The Word Cellar Writers Guild is a membership site that focuses on three aspects of the writing life: Craft, Creativity, and Community.
Creativity
Call it the muse, inspiration, or just the tenacious commitment to stringing words together. We all crave the energy and joy of creativity.
The Writers Guild offers you many ways to stoke your creative fire. The Resource Library is a treasure trove of inspiring and useful resources. Insightful author interviews shed light (and laughter) on even the hardest parts of writing. Reading recommendations abound, because we’re all book lovers here. And oh yes, there’s even a Writers Guild Book Club.
Plus, members can meet up in live, virtual events, such as small group chats, craft Q&As, author readings, and shared studio writing time.
Craft
Writing is an art and a craft. As writers, we never stop learning and practicing.
Members receive access to ongoing writing modules. These modules include instructional and insightful writing lessons; writing exercises, activities, or prompts to help you practice what you’ve learned; and suggested reading lists. Members are free to work through these modules at their own pace. Essentially, each module is like a mini-master class.
Each writing module in The Writers Guild explores a specific writing-related theme. Some will be related to a writing craft issue, such as honing your voice, editing as a creative act, or enlivening your prose. Some will be dedicated to a genre, such as novels, personal essays, or poetry. Others will cover aspects of living the writing life, such as creating a sustainable writing practice or balancing creation with inspiration.
Community
Writing may be a solitary pursuit, but you don’t have to be alone (or lonely) along the way.
In The Writers Guild, you can connect with other writers, share your work, learn from one another, and expand your writing circles. The Forums provide a private, supportive space to ask questions, share your knowledge, get feedback, and collaborate.
What kind of support do you want? You’ll find it here: Writer friends to cheer you on. Accountability and feedback partners. Kindred spirits who really get it when you just have to add another book to your stack, when you geek out (or freak out) over grammar, and when you wax poetic about beautiful sentences.
What you get:
- Writing Modules
- Custom curriculum of writing lessons
- Exercises and prompts for writing practice
- Reading lists for further study
- Live, Virtual Events
- Small group chats
- Author readings
- Craft Q&As
- Shared writing studio time
- Resource Library
- Author interviews
- Book club
- Prompts
- Inspiration and surprises
- Supportive Community
- Private community forums
- Opportunities to share work
- Peer feedback groups
- Exclusive Discounts
- Online classes
- Coaching sessions
- Editing services
- Surprise Goodies
Join the Community
Is The Writers Guild right for you?
Members come from many backgrounds and have various kinds of writing experiences. The Writers Guild brings together the newbies and the pros (and all of us in-between) in the belief that a diverse writing community is vibrant, interesting, and beneficial to everyone’s work.
Our community members value collaboration, connection, and kindness. We go deep—in our thoughts, in our feelings, in our reading, and in our writing. We seek to become better writers (whatever “better” means for each of us). And we want to do it in the company of others who walk the same (but always different) path. There’s a beauty and creative energy that emerges from this combination.
You’ll love the Writers Guild if you…
>Are new to writing, or are feeling tentative about putting words on paper.
You can be a beginner here, because we’re all (in some way or another) beginners when it comes to being artists. Here you’ll find resources and direction to get you started.
>Are a seasoned writer with some chops and publications who wants to expand and deepen your writing.
Maybe you’ve been at this writing life for awhile, and you want a place where you can keep learning and also share what you know. Maybe you need some fresh energy and ideas to keep going. Here you’ll find inspiration and new ideas (or ones that you forgot you knew).
>Are an MFA grad who has been out of your program long enough to feel rested—and restless.
You’re missing the accountability, inspiration, and community from being in school, and you want a shot of writerly adrenaline to kickstart your writing project and sustain you through those lonely months as you seek publication (your first or your next). Remember how you were going to finish your book/essay/poetry collection? Here you’ll find the tools and motivation to keep writing until you finish (and then start something new!).
>Have no intention of pursuing a writing degree.
You’d rather learn and practice outside of academia, thank you very much. Or maybe you dream of going back to school for writing, but it’s just not in your cards right now. Either way, that’s cool. There are many paths for writers, and you’re on the one that works for you. Here you’ll find top-notch education and community without enrolling in a graduate workshop.
>Are lonely in your writing life.
Finding writerly companions can be hard, especially if you live in a place where there’s not a vibrant art scene. Or maybe you just don’t gel with the art scene in your city. Or maybe you’re an introvert who guards her time and energy, and an online community is perfect for your cat-loving, reclusive ways. (Full disclosure: I straddle the introvert/extrovert line when I take those personality type tests. I have exactly one writer friend in my town. I love cats like a crazy lady. And I have been known to not leave my house for three days straight.) Here you’ll find a community of writers that support you and believe in you, and that take up only as much time as you want.
>Need help figuring out what to write about, how to take your writing to the next level, or how to create a writing practice that works for you.
>Have a stalled writing project that you need some extra “juice” to get going.
>Want to feel more connected to the wider world of writing and writers.
>Love to write and to read. It can be as simple as that.
Here you’ll find amazing writing lessons, activities, interviews, and resources. You’ll meet amazing writers. And if you use what you find here, you’ll even amaze yourself.
Membership Options
The Word Cellar is currently taking a hiatus and not accepting new members. Join our waitlist to be notified when we open again.
Praise for The Word Cellar:
“With each lesson, there was so much beautiful inspiration, practical writing ideas, prompts, stories, motivation and beauty. I was looking for a writing nudge and received so much more in return. My journal was filled from writing exercises and stories. Jenna has the most beautiful way of presenting to others that writing should be a way of life, she gently guides you to what is already inside. Thank you, Jenna, for showing me that writing in my life is truly a life ritual!” (Donna Wynn)
Read more testimonials here.
Founder & Host: 
Jenna McGuiggan
“Nearly every writer I know—at every level of the craft—wants to write (and publish) more pages, to have more joy in the writing process, and to create deeper connections to other writers. I created The Guild to bring us all together to get more of what we want in our writing lives.”
My name is Jennifer (Jenna) McGuiggan, and I’m a writer, editor, and teacher. I founded The Word Cellar in 2003 as a freelance writing and editing business. Since then, it has grown to include writing classes, workshops, and coaching services. You can learn more about me, my writing, and my other offerings over on The Word Cellar’s main site.
I’m delighted to expand The Word Cellar to include The Writers Guild.
During the last 12 years of writing, coaching, editing, teaching, and speaking, I’ve met hundreds of amazing writers online and in-person.
Now it’s time to connect the dots and bring all of us together in one beautiful writing community.
This dream community has been years in the making, and I am inviting you to come along.
If you’re new to me and my work, here are some tidbits that might be useful:
- I hold a BA in English, and I received my MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
- My writing has been published by numerous magazines, literary journals, and websites.
- I’ve taught hundreds of students in online courses, and I’ve worked with dozens of businesses and individuals as an editor, coach, and freelance writer.
- I speak, teach, and give readings at conferences and retreats. (Some of my favorites include HippoCamp, BlogHer, and this video I filmed in New York City.)
- I edited and published Lanterns: A Gathering of Stories, a chapbook of prose, poetry, and photography by seven women writers.
- When I’m not doing wonderfully sedentary things like writing and reading, I play roller derby (and then write about it).
Questions?
If you have any questions or just want to send me a note, please contact me. I love hearing from you.