STRENGTHEN YOUR STORYTELLING SKILLS, SUCCESS, AND SWAGGER

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Writer, photographer and instructor Amanda Castleman, a middle-age white woman with pale skin. Her hair is brown with silver growing in and is pulled into a fat high bun. She's wearing black pearl earrings and a black v-neck t-shirt. She has blue eyes and is smiling slightly — looks friendly!

Instructor: Amanda Castleman
Start date: Any
Duration: Flexible
Genre: any
Level: any
Cost: from $120–200/month, see details below
Full scholarships available: apply anytime, we’ll award support once a quarter

Suitable for emerging and experienced writers alike, this program will help you set writing goals and meet them. All with the warm, fuzzy support of one of the industry’s most experienced instructors, Amanda Castleman.

 

Join the Badger Den for sustained motivation and writing support

We offer two tracks of continued support — one with our celebrated developmental line edits! — and each includes discounts for seasonal subscribers.

All participants gain access to peer feedback, our resource library, chat forums, goal-setting and accountability checks, group coaching calls, coworking sessions, and monthly self-paced mini-lessons. Honey Badger Den subscribers also receive 25% off our webinars, along with discounts for other services. Folks on the Badger Den+ track enjoy all those perks, plus detailed instructor critiques of 1,000 words each month (fiction, nonfiction, or pitches, your choice!). That’s in addition to deeper discounts, free webinar admission and recordings, and an exclusive offer: 30 minutes of phone or teleconference guidance for $45.

The Badger Den runs on a bespoke website available 24-7. There is no fixed start date or time that participants have to be online, though we encourage subscribers to join our webinars and teleconferences. Recordings are available for those who can’t make it!

As always, our woman-owned academy creates a welcoming safe space, sensitive to the needs of people with trauma and neurodivergence. Part of each subscription goes to support scholarships for writers underrepresented in the media (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, writers with disabilities, etc.). Write Like a Honey Badger is proud to help the publishing industry open the door to more equity, inclusivity and emerging talent.

Learn more about our funding support.

 

Why join the HONEY Badger Den?

A woman who appears Black shakes her hands at a laptop. She has springy curls to her jawline and is wearing a beige shirt. Behind her you can see a bookshelf, window and brick wallMost writers teem with ideas, but face challenges executing them. This program helps overcome:

  • Dread
  • Inertia
  • Procrastination
  • Feeling isolated
  • Acute fear of failure
  • Perfectionist paralysis
  • Feeling too overwhelmed to start
  • Ideas that are unfocused or unmarketable
  • Pacing that encourages panic and burnout
  • Work habits that have grown unproductive
  • Fear that generative AI will destroy original storytelling (spoiler: nope!)

Instead, subscribers to the Honey Badger Den gain:

  • Resilience
  • Adaptability
  • Mentorship
  • Camaraderie
  • Expert advice
  • Accountability
  • Empowerment
  • Encouragement
  • A growth mindset
  • Inspiration for your art
  • Professional adaptability
  • Skills that enhance your craft
  • Motivation to achieve your goals
  • Help developing realistic action plans
  • Tips on coping with publishing challenges
  • Increased confidence from making progress
  • Help managing expectations and not giving up

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THE HONEY BADGER DEN

One month a la carte: $120
A three-month seasonal subscription: $300
A year-long subscription: $1,100

  • Access to our resource library
  • A forum for advice, questions and workshopping ideas, available 24-7
  • Weekly goal-setting and accountability check
  • 2 group coaching calls each month (1.5 hours each)
  • 2 coworking sessions each month (1.5 hours each)
  • A new self-paced mini-course with written lectures, prompts and peer feedback each month, available 24-7
  • 25% off all WLHB webinars (at least one each month)
  • Discounts on other Write Like a Honey Badger services including independent study, condensing documents, portfolio review and phone or teleconference coaching

 

HONEY Badger Den+

One month a la carte with 1,000 words of developmental line-edits: $200 ($170 until 9/1)

