Writing for the Internet
with Monika Sengul-Jones
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Writing for Performance
Online
Online Intermediate, Advanced
Intermediate, Advanced 4 Sessions
4 Sessions The internet is fueled by writing. From BookTok to Instagram to Substack, it’s ripe with opportunities to put your stories, thoughts, and art out into the world. There are formats for every writer, too: thinkpieces, poetry, microtext, tweets, video essays, longform works that incorporate image and video alongside text, and more.
These internet formats have birthed fresh contemporary writing. Aziah “Zola” King wrote a 148-tweet saga about a wild trip to Florida with her co-worker, tweeted in real time and later adapted into a film. Fanfics that first appeared on platforms like Archive Of Our Own have been later refined into novels and screenplays.
As writers, how do we make the most of what the internet has to offer?
In this class, we’ll look at a range of platforms and genres, getting a feel for how each has its own culture with implicit constraints and style guides. Through in-class discussion and exercises, you’ll learn to craft your writerly voice for each platform. How might you tell the same story effectively on both Substack, with its email limit of 102KB (roughly 3-4000 words), and Bluesky, with its limit of 300 graphemes (characters, symbols, and emojis) per post?
We’ll also cover the practical side of writing on the internet. We’ll set up accounts on various platforms, experiment with their tools, and discuss strategies for sharing your work more seamlessly.
This class is best suited for writers with:
- some writing experience and an understanding of how form structures meaning
- an interest in putting their work out into the world
- an interest in engaging more intentionally as a writer on the internet
- comfortability around navigating internet platforms, setting up accounts, etc.
If you’ve been talking about writing on a platform for a while but have yet to commit, this class is for you.
You’ll leave feeling empowered to be loud and proud online, with a series of writing experiments under your belt.
Required Materials: Smart phone with camera or digital camera, computer
This class focuses on:
- Publishing & Professional Development: Focuses on submitting work, understanding the publishing industry, or building a writing career.
- Writing Life & Process: Focuses on developing writing habits, overcoming procrastination, or sustaining creative momentum.
- Writing for Personal Growth: Emphasizes self-expression, journaling, or therapeutic writing practices.
- Community & Connection: Emphasizes collaboration, peer connection, and social writing experiences.
What to expect:
- Career & Industry Guidance: Focuses on navigating the writing profession.
- Prompts & Exercises: Class features guided writing activities.
- In-Class Writing Time: Class will include dedicated time to write.
- In-Class Sharing: Students are invited to share their writing aloud or in small groups during class.
- Optional reading and/or writing outside of class.
Students say…
“Engaging instructor and thoughtful class plan and prompts – felt very comfortable sharing/creating and felt motivated afterwards!”
“Monica was so smart, informed and welcoming. She made us a pretty cohesive group quickly.”
“Monika is extremely approachable, attentive, and understanding. I loved that the class was small enough to get to know everyone and really learn from each other as creatives.”
Registration Dates:
- May 19: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- May 26: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- May 31: Last day of Early Bird discount
- June 2: Last day of Early Bird discount
Monika Sengul-Jones
Monika Sengul-Jones (she/her), PhD, is an independent writer and scholar based in Seattle, WA, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. She has a doctorate in Communication and Science & Technology Studies and an MA in Gender Studies. She has taught at University of Washington, UC San Diego, and Central European University; she was the inaugural co-managing editor of Catalyst, a feminist technoscience journal. Her research and original reporting on technologies, civic media, and intersectional feminism have been supported by Art+Feminism, European Journalism Centre, OCLC, Knight Foundation, WikiCred, and Wikimedia Foundation. She is at work on a debut novel that takes on the geographies of pollution and inheritance of trauma. As an instructor, she encourages students to take risks by listening, following ideas, and naming the extraordinary in the ordinary.
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.
Zoom information for both classes and events are now available in your account.
- Login to your account.
- Go to “My Account.”
- Select either the “Classes” or “Events” tab.
- Click on your upcoming class or event to view the Zoom details.
You’ll also receive an email including Zoom information three days before the first day of class.
If you have any questions please contact us at welcome@hugohouse.org
Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program that takes place online via Zoom.
We also have payment plans available for most of our classes. These payment plans are available to all students. Additionally, we offer partial scholarships (covering up to 40% of class tuition) for students who meet our income guidelines.
Lastly, we announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page.
Payment plans are available for all classes and can be purchased through our website. To register for a payment plan, select “Pay in installments” on the class details page, select your preferred option, and proceed to add to cart usual. The following policy applies to all payment plans:
- We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans.
- The administrative fee is calculated based on the general class price. Discounts through memberships, coupons, scholarships, gift cards, or other promotions do not affect the administrative fee.
- Extended payment plans up to 8 monthly installments and 16 semi-monthly installments are available upon request.
- We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
- 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.
- 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 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.
To request a refund for class credit, please note such in the message section of your refund request.
In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception can be made with instructor approval 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.
Scholarship application dates can be found in our Academic Calendar.
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!
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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.
Finally, becoming a member is an excellent way to support Hugo House and our mission.
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