Just Do It! – STAY ACCOUNTABLE IN YOUR WRITING

Just Do It! is your collaborative support group to finish your draft! This eight-week online workshop—hosted by award-winning authors and writing teachers Chris Tebbetts, Sarah Aronson, and Daria Peoples—is designed to provide writers and illustrators with the structure, accountability, and community needed to move a project forward in any stage of the process from drafting to revision.

Upcoming Sessions

Sign up for the next session of Just Do It! online at Boyds Mills:

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About This 8-Week Online Course

Graphic for Just Do It, featuring a bulletin board with stickies describing the class

Get Expert Help to Reach Your Writing Goals!

This online course is a cumulative eight-week creative support group.

Who This Is For

  • Writers of all levels working on projects for children or teens.

  • Creatives seeking a high-engagement, collaborative environment.

  • Online learners who thrive on live interaction and community connection.

What to Expect

  • Diverse Prompts: Explore fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and prose.

  • Studio Hours: Weekly sessions featuring art prompts and creative play.

  • Live Connection: Interactive sessions via Zoom and 24/7 community on Discord.

  • Expert Support: Direct engagement with faculty and fellow writers to spark new ideas.

Learn from faculty member Chris Tebbetts about what the workshop Just Do It is, how he became an artist because of the studio night, and how Just Do It helps you go from talking about writing to actually writing!

What People Have to Say About Just Do It!

“Just Do It reminded me to show up to the work daily whether I’m writing or thinking about the story. To trust my voice – all stuff I know, but it was really helpful to be reminded and encouraged.”

“Chris, Sarah and Daria were the perfect complement to each other! I gained so much from brainstorming with Sarah, learning about specific revision techniques and answering the hard questions with Chris, and found inspiration through Daria's studio sessions. I would take this class from all three of them again in a heartbeat!”

“Chris Tebbetts is an extraordinary teacher—his direct critique went straight to the heart of my novel and the techniques he provided, through the live and recorded sessions gave me revision tools which are relevant to my manuscript and to my overall writing goals.”

"Daria's studio nights were revelatory, and her whole “art for writers” approach brought so much more to the course!"

"The community of people—instructors and fellow students—that this class has provided has been instrumental in keeping my working on my story when there are so many distractions and reasons to stop."

"This was a great choice for me because I've taken so many craft workshops and webinars, and this was more of a supportive, get the work done, every writer is unique, you're making progress type of experience."

"The accountability sprints greatly increased my productivity. I spent more time on my novel in October than in the two months prior."

"I grew as a writer, made new contacts and friends, and continued to find new motivation to keep writing my story! I felt connected and inspired on an almost daily basis."

See more testimonials at From Just Do It to Just Did It!

Tech & Tools You’ll Use During the Course

Online Classroom - Home Base

This is home base for the course! Here you’ll find:

  • The course syllabus
  • Any announcements
  • Links to Zoom lectures and other places the group meets, like Discord
  • Recordings of all lectures
  • Handouts from lectures, to download
Discord Virtual Community - Ask a Question / Connect

This is where much of the conversation and interaction takes place during the course:

  • Notes from the faculty
  • Daily writing prompts
  • Different channels: genres, topic-specific discussions, brainstorm sessions, and the most updated schedule.
  • Discord is a place to ask your questions and get answers from faculty and others in the community!
  • Others in the course share many useful links here, as well as tips and tricks that have helped them!

 

Zoom - Live Lectures, Studio Hours, 1-to-1

This is where:

  • Faculty and special guests will be doing weekly live presentations and holding studio hours
  • You’ll check in for writing sprints! Writing sprints are events where a facilitator opens a Zoom link; you can sign in, say hi (or not) and just write alongside others who are also writing. You don’t have to talk, listen, or turn on your video camera if you don’t’ want to. It’s just a virtual space where you can go to write.
  • You’ll connect with others in your “Accountability Pod,” a smaller group of writers with common interests, where you can discuss and/or share your stories.
  • You’ll have a single, 1:1 20-minute consultation with facultyto discuss progress, ask questions, and plan for next steps
  • You’ll have a chance to participate in open mic sessions to share your work.
Email - 1-to-1 Communication
  • You will have access to our faculty via email, as well as being able to contact the Boyds Mills facilitator who is managing the class.
  • There is a channel in the Canvas classroom where you can exchange emails with other students if you’d like to make/receive direct contact.

To Get The Most Out of Just Do It! 

To get the most out of Just Do It! requires participants to set goals and make a commitment. The course is intended to help participants reach those goals and stay accountable.

Set specific goals for what you want to accomplish during the course.

Examples:

  • Set a word count expectation (XX words per day or week)
  • Make a schedule for yourself that reserves time daily or weekly to work on your goals.
  • Make a list of questions you’d like to find answers to.
  • Make a list of things you’d like to discuss during your 1:1 consultation.
  • Visit the Canvas classroom when it opens, and get familiar with the technology the course uses.

The more prepared you are when the course begins, the more value you’ll get from it.

Daily

  • Write! (there are daily writing prompts on Discord)
  • Interact on Discord: ask a question or share a resource

Weekly

  • Check in with your Canvas classroom
  • Attend live Zoom lecture sessions
  • Attend studio hours – get inspired by an art prompt!
  • Schedule yourself for AT LEAST two writing sprints
  • Meet with your Accountability Pod
  • Measure your goal progress
  • Incorporate the things you’ve learned into your ongoing writing life.
  • Stay in touch with writing friends you made during the course.
  • Plan to re-take the course the next time you need a boost!

Writing & Other Resources for Just Do It!