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O’Jay Barr

Trust Your Voice: Intuitive Storytelling for Black Women Writers | 3-Week Online Writing Workshop

$229.00

Trust Your Voice: Intuitive Storytelling for Black Women Writers is an invitation to stop performing on the page and start writing from emotional truth.

This course is for writers who feel like their work is technically strong but emotionally disconnected. For writers who overthink, second-guess themselves, or write from logic instead of instinct. It’s for anyone who knows their voice is deeper than what’s showing up on the page and wants to learn how to access it.

We will explore intuitive storytelling as a creative practice rooted in emotion, embodiment, and listening. Instead of starting with plot or structure, we begin with what the character feels, what they want, and what they’re afraid of. From there, story movement becomes organic, honest, and alive.

The class centers intuition as a skill that can be practiced and strengthened. Through guided exercises, reflection, and discussion, writers will learn how to listen to their characters, trust their internal voice, and write from emotional clarity rather than control. We will reference storytelling traditions and creative practices found in the work of writers and artists such as Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, Ntozake Shange, Alice Walker, and adrienne maree brown.

This course is especially suited for:

  • Black women writers navigating voice, identity, and emotional safety on the page
  • Writers who feel stuck in overthinking or perfectionism
  • Writers whose work feels “fine” but not fully alive
  • Creatives drawn to intuitive, spiritual, or embodied approaches to art

The environment is supportive, reflective, and non-performative. Sharing is always optional, and the focus is on process rather than polish.

Their work reminds us that intuition, emotional truth, and embodiment have always been central to powerful storytelling. This is a course for writers who want their work to feel more connected, more honest, and more like themselves

3 class sessions
 Saturdays, April 18- May 2
10a-12p ET
7a-9a PT
9a-11a CT

All class meetings will be held via Zoom. For more information on how to download or use Zoom, please click here. Please note: At this time, to protect the confidentiality of the space and sharing of students' work, classes are not recorded.

    Course Takeaways

    • Greater trust in your creative intuition
    • A clearer connection to emotional truth in your writing
    • Tools to recognize when you are forcing a scene versus when intuition is leading
    • A repeatable process for accessing character voice
    • Increased confidence in making creative choices without overthinking
    • Writing that feels more alive, honest, and embodied

    Course Expectations

    • Students are expected to show up open, curious, and willing to engage with the process. This is an intuitive and reflective course, so presence matters more than perfection. There is no required pre-work; all exercises are provided in class.
    • Participants will be encouraged to complete brief writing practices between sessions and submit work for reflective feedback.
    • Sharing is always optional. This is not a traditional workshop focused on critique or line edits. Instead, the course centers on self-trust, emotional awareness, and process. Feedback will be supportive and curiosity-based rather than corrective.

    Course Skeleton

    • Week One: Listening First
      Introduction to intuitive storytelling. Understanding emotion as the starting point of story. Learning how to recognize when you’re writing from instinct versus control. Foundational exercises to access emotional truth.
    • Week Two: Trusting the Voice
      Releasing overthinking and perfectionism. Strengthening confidence in intuitive choices. Writing without forcing structure and learning to follow what the character is offering.
    • Week Three: Letting the Character Lead & Integration
      Deepening desire and fear as emotional drivers. Exploring how intuition shapes dialogue, silence, and action. Revisiting intuitive drafts and learning how to refine work without losing emotional honesty.

    For Classes: We offer full refunds for cancellation with written notice up until 7 days before your class start date. From 6 days to more than 24 hours before class begins, we offer a 25% refund. If you drop a class less than 24 hours before the class begins or after it has started, you are ineligible for a refund.

    By signing up for a class, you agree to our refund policy and code of conduct here.

    For Editing packages: Refunds are not offered after your story or manuscript is submitted for review.

    Meet Your Instructor

    O’Jay Barr

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    O’Jay Barr is a Black lesbian author and instructor originally from Trenton, New Jersey, now based in Atlanta, Georgia. She writes bold, emotionally rich stories rooted in contemporary life and lesbian romance, creating work that centers queer love, complexity, and real-world emotional stakes.

    As the voice behind the brand tagline “Repping the rainbow one genre at a time,” O’Jay is expanding her literary footprint with plans to explore multiple genres while staying true to her authentic voice. She brings both creativity and clarity into the classroom, encouraging writers to trust their instincts, strengthen their voice, and write from a place of authenticity rather than performance. Her teaching style is supportive, direct, and craft-focused, blending emotional awareness with practical storytelling tools.

    O’Jay has 3 published novellas as well as a published short story. When she’s not writing or teaching, O’Jay enjoys traveling with her wife and spending time with friends and family.