From Fragment to Finished Piece
with Rachel Sobel
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir, Novel, Short Story, Essay
In Person
Open to all levels
6 Sessions
In stock
This class meets IN PERSON at Hugo House in Capitol Hill.
You didn’t abandon them—you just didn’t know where to take them. The half-drafted scenes. The one good line buried in a mess. The Google Docs named ugh_final and thishaspotentialmaybe. This class is about picking those pieces back up—and learning how to carry them across the finish line with style.
Over six sessions, we’ll explore how to turn those raw pieces—whether a sentence, a paragraph, or a compelling idea—into complete works with structure, clarity, and resonance. Together, we’ll investigate the questions at the heart of the writing process: What does this piece already have? What is it missing? Where does it want to go next?
This course balances creative play with craft discussion, offering tools to help you engage more confidently with your own work. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of what your writing needs—and how to move it forward.
Perfect for writers of any genre who want to make progress on stalled pieces or learn how to finish what they’ve started.
This Class Focuses On:
- Creative Play & Exploration: Focuses on playful, experimental writing activities designed to break creative blocks and spark ideas.
- Craft & Technique: Focuses on improving writing skills, exploring elements like plot, character, or dialogue.
- Writing Life & Process: Focuses on developing writing habits, overcoming procrastination, or sustaining creative momentum.
What to Expect:
- Goal Setting & Accountability: Includes tools or practices to help students stay motivated.
- Project-Based: Students will work toward completing a specific project (e.g., a story, poem, or essay).
- Class Discussion: Facilitated class conversation.
- Prompts & Exercises: Class features guided writing activities.
- In-Class Sharing: Students are invited to share their writing aloud or in small groups during class.
- Work Outside of Class: 2–3 hours of writing or reading outside of class per week.
Students say…
"Rachel did a great job of including everyone in the discussions, and making everyone feel that she valued their contributions. On a personal level, Rachel is very well-read and articulate – class was always fun and often covered off-topic information that was just as useful to me as the focus of the class!”
“Rachel is one of the most knowledgeable instructors on the writing craft, so much expertise in such a short time; very excellent exercises as well.”
Registration Dates:
- May 20: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- May 27: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- June 1: Last day of Early Bird discount
- June 3: Scholarship applications open at 10:30 am PT
Rachel Sobel
Rachel Sobel is a writer of speculative and literary fiction about dykes and other queer people. A graduate of the Hunter MFA in Fiction, she has lived in NYC and Seattle.
Describe your teaching style.
My classes are expansive and specific, aimed at giving concrete tools to address the writing pitfalls students face. I'm big on asking questions, interrogating your own process, and recognizing that what works for someone else might not work for you. I endorse reading absolutely everything, from silly fluff to pretentious works of enormous philosophical seriousness, and from poetry to nonfiction.
FAQ
Complete FAQEach class description includes a breakdown of what you can expect in terms of in-class activity, feedback, and homework (if any).
Generative means you’ll be generating new writing, either in class or at home between classes.
Workshop means you’ll be sharing work to be read and critiqued by your instructor and classmates and that you will also be critiquing the work of your peers.
Reading means you’ll be doing close reading of a work with an eye toward craft.
Craft discussion means you’ll be looking at the tools writers use to do that thing they do so well and then trying it out yourself.
Class levels are designed for various stages of the writing journey. Simply self-select the level that sounds best for where you’re at.
Introductory: This is your first creative writing workshop, first writing class since high school, or first foray into a new genre or form. You’re looking to try something new, kickstart your writing, and/or establish yourself in the fundamentals.
Intermediate: You have a strong understanding of writing fundamentals and are eager to deep dive into craft. You’re honing your writerly identity and voice through independent projects. In workshop, you look for constructive feedback and are ready to do writing and reading outside of class.
Advanced: You’ve written a significant body of work and have taken it through several stages of revision. You’re getting ready to publish or are in the early stage of publishing, and you’re interested in refining the skills that will take you to the next level in the literary industry.
All Levels: You are any of the above and are looking to play with new possibilities.
You’ll get your class information, including Zoom link if applicable, three days before the first day of class.
Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program, operated in partnership with the Seattle Public Library. Two take place onsite at SPL locations, one takes place online.
Sliding-scale classes are offered every quarter. Find them in our Class Catalog.
We announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page.
At this time, we offer payment plans on classes 8 sessions and up. Email education@hugohouse.org with the name of the class you’re interested in to set up a payment plan.
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We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans.
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Extended payment plans up to 8 monthly installments and 16 semi-monthly installments are available upon request.
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We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
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If you need to cancel, Hugo House will issue refunds according to its cancellation and transfer policies. Your 5% nonrefundable admin fee will not be refunded.
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If you withdraw from a class after it begins, you will not receive a refund and are still responsible for paying the full course tuition.
Asynchronous classes are perfect for students that need flexibility!
During an asynchronous class, instructors release new lessons once per week. Students then have one week to complete that lesson and any accompanying coursework. You’ll learn as much as you would in a traditional class but with the flexibility to work at the best times for your schedule!
While there are no live sessions, asynchronous classes are still a lively and rigorous experience. Async classes are not static lessons but an adaptable and energetic community space. Be ready to work in a collaborative environment, giving and receiving feedback on your writing, participating in discussions, and growing your writing practice in a way that works best for you.
Asynchronous classes take place through the website Wet Ink. Students receive an invitation to the class and to set up a Wet Ink account on the start date of the class. Each week of the class, a new lesson will be available through the Wet Ink portal. Classes close two weeks after the end date, and students receive an email containing their content from the class when it closes.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 business days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception if a student has specific access needs.
We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.
We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.
If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, you’ll receive a full refund.
You can apply for a scholarship by clicking the red “Request a Scholarship” text on class pages. The scholarship request text is located at the top of each class page, underneath the “add to cart” button.
Due to the limited number of scholarships, please only request up to two scholarships for two different classes per quarter if you truly meet the financial need requirements.
Hugo House members get to register early for classes – a full week before they open to the general public!, receive a 10% discount on events and classes, and more. See the full list of membership benefits here!
Donations of all sizes allow us to provide access to quality writing classes, events, and experiences for all. Please consider making a donation to Hugo House today.
If you’re interested in contributing your skills, Hugo House accepts volunteer applications for a variety of roles, including event support, administrative tasks, and more. Learn more on our Volunteer page.
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