A three-month seasonal subscription with 3,000 words of developmental line-edits: $510 ($420 during pilot, discounted rate available until 9/1)
A year-long subscription with 12,000 words of developmental line-edits: $1,900

  • A woman in a pink jacket walking a labyrinth path in the Pacific Northwest with a backdrop of tall trees

    Access to our resource library

  • A forum for advice, questions and workshopping ideas, available 24-7
  • Weekly goal-setting and accountability check
  • 2 group coaching calls each month (1.5 hours)
  • 2 co-working sessions each month (1.5 hours)
  • A new self-paced mini-course with written lectures, prompts and peer feedback each month, available 24-7

 

OTHER BADGER DEN+ PERKS…
  • 1,000 words of developmental line-edits each month — feedback on your angle, flow/plot, structure, sources, succinctness and finessing your unique voice. This highly detailed process also includes light copyediting and fact checking suggestions, and can be done in Word or Google Docs. This service is available for pitches or prose, your choice!
  • Free admission to all WLHB webinars (at least one each month, recordings available)
  • Deeper discounts on other Write Like a Honey Badger services including independent study, condensing documents, portfolio review and phone or teleconference coaching (see below for details)
  • Exclusive phone-a-friend opportunity: 30 minutes of phone or teleconference guidance for $45

 

ADDS ONS FOR ALL HONEY BADGER DEN PARTICIPANTS

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Customize your learning experience and coaching services.

  • Independent study — take any Write Like a Honey Badger class with one-on-one instruction
    Non-members: $140/week consecutive, $175/week at your own pace
    Alumni and all Badger Den members: $125/week consecutive, $150/week at your own pace
    Enroll: Please email info@writelikeahoneybadger.com with the class name, preferred pacing and proposed start date. Then we’ll generate a PayPal invoice for you, including installments, if needed.
  • Developmental line-edit — feedback on your angle, flow/plot, structure, sources, succinctness and finessing your unique voice. This highly detailed process also includes light copyediting and fact checking suggestions, and can be done in Word or Google Docs. Please reserve a date in advance or expect a turnaround in five business days. This service includes one email exchange of follow-up questions.
    Non-members: 12 cents a word for the first draft and 9 cents a word for additional edits (discounts available for longer, on-going projects)
    Alumni and Badger Den members: 11 cents a word for the first draft and 8 cents a word for additional edits (discounts available for longer, on-going projects)
    Badger Den+ members: this package includes 1,000 words of developmental line edits each month. Need additional help? Our rates are 10 cents a word for the first draft and 7 cents a word for additional edits (discounts available for longer, on-going projects)
    Get started: Please email info@writelikeahoneybadger.com with project details. We’ll agree upon an action plan and then WLHB will generate a PayPal invoice for you.
  • Condensing documents — surgical strike help in meeting word counts without compromising quality or storytelling depth
    Non-members: $2 for each percent of trims
    Alumni and Badger Den members: $1.75 for each percent of trims
    Badger Den+ members: $1.50 for each percent of trims
    Get help now: Please email info@writelikeahoneybadger.com with project details. We’ll agree upon an action plan and then WLHB will generate a PayPal invoice for you.
  • Portfolio review — A critique of your biography and website. Advice on tactics and your authorial persona. This includes two rounds of questions by email or a half-hour call
    Non-members: $250
    Alumni and Badger Den members: $225
    Badger Den+ members: $200
  • Phone or teleconference coaching — a one-on-one discussion addressing your needs, questions and concerns. Ninety continuous minutes with an instructor of your choice. (Default: our founder Amanda Castleman)
    Non-members: $270
    Alumni and Badger Den members: $230
    Badger Den+ members: $200

 

Potential topics for individual sessions include:

  • Perfecting pitches
  • Help identifying story ideas and angles
  • Goal setting for the short and long term
  • Pep talks in the face of tough rejections
  • Managing a successful freelance business
  • Reporting and interview tactics — and overcoming any yips
  • Choosing the best outlets for your beats or specific pieces

 

We will generate PayPal invoices for any services that don’t have enrollment links above.

