Most writing courses teach traditional realism—the dominant narrative form in our society.
It is only one alternative among others.
Women innovative writers have long questioned these inherited forms, showing how different kinds of material call for different ways of being written.
Hi, I’m Madeleine
My business card says Instructor in Women’s Writing.
I teach women how to search for their material and how to work with it until form can emerge.
I began teaching women’s literature in a small online group. When my students asked for a course on women’s writing, I studied narratology and feminist theory and built a framework for feminine narrative.
Most writing programs still center traditional realism.
My work focuses on helping women explore how form grows out of material instead.
I’m trained through Forfatterstudiet, a program in Norway run in collaboration between The University of South-Eastern Norway and the Norwegian Author’s Union, known for its rigorous admission process. I have also studied at Forfatterakademiet Together, these constitute my formal studies in creative writing.
My work with women’s experimental and innovative writing draws on narratological and feminist theory, long-term engagement with women’s literature, and years of teaching women writers. Alongside my teaching, I work as a second-hand bookseller, deeply rooted in feminist literary research and the history of women’s writing.
Write your story
What’s my story? That’s it.
Not the stories they’ve been and keep handing me.
My story.
Testimonial
"I am in awe and wonder with all these amazing doors that Madeleine Ferre is opening in such a non-linear, but very, very relating way to each other. My mind is going so many places with every new thread that unravels of this great tapestry that is women's writing world. Thank you all also for sharing your insights and adding value to this amazing non-linear trajectory that we are walking together here!"
- Rita Ruivo, participant in the courses Find your Female Tools of Expression and Find your Female Narrative Tools
Testimonial
"I am 46 years old and for the first time in my life I felt validated as a woman writer and not just validated but celebrated. I had never seen those aspects of myself as I did doing this course. It helped me uncover me, myself, my hidden self, my blind side. I am much more alive, excited, empowered and enthusiastic about the future and I am ready to embrace it all without apology. This course was like therapy and wisdom, and coaching and teaching all in one! Do it!"
- Michelle Foulia, participant in the course Find your Female Tools of Expression
Testimonial
"I was taken on a journey of discovery, an adventure into the labyrinth of my mind. It began with me tentatively creeping round corners of creativity to find what may be lurking there. There were twists and turns, moments of uncertainty that ultimately led me to personal awakening. I now have a clearer understanding of myself both as a writer and as a woman. I have learned to embrace both!” – Linda Coventry"
- Linda Coventry, participant in the courses Find your Female Tools of Expression and Find your Female Narrative Tools
When you work with me
You learn how content and form relate to each other.
You learn how material can be explored without being forced into shape too early.
You learn how form can develop through the writing process itself.
Ready to write your story?
Ready to begin working with your material—without forcing it into inherited forms?
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You need space to search for your material and time to work with it.
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