Do you feel alone navigating your invisible illness?
Have you been yearning to write to process and share your health story?
Do you wish you had the support of a community as you navigate your daily life?
Made Visible is a platform for those living with or affected by invisible illness who want to write and share their story.
Too many people feel alone as they navigate health challenges. Living with or supporting someone with an invisible illness is an isolating experience in so many ways.
At Made Visible, we believe that by writing and sharing your story, you can feel more seen and heard.
And because writing can be lonely, just like invisible illness, we believe that it’s best done in community.
With the support of this community, you’ll discover the stories you need to tell, the encouragement to keep writing, and the skills to shape and hone your work.
The Made Visible Membership and community is for you if you identify as belonging to the invisible illness community, whether you have an invisible illness yourself or someone close to you is living with an invisible illness, and if you want to write your story.
The Made Visible Membership: Member Benefits
As a member, you’ll have access to exciting writing events each month. Between events, writing prompts and an online community will keep you motivated to keep writing.
Your membership includes:
Weekly writing prompts so you can write on your own time and your own terms.
These weekly prompts aren’t just any writing prompts. They’re written and curated just for this community, and get to the heart of what it’s like to live a life impacted by invisible illness.
Prompts are delivered on Sunday mornings, can be used for any genre (personal essay/memoir, poetry, fiction), and can help you generate new ideas or find ideas to revise old pieces.
A private, online community for resources and connection
In the private, online community space, you’ll have 24/7 access to resources and recommendations related to books and the craft of writing about illness. Think of it like the corner of the library where you finally discover the stories that sound like yours.
Most importantly, the online community space is a place for members to gather. As much as it’s a place to learn, it’s also a place to share whatever has been exciting or challenging you in your writing lately. It’s your space to celebrate, ask questions, and connect.
A monthly, 2-hour masterclass featuring a guest teacher
Each month, a guest teacher will be featured in a masterclass on writing about invisible illness. These classes are an opportunity to learn from a skilled writer who has navigated the writing and/or publishing world. At the end of each guest teacher’s lecture, there will be a Q&A portion where you can ask specific questions. You’ll also have the opportunity to write and connect with other members in the community during the masterclass.
Masterclass recordings will be made available within 24 hours if you’re not able to join live.
Past featured speakers have included: Jen Pastiloff, Porochista Khakpour, Sarah Ramey, Phoebe Lapine and Ally Hilfiger
A monthly 75-minute group writing session
During monthly group writing sessions, you’ll be given a prompt and the timer will start.
Each session, several people will have the opportunity to share and get feedback.
These sessions are a great way to keep yourself accountable to actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).
Join the Made Visible Community
Made Visible Community
Access to the the Made Visible Community
Weekly writing prompts
Writing resources and recommendations
Made Visible Community Plus
Access to the Made Visible Community
Weekly writing prompts
Writing resources and recommendations
2-hour monthly masterclass with a guest expert and opportunity to connect with other members
75 minute monthly group writing sessions
Recordings of the masterclass
You’re ready to write your story.
You want to write about how your life has been affected by invisible illness
You want to connect with others who are living with invisible illnesses
You want to use writing to share your story with people in your life and beyond
You want to learn the craft of writing and publishing from skilled working writers
✔️ This community is for you if:
You love writing
You want to be part of a community of writers with invisible illnesses
You want to learn more about writing about your invisible illness
You’re sick of hiding your story and want to share it more
You want to learn from skilled writers about writing and publishing
✖️ This community is not for you if:
You’re not interested in writing
You’re looking to talk (not write) about your symptoms, side effects and the day-to-day of managing an invisible illness.
You’re strictly looking for a support/therapy group
You have no connection to invisible illness
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be an experienced writer to join the Made Visible community?
This membership program is for writers at all levels--no prior experience required.
Is the community a good fit for me if I am an experienced writer?
The community events and writing prompts are all adaptable for multiple experience and skill levels and will meet you where you are. You may have lots of experience writing in a different discipline but are new to telling your invisible illness story. Or, you may have been working on writing your story for years, and are looking for community and support as you continue.
I write poetry/fiction/journalism, not personal essays/memoir--is this community for me?
If you want to write your story of invisible illness, this community is for you. You can be writing in any genre or combination of genres (personal essay, memoir, fiction, poetry, hybrid, etc.).
If I can’t attend the masterclass and workshops live, will I be able to view recordings?
YES! We will send out the recording within 24 hours.
What is the membership commitment when I sign up?
You can cancel at any time. The price you initially pay may change if you cancel and rejoin at a later date as the community grows.
Do I need to specify what my relationship to invisible illness is?
You do not need to disclose your condition to anyone in order to join the Made Visible community.
My illness is not invisible, can I still join?
YES! Absolutely. Made Visible the podcast and writing classes are focused on invisible illnesses. This community is open to anyone with an illness of any kind. There are MANY invisible aspects to illness, even if there are visible sides, too. You might refer to your condition as a chronic illness, a physical or mental illness, a disease, a disability, or a neurodivergence.
Join the Made Visible Community
Made Visible Community
Access to the the Made Visible Community
Weekly writing prompts
Writing resources and recommendations
Made Visible Community Plus
Access to the Made Visible Community
Weekly writing prompts
Writing resources and recommendations
2-hour monthly masterclass with a guest expert and opportunity to connect with other members
75 minute monthly group writing sessions
Recordings of the masterclass