Spark Your Story Programs
I believe creative writing comes down to desire, inspiration, and craft.
If you want to write, the spark is already burning inside you.
Creativity can be nurtured. Form and craft, like any skill, can be learned.
My writer-tested, step-by-step approach to writing creative nonfiction will cut years off your learning curve and help you draft fresh new work editors, contest judges and readers will love!
Learn more about my current offerings below.
If you’re ready to add new tools to your creative toolkit, I think you’ll love Nicole Breit’s in-depth writing programs. Think joyful curiosity, rule-breaking, bringing your language into non-linear, visual forms you never thought of before… and writing your own personal stories as the beautiful outlier you are. Nicole Breit’s methods teach you how to use language with power (not force). This is masterful storytelling: learn how to write the inexpressible, integrate your personal experiences through your art, and share your story with others.
~ Sarah Selecky, author of This Cake Is For The Party and Radiant Shimmering Light
Two 6-module courses for writers of all levels of experience who want a deep dive into the flash essay, prose poem, lyric essay, hermit crab essay, panel essay (diptych + triptych), visual essay and decentered hermit crab essay. Perfect if you’re seeking an entirely self-guided program that will inspire you to explore your material in new ways and quickly improve your craft.
You’ll love the SYS Bundle if:
- you’re bored, stuck in a rut, or have lost your creative spark + are looking for new ideas + inspiration to reignite your creativity
- you’re struggling to get through a draft + you suspect a new approach like experimenting with hybrid, visual and/or boundary-pushing forms might unlock your stories
- you’re all kinds of busy and need the flexibility of a self-paced learning experience
- you’re confident in your ability to learn independently at this stage of your writing journey minus instructor feedback and/or peer workshopping
- you don’t want to participate in live group calls, community forums or other social commitments
“Moon in Fragments” was not written in one of Nicole’s classes, BUT I wrote it based on everything I learned with her. It is a collage essay that I would never have drafted in that form if it weren’t for working with Nicole earlier. This is the most exciting development for me because all of the processes I learned in Nicole’s Spark Your Story courses are so ingrained in me now that it’s changed the way I approach writing forever.
An accelerated 12-month hybrid program for new + emerging writers who want to produce innovative creative nonfiction they can submit to contests and publications. Perfect if you need to move through an online program at your own pace but you’d also love to connect with a friendly and supportive community. Join us monthly for a fun and upbeat live write-in hosted by Nicole.
You’ll love the SYS Lab if:
- you’re new to creative nonfiction + want to shorten your learning curve so you can start sharing your work with the world
- you’ve done lots of workshops and courses – maybe even a professional writing program – but you aren’t seeing big shifts in your work (or breakthroughs in your career)
- you write poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction and want to produce innovative new work to submit to contests + publications
- you’ve survived a shake up and feel compelled to write about it but you aren’t sure where to start or how to move past blocks like fear + resistance
- you want guidance on how to polish your work, prepare it for publication, where to submit it
I came to Nicole’s writing program with specific goals in mind; instead, I learned to explore and trust my intuition.
Her appreciation of experimentation enabled me to approach topics I had avoided or ignored, value my unique perceptions, build confidence as a writer, and to craft the first essays I have published.
A 12-week synchronous program for emerging + seasoned writers who want to generate a portfolio of essays toward the completion of a long-form manuscript. Ideal if you’re looking for structure (i.e. weekly dripped lessons, assignment deadlines + micro-coaching), support from an experienced mentor and the opportunity to connect with other writers in a small cohort.
You’ll love the SYS Intensive if:
- you want to make significant progress on an essay collection/ memoir
- you’re keen to stretch in new creative directions by experimenting with structure, constraints and visual elements
- you need external accountability to get any writing done (i.e. weekly deadlines)
- you crave community + thrive in a facilitated small group setting where you can ask questions, discuss readings + talk about the writing process
- you’re eager for 1:1 instructor feedback to help you revise and prepare your work for publication
- you want direction on the further development of your manuscript
The experimental forms I explored in the Spark your Story Intensive opened me up in new, creative ways.
As an instructor, Rowan McCandless was incredible. Alongside her knowledge of the forms, she created a safe and intimate space which made it possible for me to tackle difficult subject matter, like my father’s passing. As a result, while working with Rowan I wrote “My father as rhythm in lakewater,” which placed second in the Banff Centre Bliss Carmen Poetry Contest.
I’m Nicole Breit, the creator of Spark Your Story—a unique and transformative creative writing program designed for brave, beautiful, radical truth tellers.
I help life writers tell their stories
artfully, truthfully, and powerfully
with an emphasis on craft and form.
Writer, if you’re looking for a way into your stories but feel blocked by fear, self-doubt, or overwhelm, you’re in the right place.
I can help.