.png)
The Austin Stone Institute’s Writer Development Program (in person and online) trains writers to create compelling work for the glory of God and the flourishing of people. Through writing in multiple genres, in a collaborative cohort environment, program participants are equipped to write what is good, beautiful, and true in their particular contexts—whether that’s the boardroom, classroom, or home.
- Program Length: September 2023–April 2024
- Program Style: Cohort
- Program Cost: $399 (in person)
If you want to learn to steward your writing, hone your craft, and grow in your faith in a collaborative and supportive community, apply for the Writer Development Program. Applicants to the in-person program need to be local to Central Texas. If you live outside the Austin metroplex, you can purchase access to our online program.
Who Should Apply for WriterDev?
We’re not looking for expert writers. We’re looking for people who are curious, humble, and hungry to grow in their faith. If you:
- want to be a better teacher or public speaker, WriterDev will teach you to organize your ideas so that they can be understood by an audience.
- want to take your next steps with a short story, novel, devotional, serial blog, or newsletter, WriterDev will train you to write clearly, compellingly, and beautifully.
- want to add greater nuance to your fictional characters or nonfictional concepts, WriterDev will help you address complexity with clarity and kindness.
- want to get better at giving and receiving feedback, WriterDev will give you critique skills that apply in any context.
- want to grow in Christlikeness through the discipline of writing, WriterDev will require you to read and write and meet deadlines.
As writers, teachers, and thinkers who believe in Jesus, we have a calling to care for our words. With them, we can comfort the hurting, free the captive, give sight to the blind, and proclaim the good news of our great God, no matter if we’re writing a Bible study, a short story, or training materials for our employees. We can influence culture in life-giving ways through the thoughtful and compelling work of our minds, hearts, and hands.
If any of that stirs your curiosity or imagination, we invite you to apply for the Writer Development Program!
Program Vision
Because the Writer Development Program trains writers to create compelling work for the glory of God and the flourishing of people, it emphasizes holistic formation. The program helps you learn truths about God and incorporate them into your writing. It emphasizes discipline through assignments and cohorts, both of which benefit your writing and spiritual life. Finally, the program instructors—experienced writers, teachers, and other industry professionals—cover a range of topics, from writing the first draft to revising the third, and from collaborating with others to giving and receiving feedback.
The robust nature of the Writer Development Program condenses a multi-year writing program into eight months. In those eight months, you will learn to refine your ideas, cross-train in multiple writing genres, establish a habit of reading and writing, critique and be critiqued in turn, and develop goals that nurture not only your ideas and plans but also your faith in Christ and your commitment to His people.
If all that sounds intriguing, apply for the Writer Development Program today!
.png)
