 pages of editorial feedback; feedback on Craft Lessons exercises; and more in-class editing time for each writer. They are also a more significant investment of your time and money.
Still unsure? Schedule a free 15-minute call and Allison will help you decide.
All live classes are recorded and available within 24 hours. You’ll have a year to access the recordings. We’ll schedule your Live Editing sessions for when you can attend.
You retain access to Craft Lessons and course materials for one year, and lifetime access to weekday co-writing sessions and our private community.
Payments can be made by PayPal/credit card, Venmo, Zelle, direct deposit, Canadian Interac/eTransfer, or wire transfer.
Payments for Project Novel can be made as follows:
- Deposit of $975, due January 10th
- $975 due February 10th
- $975 due March 10th
- $975 due March 30th
OR
One payment of $3795 (single payment includes a $105 discount)
Allison is fully committed to this program & you should be, too! It’s too much time, focus & emotional investment for either one of us to bail out.
- If you withdraw by Jan 20th and we can fill your place from the waitlist, we’ll refund your payments after a $450 administrative fee.
- If we can’t fill your place from the waitlist, we are unable to offer a refund. However, you’ll still have access to Craft Lessons, live class replays and co-writing sessions for a year.
- If you leave the class midway, full tuition will still be charged to your payment method.
Your cohort includes novel writers from multiple genres, around the same experience level.
Our private community includes Craft Lessons, Q&A, and Discussion forums.
The community is supportive, encouraging, and focused on craft. Live co-writing and Study Halls are optional but highly recommended for accountability
While many writers work on multiple projects, please choose one to focus on for Project Novel. Your editorial feedback will be stronger and more useful, and you’ll gain the craft, process, and finishing power to apply to your other work.
There’s power in specific, time-limited creative assignments.
- Weekly Craft Lessons exercises are due Sundays at 12PM Eastern time.
- Private feedback pages are due Sundays at 12PM Eastern time.
- Pages for Live-Editing during class are due one hour before class begins.
- You’ll get one “late pass” to turn in work up to 3 days late.
- Week Five is Catch-Up Time, with no class and no additional lessons. Use this week to spend time on any Craft Lessons you’ve skipped or exercises you want to apply to your manuscript.
Project Novel is about treating your writing like it’s an important commitment worthy of your time & money…because it is.
Great! I’ll be familiar with your work, and we’ll have some flexibility—for example, if I’ve already edited your synopsis, you might send in a short scene or your draft query instead.
Some Craft Lessons will repeat things you’ve learned from me before (in a virtual intensive, a live workshop or retreat, or a webinar) but as one writer said, “The message lands differently now that I’m at a different stage of the process.”
- Weekly classes, hosted Study Hall sessions and community co-writing happen on Zoom.
- Craft Lessons videos, and our private community, are accessed through any web browser.
- Submit pages in Microsoft Word to see feedback in Track Changes.
Made it all the way down and still have questions?
Send an email, or set up a quick call.