Have you always wanted to write?
Honing House offers a diverse selection of on-demand courses, as well as masterclasses, an online community, and one-on-one coaching. Let us help you build your writing skill from the ground up, or learn advanced techniques to take your writing higher.
Hi! I'm Daniel Cecil ...
and I am the founder of Honing House.
I received my Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from the University of Washington (UW), Seattle, where I also taught creative writing for five years. I am now based in Amsterdam the Netherlands, and currently teach travel writing at Emerson College at their study abroad campus in Limburg. My work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Rumpus, The Heavy Feather Review, The LA Review of Books, Barrelhouse, The Plant, and The Stranger, among others. His novel The Factory of Russian Dolls was long-listed for the Dzanc Fiction Prize and short-listed for the Yes Yes Book Fiction Prize, and my work has been nominated for a Pushcart and received the support of several residencies throughout the world.
The Basics of Writing
Learn the essential craft elements used in 99.9% of the stories you read. Discover writing prompts and short at-home assignments that will help you better understand writing basics and generating new and exciting stories.
Learn Advanced Skills
You may find that using a set of tools designed specifically for the type of artwork you’re intending to create will make the process a lot easier, allowing you to progress much faster without worrying about making mistakes. You’ll be able to develop the confidence to take more risks in your work, which will ultimately result in a higher-quality final product.
Community and Accountability
Writers grow faster when they're part of a community. At Honing House, we provide a free, online community for current course takers and alumni where writers can find motivation to create new work, polish drafts, and submit to publications. Just sign up for our newsletter to get access for free!
Testimonial
"I've taken a few of Daniel's writing classes, and each one has deepened my understanding of fiction and how its many tenets connect with each other. If you want to learn more about writing, better shape your stories, or have ideas you want to put on paper, Daniel's workshops are thoughtful and engaging, and he creates an encouraging space where you feel safe to experiment and ask questions. I'm based in the US, so I took virtual classes. Each lesson has accompanying short readings so you can really understand how the rules of fiction look in writing, because once you learn them, you can break them. The short writing exercises make you think and gently nudge your brain out of its comfort zone. Plus, you can use them as tools if you get stuck in your own writing. I highly recommend taking a class at Honing House!"
— Kazia Gałązka, Student and Writer
Check out our classes and one-on-one coaching
We release new, on-demand classes every month! If you want a personal touch, try out a coaching session available weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly.
Testimonial
"I’ve been working together with Daniel for over a year and I’m really excited by the progress I’ve made. Daniel really knows his stuff. He helps me find logical structure in my chaos, and gives me sharp and necessary (but motivating!) feedback on my writing and my story. He’s skilful in integrating all the different aspects of the writing process and helping me see opportunities for making my story even better. I’ve been loving the conversations and feeling more challenged in what I’m doing. I highly recommend him for both his expertise and the care he puts into his coaching work."
— Josine Van Asch Van Wijck, Student, Coach, and Writer