A year of writing workshops

Last month was my last writing workshop at my hometown’s library. Well, given the current situation it didn’t take place there. Instead I’d moved the workshop online in April. This workshop was organised in monthly sessions, on Saturday afternoons, when a group of like-minded word-lovers met in a quiet room of the library to write for three hours. Since I was going to teach the same group for 8 months, I picked a theme close to my heart: “Books and their magic”.

Does it sound familiar? I’ve just made a part of it available as an online workshop here.

I had a (fluctuating) group of 18 people. Together we explored the theme through many different writing prompts, some light and funny, others reaching deeper into our memories or experiences. We often went round the table to read our pieces, which created enthusiastic echoes between the participants. Some of them had the same ideas, but developed them in completely different directions. Many surprised me, some moved me.

I wish the workshop had ended on a different note than this distant, digital hand-waving. Hopefully we’ll meet for a little party in the autumn, when each participant will receive a collection of the pieces written during the workshop, that I’m putting together at the moment.

It’s the 9th year I’m teaching creative writing (I started in 2012 in my hometown bookshop), but it was my first time meeting the same group regularly and it felt absolutely wonderful. Sure, some months I had more trouble preparing my workshop than others, or maybe it was ready for some time but on the day anxiety got the better of me, but after a few minutes in the company of my fellow writerlings, I always felt better.

I’m very grateful to the library for inviting me again next year. I’m in the process of picking a theme and will start sketching the first few sessions soon.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to offering as close an experience as I can create to people all around the world – that’s why I’ve created my first online writing workshop on the same theme, books and their magic, selecting some of my favourite prompts from this year.

Find out more about it here!