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Submit to Fanauthor Workshop, Fall 2025

The Fall 2025 Fanauthor Workshop is a 7-week writing course led by OFIC Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Beth Weeks. The workshop offers fanwriters a supportive space to receive constructive feedback on fanfiction, original fiction, or creative nonfiction.

Where & When

We meet weekly over Zoom. You can apply for one of two sessions:

Note that USA daylight savings begins November 2nd. For those outside the US, our sessions will move one hour back.

What

FAW is a feedback-oriented workshop. This means that each week we read 2 pieces submitted by participants, offer written feedback, and discuss them over Zoom. You'll be able to sign up for the week you would like to workshop your own piece, which can be anything under 6k words.

There may be weeks where, in lieu of workshopping, I present external readings and writing exercises. 

I developed a workshop model that focuses mostly on affirmations and positivity, as well as descriptive over prescriptive feedback, which is to say, describing one's experience of reading rather than prescribing solutions to perceived problems. We also present improvement-oriented feedback, but avoid negativity, judgment, and pedantry. Week 1 is spent going over the workshop model and how to give feedback.

About

The first FAW was held in 2017 as an independent study in my MFA. I restarted it in 2022 and since then have led 13 sessions with a total of 60 participants, over half of whom have participated in the workshop more than once.

Participation in the workshop includes entrance into the FAW community, an active Discord server where we host:

  • Eligibility to attend WTFS (Write the Fucking Story), a different 7-week workshop that takes place before FAW where we each do generative activities toward a one-shot or work on the first chapter of a longer story (WTFS is currently only open to members in the FAW server)
  • Ongoing accountability meetings during which we chat over Zoom about our projects and set goals for ourselves every other week
  • A monthly longform writing workshop, where writers can workshop any story between 6k and 100k words
  • A short story club, where we read and discuss original short form works
  • Birthday movie nights
  • Scheduled write-ins and impromptu writing sprints
  • A group quarterly progress tracking sheet that accidentally turned into a micro social media platform
  • And there are always other things going on, like international snack exchanges, craft exchanges, support during the looming deadlines of fic exchanges, and so on

We also chat about writing and craft, offer resources, and share many, many pet photos.

In addition, participants of the workshop receive:

  • A one-hour consultation with me to go over your workshop feedback, come up with a plan for revision and/or publication, or anything else you’d like to discuss regarding your writing
  • Open enrollment in future workshops

Eligibility

Anyone over the age of 18 who considers themselves a participant of fandom and who is familiar with fanfiction may apply. A stable internet connection is also required.

Cost

The cost of the workshop is "pay what you can" with the recommended amount of $300. To be as inclusive as possible, I don't want money to be a deterrent for anyone interested in participating.

At least partial payment (or notification of nonpayment) will be requested prior to the start of workshop via PayPal, Venmo, or Wise. Installment payments are fine.

Application requirements

To apply, you will need:

  • An informal cover letter discussing your fan history and goals as a (fan)writer (in the application)
  • A short sample of your writing, either original work or fanfiction. This may be previously published/posted

See more info below.