Design your next masterpiece!
Become an architect of ideas in this 6-week online course for academic and professional writers who want to build their ideas, arguments, and texts on solid foundations. Join international writing expert Helen Sword and fellow writers from around the world as we play with the possibilities of structural design.
Next Structure Catalyst: May - June, 2027
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What is the Structure Catalyst?
Across six weeks of writing workshops, experiments, and prompts, Helen will introduce you to strategies and techniques for mastering six key elements of structural design in your writing: ideas, arguments, outlines, texts, paratexts, and the reader’s journey.
Weeks 1-6: Weekly Workshops
Every Saturday morning for the six weeks of the course, you’ll receive an email with a link to the Structure Catalyst module for the upcoming week. We recommend that you budget at least one hour per week (or more if you wish!) to complete your tasks for each module.
Week 1: Containers (ideas)
Week 2: Fractals (arguments)
Week 3: Blueprints (outlines)
Week 3: Buildings (texts)
Week 5: Landscapes (paratexts)
Week 6: Journeys (readers)
On Wednesday mornings, you’ll receive an email prompting you to reflect on the week's activities and experiments.
Live sessions: Gather with writers from around the globe for Writing Masterclasses and Writing Clinics based around the Structure Catalyst themes. Check our guest calendar for the dates and times of these sessions.
Meet your facilitator
Greetings! I’m Helen Sword — a scholar, poet, teacher, and the author of four research-based books on writing and writers, including Stylish Academic Writing (Harvard 2012) and The Writer’s Diet (Chicago 2016).
I’ve spent the past two decades helping academic and professional writers shape up their sentences and find joy and satisfaction in structure — and I’d love to help you, too!
This course will empower you to build a writing practice that treats structure as a creative opportunity rather than a rigid constraint. Let's get started!
Watch this short introduction to the Structure Catalyst featuring Helen Sword and her dog Freddie. (5 min)
The Structure Catalyst curriculum
1. Containers
Explore how powerful container concepts can help you organize ideas and establish boundaries.
2. Fractals
Discover how patterns of recursive organization can strengthen your arguments at every level.
3. Blueprints
Master outlining as a dynamic process that accommodates both planning and discovery.
4. Buildings
Construct sentences, paragraphs, and sections with with strong foundations and sturdy walls.
5. Landscapes
Design titles, headings, visual elements, and other paratextual features to orient and engage.
6. Journeys
Anticipate your readers’ experience by creating meaningful pathways through your writing.
Why you’ll love this course
Is the Structure Catalyst right for me?
Whether you're drafting a research paper, planning a book, or organizing complex ideas, the Structure Catalyst will transform how you approach the architecture of your writing. Join Helen and an international community of writers as we explore strategies and techniques that will enable you to:
DESIGN WITH PRECISION
Master the fundamental principles of structural design that will help you organize your ideas, craft compelling arguments, and create memorable reader experiences across any genre or format.
BUILD WITH CONFIDENCE
Learn how to create solid foundations for your writing projects and develop flexible blueprints that can evolve with your thinking, allowing you to navigate complexity with clarity and purpose.
STRUCTURE WITH PLEASURE
Discover the satisfaction of well-designed writing that not only communicates effectively but brings joy to both you and your readers, turning structural challenges into opportunities for creativity and insight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Don't see your question answered here? Contact us for more information.
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The Structure Catalyst has been designed primarily with academic and professional writers in mind: for example students, faculty, research fellows, lawyers, business writers, and government employees — in other words, anyone whose livelihood includes writing about complex topics while adhering to disciplinary or professional conventions. However, the course materials can be adapted to suit any kind of writing. All writers are welcome!
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We recommend that you set aside 1-2 hours per week for the online workshops, experiments, and activities in Weeks 1-6, plus additional time if you plan to attend the optional Live sessions. Needless to say, the more time you put into the course, the more you will get out of it!
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Check our Calendar to find the dates and times of Helen’s Writing Masterclasses and Writing Clinics based around the Structure Catalyst themes. Catalyst participants are also invited to join our monthly Community Writing sessions.
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We’d love to see you at the Live sessions, but they’re entirely optional. Even if you can’t make it, you’ll still have access to all the resources you’ll need to benefit from the course.
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Once you’ve enrolled in the Structure Catalyst, you’ll have lifetime access to the course materials, so you can catch up on any of the modules you’ve missed.
Former participants are warmly invited to re-do the live course each year. Many of our alumni return year after year!
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WriteSPACE members get a 10% enrollment discount, and WS Studio members and Catalyst alumni save 20%. To qualify for the WriteSPACE discount, please note that you must commit to maintaining your paid membership throughout the duration of the Catalyst course.
A limited number of scholarships are available (conditions apply). Most of our scholarships go to members of our WriteSPACE community who have demonstrated a clear dedication to improving their writing but are unable to access institutional funding for this course.
Residents of New Zealand and Australia may apply for discounted pricing via our Enabling Better Writers Australasia program, whereby the fee is charged in the local currency: AUD or NZD+GST.
If you would like to be considered for a scholarship or regional discount, contact us.
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Helen will facilitate group discussions as part of the Live Writing Studio, and she will monitor the Comments portal throughout the course. For a more personalized coaching experience, we recommend that you consider enrolling in the Stylish Writing Intensive or one of Helen’s in-person writing retreats.
Design your next masterpiece!
Next Structure Catalyst: May - June, 2027
We’d love to see you there.
Please see our Terms & Conditions here.
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Image credit: Paper collage by Helen Sword incorporating artwork by Paper & Ash and Sean Chen.