 

ABOUT INSTRUCTOR AMANDA CASTLEMAN

Our founder and lead instructor has 30+ years of professional experience, writing for outlets including AARP, Afar, BBC Travel, Bon Appétit, Hidden Compass, Outside, National Geographic, The New York Times, Robb Report, Salon, Sierra, Scuba Diving, The Seattle Times and Wired, as well as the Guardian, Sunday Express and various in-flights. Amanda has also worked on over 30 books as a contributor or editor.

A teacher since 2003, she’s renowned for her developmental line-edits, which interleave recommendations into students’ manuscripts. These insights—along with her tact, humor and generosity—help catapult her students to success. As alumnus Simon Willis put it: “A fine-toothed-comb edit like this is hard to find. I can’t wait to get started revising: it’s like being told the cheat to a Sonic the Hedgehog game at school and rushing home to test it out!”

Learn more here.

 

SELECT WORKS BY AMANDA’S ALUMNI
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Please reach out to her with any questions about The Badger Den: amanda@writelikeahoneybadger.com.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where are the classes held?
We’ll be working on a custom browser-based platform. This allows files to be shared easily, without cluttering your inbox, and gives you classroom access from any net-wired terminal, anywhere in the world. But you’ll still have options to push alerts to email, if that appeals.

 

When does the bell ring?
Go online whenever you please — the Badger Den is open 24/7. We schedule coworking sessions, group coaching calls and webinars to maximize the number of folks who can attend across various time zones. We will add extra sessions, if needed.

WLHB is based in Seattle, WA, USA on Pacific Time.

 

Is there a video component or live chat?
Yes for the webinars, co-working sessions and group coaching calls. The lectures, feedback and chat forums are all done in writing, so we can accommodate students traveling and living in many different time zones.

 

Is the course suitable for experienced writers?
Absolutely. Amanda’s taught full-time journalists and professionals jumping genres or reviving skill-sets (including former staffers for Shape, Yahoo, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal).

 

Can unpublished or emerging writers benefit from this workshop?
Absolutely. Wherever you are on the ladder, we can help you climb higher.

 

What sort of success can I expect?
WLHB alumni have published in outlets from Sunset to National Geographic Traveler and The New York Times. One had to pause, then restart the class later, because she landed so much work off the first pitches she ever sent! A handful have now won travel writing’s most prestigious prize, the Lowell Thomas, and been featured in Best Travel Writing.

But placements depend on timing, connections, moxie and marketing savvy, as much as talent. We work to boost each student up a few ladder rungs from where they began. For some, that’s publishing a first clip, for others breaking into A-list publications.

 

I live outside the U.S. Is this a problem?
Nope! All you need is a word-processing program, Internet access and a browser.

We’re accustomed to working with international writers at WLHB. For example, a recent class included students from Ireland, Scotland, Prague, India and New Zealand, as well as across North America; such a mix really invigorates the class.

Amanda has staffed in the US and UK – and continues to work for publications around the globe. Thus she’s sensitive to Anglophone dialects and how they might affect publication-ready prose.

What stops other writers from stealing my ideas?
The world teems with story concepts and writers often stumble across the same ones: overlap tends to be coincidence, not theft. But this program will inoculate you, by focusing on the stories you’re most suited to tell, and digging deep for original angles, access and sources to make them shine. Between your unique take – and the 10,000-odd English-language publications worldwide – there’s room for participants to explore the same topics, working together, rather than being at odds.

 

Will other students steal my contacts and outlets?
No. We encourage people to pool intel, as a rising tide lifts all boats. But you’re under no obligation to divulge publication details or editors’ emails, if that doesn’t feel comfortable.

 

What if I have another question?
Please ask us! Email amanda@writelikeahoneybadger.com. (Please note: we supply this address so we can assist students and alumni. We do not EVER accept unsolicited service offers: don’t call us, we’ll call you! All off-topic emails will be reported as spam.)