Find out everything!
Welcome to your one-stop shop for all you need to know about Helen Sword’s WriteSPACE community, retreats, intensives, courses, workshops, books, tools, and more!
News & Events
Our monthly WriteSPACE Special Event series features an array of international guests discussing writing and wordcraft with WriteSPACE founder Helen Sword. The Helen’s Word newsletter is a source of up-to-date information about writing resources, courses, and upcoming events.
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Subscribe to Helen's Word, for writing news, upcoming courses and events, podcasts on writing, and short Swordcraft courses.
As a free subscriber, you’ll receive weekly news and inspiration to help you lift your writing game.
As a paid subscriber, you’ll also benefit from:
Weekly short videos on wordcraft to sharpen your style.
Monthly podcasts to listen to when you’re on the move.
Invitations to exclusive workshops and events.
WriteSPACE members receive complimentary paid subscription to Helen's Word as part of their membership.
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Our monthly WriteSPACE Special Event series feature Helen in conversation and hands-on workshops with international guests. In most cases, the first hour of each two-hour event is FREE for all registered participants, while the writing workshop in the second hour is reserved for WriteSPACE members.
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Don’t miss a thing! Stay in the know by previewing our WriteSPACE year in the Guest Calendar.
Community
Step into the WriteSPACE, a vibrant resources site and community with members in more than 30 countries.
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Do you want to write more stylishly, productively, creatively, joyfully — or simply more?
Supercharge your writing with exclusive resources and tools developed by acclaimed writing expert Dr. Helen Sword over three decades and used at hundreds of leading institutions around the world.
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The Live Writing Studio is a welcoming virtual space where writers gather in real time to write, talk, and develop their wordcraft through collegial conversations and personal coaching.
Join the WriteSPACE Studio for access to over 60 2-hour Live Writing Studio sessions per year, hosted by either Helen or Amy, our friendly events manager.
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Travel Grants are extra WriteSPACE benefits for groups:
Leverage your WriteSPACE membership by inviting a friend or colleague (or more than one!) to join you in this incredible international writing community. We’ll support your partnership with extra resources and guidance to help you move your writing into new territory — together.
Retreats
Join Helen and fellow writers from around the world for an intimate in-person writing retreat in New Zealand (January) or Switzerland (June).
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Escape to Waiheke - one of "The World's best Islands" located just off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand!
Whether you aspire to make progress on a specific project or are seeking fresh inspiration, this intimate Island Time gathering will help you replenish your creative energies, refocus your ambitions, and hone your writing skills.
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Join Helen in the historic, picturesque, Alpine village of Wengen, Switzerland. Scale the heights of creativity, hone your craft, and progress your projects on this magical 7-night Mountain rise retreat.
Intensives
Transform your writing in just 3 action-packed days with Helen’s flagship Stylish Writing Intensive, offered just 3 times per year.
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Sharpen your style!
Say goodbye to bland, boring, colorless prose with the Stylish Writing Intensive! Join Helen Sword for 3 action-packed days (Fri, Sat, Sun) of advanced writing and editing workshops, personal coaching, dedicated writing time, and hands-on feedback.
Limited to 4 participants per cohort.
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Sharpen your style!
Say goodbye to bland, boring, colorless prose with the Stylish Writing Intensive! Join Helen Sword for 3 action-packed non-consecutive weekdays (Mon, Wed, Fri) of advanced writing and editing workshops, personal coaching, dedicated writing time, and hands-on feedback.
Limited to 4 participants per cohort.
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Sharpen your style!
Say goodbye to bland, boring, colorless prose with the Stylish Writing Intensive! Join Helen Sword for 3 action-packed days (Fri, Sat, Sun) of advanced writing and editing workshops, personal coaching, dedicated writing time, and hands-on feedback.
Limited to 4 participants per cohort.
Short Courses
Refresh your writing with one of these 6-week Writing Catalyst courses.
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Write with delight
Rediscover the joys of writing with this 6-week online course for academic, professional, and creative writers who want to reframe their negative emotions about writing and find new paths to pleasure.
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Shape up your sentences
Master the art of meticulous wordcraft in this 6-week online course for academic, professional, and creative writers who want to write more clearly, confidently, concisely, and correctly.
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Kickstart your creativity
Get your creative juices flowing with this 6-week online course for academic and professional writers who want to write playfully, pleasurably, and with panache.
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Power up your productivity!
Take a deep dive into your writing habits with this 6-week online course for academic and professional writers who want to write more prolifically, efficiently, and with greater confidence and pleasure.
Workshops
Helen offers online and onsite writing workshops and consultations for universities and organizations around the world.
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Transform the writing culture of your organization by empowering the writers you work with.
Book Helen for a bespoke workshop or series of workshops for your institution. Some popular topics include:
Writing Productively
Stylish Academic Writing
Writing Intelligently with AI
Creative Approaches to Scholarly Writing
Writing to Persuade
Writing and Identity... and many more. -
Helen Sword offers online workshops throughout the year and is currently taking bookings for a limited number of in-person engagements in Australasia, North America, and Europe in 2025
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International writing expert Dr. Helen Sword offers writing workshops, keynotes, and consultations for academic and professional writers and organizations around the world.
Resources
Explore these free resources and tools for academic, professional, and personal writers, developed by Helen Sword and her colleagues at the University of Auckland, or Join the WriteSPACE for unlimited access to premium writing and editing tools, weekly inspiration and advice, and an ever-expanding resource library.
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Explore the wonderful world of Helen's words in print.
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Discover these free resources and tools for academic, professional, and personal writers.
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Explore a compendium of writing-related videos, articles, interviews, and book reviews by or about Helen Sword.
Testimonials
WHat are other people saying about the WriteSPACE, our Catalyst Courses, and Intensives…
Contact
Get in touch! Please contact us to leave a comment, ask a question, or enquire about booking a workshop, consultation, or coaching session. We’d love to hear from you!
Click here for our Terms & Conditions.