The Center

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The Elizabeth Ayres Center for Creative Writing is dedicated to the belief that the individual undergoes a personal metamorphosis as she or he creates a work of art, and that the work can then contribute to the transformative process of others. At the Center, we believe that artists play a vital role in our society as it struggles to evolve.

For 18 years now, the Center has been committed to establishing for writers the conditions necessary for the creative spirit to flourish. These include nurturing instruction, supportive community and a common endeavor toward the common goal of taking our work out into a world that needs it.

The Center is both training ground and launching pad, as many published writers who got started here can affirm. More importantly, the Center is a refuge where creativity takes pride of place, and every writer is encouraged to grow to his or her full potential. We welcome all people who desire to express themselves through the written word, no matter how little or how much experience they may have.

Maybe you only wish you could write. Have you been dreaming of telling the world your life story, but don't know how to start? Do you love to invent characters and plots, but feel silly when you try to put them on paper? Maybe you think you've learned a thing or two in this life, and imagine yourself sharing your wisdom in a book. If so, you've come to the right place, because we offer aspiring writers the support they need to stop dreaming about creative writing and start writing creatively. So if you sense something extraordinary within yourself, and want a writing course that can show you how to realize your potential, look no further, you've found it here.

Maybe you're already hard at work. If so, you have questions. Does this character breathe? Does that flashback work? Should I switch to third person? Is my imagery vivid enough? You also have doubts. Am I wasting my time? Do I have what it takes? Will I ever get my work out there, into the hands of the audience I hope it deserves? When questions and doubts interfere with the work, you need a creative writing class that can build your confidence. You're tired of conventionally taught writing workshops, with their criticisms and ego trips. You want supportive companions who understand the writing process and will encourage you through every stage of it. So if you're ready for a new approach to creative writing instruction, if you're ready for real community among fellow writers, you've come to the right place.

At the Elizabeth Ayres Center for Creative Writing, we want you to become the writer you've always dreamed you could be, whether that's poetry writing, fiction writing, non-fiction writing or even screenplay writing. We offer Writing the Wave, the online writing course with a difference, for writers who want to make a difference in our world. Writing the Wave is a creative writing program of multi-genre, online writing workshops suitable for beginning writers and intermediate writers. Private instruction is also available, and we offer several kinds of writing retreats.

Feel free to contact us by email or by phone
(1-800-510-1049) with any questions you may have. We do sometimes offer other kinds of writing classes, and we hold writing workshops in New York City and in Connecticut from time to time, so make sure you sign up to be on our mailing list. That way, you'll always be informed about new Center offerings, and once a month you'll receive new essays by Elizabeth Ayres.